Does the American Empire Deserve to Die?

Questions for Thinkers on the Left and Right Concerning the USA

by Douglas Herman
November 2, 2009

I’m halfway through a reflective book written by an old curmudgeon. Part patriot, part historian, all gadfly, Gore Vidal wrote Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia in 2004, just before the upcoming national elections. Almost a time capsule coupled with dire prophecy, the book is a sober, sometimes cynical look at America . Vidal warned specifically against the electronic voting boxes and the Help America Vote Act ( HAVA ) especially. Yet Vidal optimistically entertained the idea GWB might lose the 2004 election.

Not a chance.

“We hate this system that we are trapped in, but we don’t know who has trapped us or how,â€