Harvest of Rage: Why Oklahoma City Is Only the Beginning
ong>ISong>BN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Dyer, Joel, PUBLong>ISong>HER: Basic Books, Timothy McVeigh ong>isong> not alone. ong>Theong> bombong>inong>g of ong>theong> federal buildong>inong>g ong>inong> Oklahoma Cong>itong>y killed 168 ong>inong>nocent people and shattered ong>theong> complacency of a nation. But thong>isong> event, horrible as ong>itong> was, may well be only ong>theong> begong>inong>nong>inong>g of an unprecedented wave of terror ong>inong> America. Thong>isong> ong>isong> ong>theong> chillong>inong>g conclusion reached by Joel Dyer ong>inong> "Harvest of Rage," ong>theong> first book ong>toong> explore ong>theong> surprong>isong>ong>inong>gly deep rural roots of ong>toong>day's growong>inong>g and ong>inong>creasong>inong>gly deadly antigovernment movement.As a reporter who has spent years ong>inong>vestigatong>inong>g ong>theong> personal and social devastation facong>inong>g rural Americans, Dyer has documented ong>theong> tragic, long>inong>gerong>inong>g aftermath of ong>theong> s farm crong>isong>ong>isong> that we have all but forgotten. But our shattered heartland ong>isong> still ong>theong>re, collapsong>inong>g like a black hole, pullong>inong>g an entire way of life down wong>itong>h ong>itong> and dong>isong>ong>toong>rtong>inong>g rural America's perceptions of economic and polong>itong>ical realong>itong>y. ong>Inong> ong>itong>s destructive wake, only ong>theong> question "ong>Whyong>? "remaong>inong>s.That ong>isong> a hard question ong>toong> answer for people who have lived right, ong>inong>vested all ong>theong>y had, and believed that ong>theong> American dream would come by ong>theong> sweat of ong>theong>ir brows, only ong>toong> fong>inong>d ong>theong>mselves driven ong>toong> ong>theong> wall by impersonal and ong>inong>comprehensible forces. Some ong>inong> rural America cannot overcome ong>theong>ir deep sense of personal failure. ong>Theong>y are endong>inong>g ong>theong>ir lives at a rate that has made suicide overtake accidents as ong>theong> leadong>inong>g cause of death on America's farms.But oong>theong>rs have dong>isong>covered an alternative. ong>Theong>y are drawn ong>inong> by ong>theong> gravong>itong>ational pull of radical right-wong>inong>g movements offerong>inong>g support, friendship, and paranoid explanations for Washong>inong>gong>toong>n's flawed rural policies and ong>theong> global economy that has ong>crushong>ed so many. ong>Itong>'s ong>theong> Jews, ong>theong>y whong>isong>per, ong>itong>'s ong>theong> Unong>itong>edNations, ong>itong>'s ong>theong> Black Helicopters. And most of all, ong>itong>'s ong>theong> federal government."Harvest of Rage" explaong>inong>s ong>whyong> many oong>theong>rwong>isong>e decent people have joong>inong>ed an "alternate America" that seems ong>toong> defy rational comprehension--until you begong>inong> ong>toong> see ong>theong> graong>inong>s of truth that reside ong>inong> ong>theong> big lies of ong>theong> radical antigovernment movement. Dyer shows us ong>theong> complex arguments that antigovernment proponents use ong>toong> justify ong>theong>ir actions. Based on unprecedented and often ong>inong>timate ong>inong>terviews wong>itong>h ong>theong> leaders and ong>theong> foot soldiers of ong>theong>se groups, hong>isong> research reveals a complicated and often contradicong>toong>ry amalgam of polong>itong>ically and religiously based forces.Some, like ong>theong> Republic of Texas, have already "seceded" from ong>theong> Unong>itong>ed States and declared war on ong>theong> U.S. government. Oong>theong>rs have set up a secret system of courts, supposedly based ong>inong> Anglo-Saxon common law, that judges and sentences perceived enemies. Meanwhile, armed milong>itong>ias and ong>inong>dependent terrorong>isong>t cells stand ready ong>toong> carry out those sentences, ong>inong>cludong>inong>g ong>theong> death penalty.As ong>theong> year approaches, many of ong>theong>se groups share a growong>inong>g millennial fervor, a sense that ong>theong>y are ong>inong> a state of war wong>itong>h ong>theong> U.S. government and that an all-out confrontation must take place ong>inong> ong>theong> nex