U.S. Citizens Wake Up & Be Afraid!: The Real State of the United States of America and the World

Ben McGowan
American Literary Press (2007)
ISBN 9781561679942
Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (7/08)


Ben McGowan is an angry man, and his book, “U.S. Citizens Wake Up & Be Afraid!,” delivers that message with sledge hammer-like efficiency starting with the second paragraph of the introduction which states: “I am The Guy Next Door, just one of the silent majority that has sat back too long and allowed our current and past leaders in Washington to lead our nation down a road of disgrace.” He goes on to define these leaders as puppet-on-a-string politicians under control of the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as various sects within each party.  That’s just for starters. “My goal,” he says, “is to awaken U.S. citizens to the poor performance of our misguided leaders, who are both elected and appointed to the top positions in the U.S. government.”

When it comes to blame for the current state of affairs in our society, McGowan plays no favorites, particularly within the federal government.  In an analytical fashion, he analyzes the performance of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, describing how they function, who the main players are, and the mistakes they have made due to mismanagement, greed, or in many cases, heavy-handed applications of enlightened self-interest.  As a retired military officer and Vietnam War veteran, I was particularly interested in his analysis of the Defense Department and the performance of Secretaries of Defense McNamara and Rumsfeld during their respective tenures; and I have to admit I found little to disagree with in his analysis. I should mention that I had forgotten what Ho Chi Minh said about war with the U.S. namely:  “It would be like a clash between a tiger and an elephant in open battle. The elephant would crush the tiger.  Yet if the tiger every once in a while crept out of the jungle to tear chunks out of the elephant’s hide,  the elephant would slowly bleed to death. “That’s pretty much the way it was as I remember it.

”U.S. Citizens Wake Up & Be Afraid!” is not likely to be a topic of discussion among prominent think tanks in Washington anytime soon.  McGowan himself admits he has no credentials in the political science arena, his writing is sometimes rambling, always emotional, and definitely in need of proof reading.  But does all that matter if his message gets through?  I think not.  In my mind, McGowan writes like a man who has an urgent message to deliver, with no time for niceties.  Think Paul Revere with a word processor instead of a horse. And for what it is worth, I ended up agreeing with most everything he said.

I finished “U.S. Citizens Wake Up & Be Afraid!” on the Fourth of July, a time for reflection for all patriotic Americans.  When I read the last page I felt like rushing to the window and, like the character in the movie “Network,” shouting, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.”  Unfortunately, I was in Europe at the time and this act of patriotic defiance would have gained me nothing but a ride to the local police station for disturbing the peace.

“U.S. Citizens Wake Up & Be Afraid!” represents the First Amendment at its finest, written by a man who sincerely loves his country and is trying his best to sound an alarm.  I recommend you read the book and see if it makes you mad as hell!

Make comment on weblog