Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil

This book is a little bit of a runaway train, in the sense that the focus of the book seems to have gotten away from the author. In this particular case, I think that is a good thing. Michael Ruppert has produced a painstakingly methodical examination of the events of September 11, 2001 as they relate to a perceived world energy crisis. Central to his thesis is the idea of "Peak Oil", which essentially says that we are now passing a point where it will soon no longer be cost-efficient to extract oil from the ground. From the title, and from much of the text, it is apparent that this book is foremost intended to be a book about Peak Oil. Much more alarming, however, are Ruppert's conclusions about 9/11. In as far as it goes, the research show more here is stunning, showing that regardless of what DID happen on September 11, it didn't go down the way the official story says it did. Skeptics like to say "conspiracy theory" with a disbelieving sneer, but most of them can't exactly tell you what a conspiracy is. It is what you have when two or more people agree to commit a crime together. By that definition, nobody disputes that 9/11 was a conspiracy of some sort or another. I'm not sure whether Ruppert shows anything beyond any reasonable doubt, but coming down a step in rigor, he makes a very strong case by at least a preponderance of the evidence that, yeah... it looks like there were American officials in on it, maybe all of it, although specifically who and why is left as a topic for another book. That's a lot for one book to deliver. If half of what Crossing the Rubicon (CTR) claims is true, it is destined to be one of the most historically significant works since Woodward & Bernstein. Given the densely cited research and bountiful primary sources in Ruppert's research, that isn't a very big "if". As for the question of Peak Oil: there seems to be less here to support that idea, and nothing CTR advances along the lines of 9/11 requires you to believe in Peak Oil. show less

What I thought was going to be about the varied aspects of peak oil was a 9/11 conspiracy book. An inredibly well researched and and thought out conspiracy book but none-the-less a conspiracy book. Scatter shot with too many articles from the authors website the book was convoluted and obseesive on small points. But it did make you think about how fast all this was brushed under the table.

Michael Ruppert, a former LAPD narcotics detective, goes after the biggest organized crime in history in this book - the Bush administration at the time of 9/11. He asks the reader to play the role of a jury, as he establishes his case against the criminals, through proving beyond a reasonable doubt motives, means and opportunity. To those who would say this book is about 9/11 conspiracy theory, Ruppert would say, "I don't deal in conspiracy theory. I deal in conspiracy fact." This book has never been debunked. It has been met with a thunderous silence.

For those of us who never considered the web woven by our most recent administration, Crossing the Rubicon might cause a resounding shock to echo through their consciousness. To those of us who have contemplated many of the assertions alluded to within in this shocker, a thundering applause just might be heard. A brave, thought-provoking novel by one who seems an appropriate source and an absorbing read.

Well, it was a very interesting book; it seems well documented!
I had my doubts about the whole affair, and I tend to believe M.Ruppert in this enquiry.

NA

See my blog post on it:

http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2005/07/booknote-crossing-rubicon.html