Question about Michael Ruppert

[FourScore]

I am interested in reading "Crossing the Rubicon", but I am curious about something. I was reading the reviews at amazon and noticed this about the author:

"About the Author
Mike Ruppert is the Publisher/Editor of From the Wilderness, a newsletter read by more than 16,000 subscribers in 40 countries. A former LAPD narcotics investigator, he is widely known for his groundbreaking stories on US involvement in the drug trade, Peak Oil and 9/11. His video on the latter, The Truth and Lies About 9-11, has sold more than 10,000 copies."

Although this sounds good, is it good enough to write a book about this:

"The attacks of September 11, 2001, were accomplished through an amazing orchestration of logistics and personnel... identifies key suspects-finding some of them in the highest echelons of American government-by showing how they acted in concert to guarantee that the attacks produced the desired result...an interdisciplinary analysis of petroleum, geopolitics, narcotraffic, intelligence and militarism-without which 9/11 cannot be understood."

Or

"In reality, 9/11 and the resulting "war on terror" are parts of a massive authoritarian response to an emerging economic crisis of unprecedented scale. Peak Oil-the beginning of the end for our industrial civilization-is driving the elites of American power to implement unthinkably draconian measures of repression, warfare and population control. Crossing the Rubicon is more than a story. It is a map of the perilous terrain through which, together and alone, we are all now making our way."

I know Michael Ruppert has many fans at DU, which is why I am interested in his book. Also, these are all subjects that I am VERY interested in right now. But if I were to place a critical eye on what I am about to read, then I must ask: WHAT makes him an authority on these subjects? What are his sources? Please help me to understand WHY I will want to believe what he has written.

Please don't attack me for asking this. I just want to know. I might want to share this book with some loved ones, and I know they will be scrutinizing this guy pretty carefully.

[EFerrari]

1. One generally has to read the work in question in order to get those

answers. Or else, you're putting yourself in the position of taking advice from anonymouse posters to a huge discussion board.

[Emit]

2. Read the book first.

Then ask yourself all those questions.

[radwriter0555]

3. Ruppert is an idiot on the run from the cops. Apparently he staged a

burglary of his own offices and then fled the country when the investigation didn't go as planned....

whoopsie.

http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr85.html

http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr84.html

http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr83.html

Yeah, he was sexually harrassed. I believe him.

[roody]

5. He is unusual and has a different perspective.

He says do not go out and buy a hybrid car. That will not solve our energy problems. I don't know that he staged the break in. Why would one want to live broke in Venezuela when one is not yet fluent in Spanish?

[readmoreoften]

8. "Apparently" being the operative word. Sorry.

No evidence that he trashed his own office. No evidence that the fled the country when "the investigation didn't go as planned." Sounds like a piece written by a someone engaged in a left-wing pissing match with Ruppert.

I haven't read much by Ruppert, but I think it's naive to assume that no one would ever dream of trashing the office of an ex-cop reporting on CIA/LAPD connections to large scale crack deals, etc.

[radwriter0555]

13. I found it amazing how ruppert could deduce that it would take so long to

unscrew the computers and carefully take them apart in a separate room and THEN smash them, because you know, the perps needed more room to swing their sledgehammers.

And even though he wasn't working for the government, his offices were in government offices, even though he so desperately hated the government and feared them so deeply.

McGowan does a great job as always of poking vast holes in the fish net of a story that ruppert concocted.

I've known McGowan for years. I'll trust his take on the story. After all... he's never lied. Or worked for the government. Or run off to venezuela.

[EFerrari]

10. Now, there's a smear. n/t

[Raksha]

11. I believe him! I DO NOT believe you.

I read Michael Ruppert's story about the break-in and his decision to emigrate. I found it very moving and I saved it and printed it out. The story rings absolutely true to me and unless there is some definite evidence to the contrary, I will continue to believe he fled to save his life.

[radwriter0555]

12. I was particularly touched by the horrific sexual advances made by his

staff member(s). Poor guy. What a horrible thing to have to go through! She was like a predator and he was just a piece of meat.

Uh, right.

And peak oil really does exist as much as oil comes from melted dinosaurs.

I'll stick with McGowan's take on things. He rocks.

http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr85.html

[StrictlyRockers]

14. No one throws these kinds of stones at a barren tree.

radwriter's posts make me more inquisitive about the secrets that Mike may have discovered. I am more inclined to believe Mike than ever now after reading Dave McGowan's hit-piece.

[roody]

4. I am reading it now.

I have heard him speak. It is well worth your time to read it.

[StrictlyRockers]

6. I've heard him speak and I have talked with the man.

I personally handed him some of my writing on the 9/11 stand down for him to read.

I have to say that he is not warm and cuddly, he is easy to not like.
He is abrassive and out-spoken. I have no doubt that he has made many enemies.
I have my own reasons for doubting his abilities as a manager, or as a good
judge of people's character. He seems to have occsionally surrounded himself with losers who have betrayed him over the course of his carreer.

I do think he has the inside scoop on some of this stuff. I have no real idea how he does it, but his information seems credible. He does have some EXCELLENT writers working over at FTW. I have had a subscrition to the site in the past. I have not read Crossing the Rubicon, yet. Mike is no longer directly affiliated with FTW. He has passed it along...hopefully to people who will not be inclined to flee from this country to one in which they will find themselves illiterate.

[roody]

17. He smokes cigarettes.

(Sorry smokers.) A year ago, he spoke happily about his fiance. Did they marry?

[SmokingJacket]

7. Well, I'd choose a different book.

He might well be on the up and up and not a whackball, but I get weird vibe from him. Check out his blog where he describes why he fled the country and all that detail about the sexual shenanigans in his office. It just seemed... odd.

Barrie Zwicker's book on 9-11 is very good, and he doesn't try to connect too much.

[flyarm]

9. 9/11 COVERUP BY PETER LANCE IS EXCELLENT..

from a former flight crew of one of the airlines involved..ny based..

fly

[Bushwick Bill]

15. A little about Mike.

He has been fighting the government ever since his fiancee, who apparently worked for the CIA, was allowing drug shipments through and tried to get him to participate in this when he was an LA Cop.

Mike is not necessarily an expert in peak oil, although he fancies himself one. But, he relies on the experts like Heinberg, Deffeyes, Simmons, Darley, et al. in his research. The issue would not have the exposure it does today if it weren't for Mike.

If you want to read a simpler book about all the issues of 9/11, I would start with The New Pearl Harbor or 9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made In U.S.A. Crossing the Rubicon is more about government corruption in general, then narrows down the 9/11 issues in the last half of the book. The beauty of Crossing the Rubicon is that although the "conspiracy debunkers" focus on shooting the down the scientific arguments about 9/11 regarding things like controlled demolition and the Pentagon, Rubicon focuses on none of this and builds a pretty darn good case of government complicity that stands up today. It is a difficult read, though.

Here is a quick summary of Crossing the Rubicon.
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/011805_simplify_case.shtml


Dave MacGowan is a flat-earth believing piece of shit. I would put my money on Mike over him any day. MacGowan is covered a little bit in here.
http://www.oilempire.us/hoaxes.html

[FourScore]

16. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I really appreciate it.

[lectrobyte]

18. I've read crossing the Rubicon. It is interesting, but at times

it just felt like he was throwing everything up against the wall to see what stuck.

[redacted]

19. Ruppert is hyberbolic and not very bright. He uses scare tactics to sell.

He can be right on some issues but it's very easy to poke holes in about 90% of what he says.

I suggest that if you are interested in peak oil that you read books written by actual scientists. There are many out there on both sides of the fence.