Republic of Lies

It's weird how quaint this book comes across in 2020. Merlan's account isn't chronological or proscriptive but rather an interesting survey of how Americans are prone to conspiracy due to the nature of their state. The legacy of Cointelpro, MK-Ultra, Tuskegee trials and so on is that even the majority and powerful often see the possible influence of government subterfuge and secret society false flags. It's this bizarre collision of exceptionalism and paranoia that creates a distinctively American brand of conspiracy cultist that both abuses victims and reaps a profitable grift.