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When your ride Alone, you ride with Bin-Laden |
by Bill Maher |
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Bill Maher walks point-by-point through the issues of our post 9/11
society. The leaders of our government are cowards afraid to lead,
and many forget that Maher supports military action and against
pointless political correctness. Oil and diamonds fund terrorists,
airport security can be achieved, we praise our heros and pay them
like chumps, and putting a USA flag on your car is literally
the least you can do for your country. Learn Arabic, conserve fuel,
help to systematically understand and undermine those that hate
America. He asks our leaders to challenge us to rise up, not just
declare false victory over terrorists and go back to the business of
getting reelected. The vintage style posters with current themes are fantastic! |
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for this book |
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The Fourth Turning |
by William Strauss and Neil Howe |
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A fascinating treatise on the cyclical nature of time, the coming
difficult period, and the next "greatest generation" due to
follow. I intuitively agree that human nature and generational
amnesia cause a cycle between violent and peaceful periods with
natural interdependence of generational archetypes. However, the
authors sometimes express a excessive belief in their findings,
sometimes suggesting the "cycle" causes the effect rather
than it being the result. |
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America in Crisis:
Making Things right in a Nation Gone Wrong |
by Jim Bohannon |
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Well thought out and simply presented, simple insights about the
devolution of America's social norms that mirror my own feelings.
Neither belly-aching nor clouded nostalgia, he puts forth simple
observations and concrete recommendations to solve systematic
problems that are obviously getting only worse in the current environment. |
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for this book |
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American Political Thought |
Edited by Kenneth Dolbeare |
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My professor warned me that this would become one of my favorite
books, and he was right. It is a simple collection of important
essays and speeches by famous Americans from Lincoln and Calhoun to
Martin Luther King, from Thomas Paine to the SDS. Each furthers
discussion on issues important to Americans at the time and to this
day. It is wonderful to read the actual words and thoughts of these
famous Americans discussing America. |
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for this book |
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Slouching Towards Gomorrah |
by Robert Bork |
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An adroit description of my personal feelings about the decay of
America's institutions through the systematic politicization by
elitist intellectuals. Put aside your personal feelings about the
author (good or bad), and simply appreciate the impact of the trends
he highlights and the detail case, institution by institution, that
he supports with quotes, historic perspectives and his gifted
analysis. Beware that some solutions go overboard, even for me. |
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for this book |
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The Collected Poetry of Stephen Crane |
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I first read Crane's poetry while in high school, and over the years
have found many personal lessons in his small, often puzzling,
verses. For me personally, the ones on war and lost love are ok, but
the verses that address hypocrisy, and the ego of false authority
fired my youthful spirit. I could easily support each point in my personal
position paper on religion with one of Crane's poetic
indictments of man's misguided spirituality. Link to my Crane pages: War
is Kind and Black Riders to read his
actual verses. |
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for this book |
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No Man Knows My History, the life of Joseph Smith |
by Fawn Brodie |
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The famous biography of the founder of the LDS (Mormon) church. An
excellent story, filled with delicious details and historical
anecdotes. It should be read by anyone wondering about America's
fastest growing religion (along with "Secret Ceremonies"
and "The God Makers"), but ignore the scathing superficial
attacks from zealous adherents. |
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for this book |
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The Liar's Club |
by Mary Karr |
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A profound and cathartic first person description of a childhood
growing up in a family where insanity is declared normal. Her story
simply reports her experiences, without judgment, such that the
reader can feel the complete and utter powerlessness and hopelessness
of a child raised in such a home. Reading this book at first inspired
me to write my own story, then instead gave me peace to simply know I
was not traveling my journey alone. |
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for this book |
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The Fountainhead / Atlas Shrugged |
by Ayn Rand |
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These wonderful novels describe Rand's well-known position on
society's dependence on the freedom of the individual. It is easy for
me to agree that all social and technological evolution came from the
inspired creativity that naturally arises from self-centered
entrepreneurs unfettered by self-centered "regulators"
(equally power hungry but wrapped in the cloak of the "better
good"). I only wish she could make her point in half the pages. |
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for this book |
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The first 'popular' novel I read as a teen, I still enjoy it today as
a book and as a schmaltzy movie. In many ways it fed my lust for
travel and my fascination with other people's lives. I eventually
read all of Hailey's meticulously researched books, as well as many
of Minchner's. The detail information on airport operations is
fascinating, and those "shocking" morals are now a trip in
time back to the late 1960's. And once a year, when I'm stuck on a
snowy layover and delayed by hours flying home, I must drag out my
DVD and watch the movie again. "They don't call 'em problems
anymore, they call 'em Patroni's" |
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for this book |
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Hardball: The Education of a Baseball Commissioner |
by Bowie Kuhn |
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The heartbreaking story of last honest man in America and his failed
effort to save America's pastime. The trends Commissioner Kuhn tried
to prevent have become the very bullet list of why I am no longer a
major league baseball fan. George Steinbrenner and company may have
won their personal battles with Kuhn, but this book explains exactly
my personal feeling of how they lost the war. Shortsighted greed and
ego destroyed the game I once loved. And Mr Kuhn, hamstrung by the
powerlessness of his job, was the game's squandered last chance. |
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Click here for Link to Amazon.com
for this book |
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Original Web Upload: December 2001
Last Update on: March 5, 2005 |