3 comments about Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA.

1. A critical question makes the Kennedy Assassination perhaps more relevant to today than ever:to what extent is the nominal leader, the President, really in control of the permanent military, political, and communications bureacracies that shape his options? In 1961, when Kennedy became president, key components of this permannent bureacracy were thirteen years old. As a parent with a teenager there were moments of tension when one can wonder who or what called the shots. This was uniquely the case in 1960, as for eight years-- the truly formative ones in the developement of the entire post-war US society-- the CIA had been given extreme lattitude. Kennedy's relations with the permanet political and military bureacracy can serve as basis of comparison for how matters of war and peace are decided today, when blame-game controversies sometimes seem mere PR strategies for plausible denial 10.0
   
   Jefferson Morleys book leaves little doubt that no matter what our betters tell us, the CIA was to a very significant degree doing its own things in 1963. The reason this emerges far more clearly than in other books, is that Morley's never allows the ocean of detail to alter his camera agle. It is not a totalizing focus like some other books that mistake thickness for ambition. Rather, it sticks to the Mexico City CIA station, its chief Winston Scott, and his close World War Two friend and possibly his own privatest Idohaon-- the only one weirder than fellow poet and contemporary Ezra Pound-- James Jesus Angleton.
   
   Morley is carefull. When your asking about unauthorized actions of the CIA people who normally talk freely in the New Yorker have a way of clamming up. It is hard to find sources in the middle ground, for example on the question of who knew what when about the Bay of Pigs. Far easier to treat this grey area as the blacktop of the Langley 500, the way Tim Weiner does in his childishly simplified and baldly propagandistic narration of Kennedy relations with the CIA.
   
   How does he get insiders to talk for a book that is lethal to the government sanctioned version of the assassination? By not oversating things. By mentioning enough right wing cubans without so many as to lose sense of thier handlers. By clearly delineating who was in charge of what CIA operation, and who didn't know about them as well. We can see the critical wires cross, and are not confused in a whirl of unessential relations. We can see the extra piece-- George Joannides-- being added like one too many bones in an ankle and the clarity with which one could mistake treason for the logical coorination of a counterintelligence
   operation. Individuals are not blamed here, but the flow chart that teaches how the Cubans were "turned" is clear for the first time. At least for me, but I'm gradual.
   
   Also Morley tells the story from the persepctive of Win Scotts family. This "works" in many ways. It might just be the footwear necessary for treading accross one the most contested and and important middle grounds -- between president and permanent bureacracy-- in twentieth and 21st Century history.
   
   This work stands in welcome contrast to recent books that mistake the shere number of mafia people who were involved with anti-castro opperations between 1959-63 with actual causal importance in the assassination of JFK. So often books like Ultimate Sacrifice emphasize the Mafia unconvincingly, because their CIA contacts merely seem outnumbered on the page. Morley goes to the quixotic center of the maypole: one has little doubt of this as he reads about Angletons very different, and very compartmetalized relations with Winston Scott and his secret sharer within the US embassy in Mexico City, David Atlee Phillips.



2. 
   
   ...peeling off layer after layer, we (well, those who still care, but I understand there are quite numerous around the world...) can now forty five years after the facts have a much better, much clearer understanding of what took place in Dallas.
   
   The review above says it all. The book is on one level, the personnal history of the search of a son (adopted, it turns out..) for his mysterious, elusive father.
   
   The fact that the father in question happenned to be Win Scot, head of the CIA Mexico station in the Sixties (the biggest CIA operation targeted at Soviet and Cuban interest outside the US) when Oswald, according to the official story, popped up there and started making himself noticed just a few weeks before Dallas, transforms what would be a mere personnal quest into something of historical importance.
   
   Author Morley is known, appropriately, for his groundbreaking work bringing to light most notably the very strange story of George Joannides' s dealing with the DRE. Morley's work definitely showed how the CIA, deceptively, put Joannides in charge of contacts with the HSCA regarding Cuban matters, without ever mentioning his previous responsabilities as Focal Officer for the DRE during the latter part of November 63...
   
   Students of JFK's assassination may remember that the DRE was very heavily involved in the early attempts to paint Oswald as a Communist Pro-Castro assassin, participating in a conspiracy.
   
   Joannides's field reports on the DRE activities for the relevant period are still missing, and are the subject of a FOIA lawsuit by Morley....
   
   A few pieces are still missing, and we still have a few open questions, but the picture is now getting clearer and clearer:
   
   *the official story of the assassination is a fairy tale
   
   *the events in Mexico City (most notably how the station and HQ handled the visits of a known "intelligence risk" to ennemy embassies..)are crucial in understanding what took place
   
   *the inner workings of the CIA (need-to-know, etc..), and most notably the total autonomy and secrecy of Angleton's group (CI)made feasible any type of obscure intelligence operation whithout the slightest possibility of outside control or supervision.
   
   
   Great, great book.
   
   I would recommand as a companion Peter Dale Scott "Oswald in Mexico", which is the ultimate post-mortem on Mexico.
   
   If you never thought reading administrative cables could make for a riveting read, or draw the outline of the most-wanted "smoking gun", brace yourself...



3. This very well-documented book tells you in precise and unnerving detail how C.I.A.operatives work and what they knew about Oswald in Mexico before the Kennedy assassination -- a lot more than you knew befoe. It is particularly convincing because it's personal, the real story of a man who lived his life inside that system of power, accountable to no one. It's a page-turner with unrecognized spies (everyone?), double agents, stolen loves, a son wants to know his father, a loyal secretary, a dangerous wedding, enough destroyed documents to make you weep and an ending that sets up for a sequel we hope can come from further investigation by this diligent author. Highly recommended for everyone, not just specialists, but there is plenty here for them as well.

5 comments about Trigger Men: Shadow Team, Spider-Man, the Magnificent Bastards, and the American Combat Sniper.

1. This book couldn't have been written before the tragic events of 9/11. Not because snipers on the battlefield are a new weapon of war but rather how snipers have reshaped and marketed themselves as much more than a "one shot, one kill" asset. In fact, as Hans Halberstadt makes perfectly clear with exceptionally thorough and smooth writing, snipers in the war on terror seldom leave the comfort of their firebase with a single shot and scoot mentality. The numerous fascinating vignettes of real 21st century snipers, using both Vietnam era rifles or today's most advanced weaponry, are a lesson in true courage, deadly skill, and rifle scope face-to-face reality of executioner within the limits of a sometimes shifting combat rules of engagement. And although Hans leaves little to the imagination, and does without apology, the subtle but inarguable lesson is that the snipers' work has evolved. Iraq presents an urban jungle of high angles, dilapidated structures and stairwells, and narrow dark alleys spaghettied with low hanging high power lines. And although the sniper seeks secreted points of domination to overwatch a specific area for insurgent activity, it still requires a gutsy commander to approve the operation. Hans tells us how it took awhile, sometimes years actually, for many peacetime commanders to finally realize that a risk averse mindset actually led to more casualties of their own as IEDs were planted with impunity, insurgents established armed checkpoints, or ambushed passer bys at will. Hans tells us how snipers in Iraq were initially misunderstood, not employed with any imagination, and kept on a close leash for fear a sniper team might be overrun. Fortunately this paradigm has been shattered, as Hans explains with incredible skill of prose, as the asymmetrical advantage of today's snipers can't be denied by skiddish commanders. The talented and brave snipers in this book tell you just why that is so. Ultimately, nobody truly wants to go to war and Trigger Men is a story many probably would prefer as fiction. However, the reality is that today's efforts absolutely require men (and sometimes women it seems) that can aim a rifle, settle the crosshairs, control their heartbeat, and squeeze out a few pounds of trigger pressure. The feedback is immediate as the destruction is obvious, and although Hans tells us they execute their job "without remorse" even when the target is unfortunately a child, the chronic mental struggles and deep dark demons are baggage the commander can rationalize and ignore - it certainly is a different story for the trigger men. A truly fascinating story of brave modern day warriors.



2. A sniper's preferred method of killing people is when they are not expecting to be killed. "This is the story of the ways people are selected and slain, sometimes at long range, sometimes at very close quarters, by soldiers who are, in effect, invisible to their targets. This is the story of the art and science of precision long-range marksmanship and the effect of a bullet on the human body. It is about ambush, battle, mayhem, slaughter, winning, losing, living, dying, and war." "The sniper community is incredibly tiny; add up all snipers from the Marines, the U.S. Army, the SEALs, and the Rangers who are behind a gun in a combat zone at any one minute, and they will add up to about a few hundred men and no women." "Add up the kills these snipers make and compare them to the results of infantry battalions and brigades and divisions, and you'll find that many of them individually make more kills than entire battalions or brigades operating at the same time in the same area."
   
   I am a Viet Nam era veteran and I find the study of the changing landscape of battle since the time I served extremely interesting. I believe the biggest change is in the evolution of the "SNIPER". One of the most powerful components this book provides is detailed reporting of not only the role "sniper/scouts" play in the current war in the Middle East, but also their prior roles in Viet Nam and even Panama. (Operation Just Cause). The United States has absorbed a hard earned education. Whereas in the past, a couple of snipers or marksman would accompany a battalion and all their armored equipment, now in today's urban, building to building fighting, the battalion and armored vehicles support the sniper teams.
   
   This book details the training required not only in structured schools, but also in on-the-job-training, when the need for additional sniping/scouting/spotting personnel is immediate and on the battlefront. One of the real life stories involves successfully adding two cooks to the sniper team. This tale is at its absolute best when being narrated by actual snipers. At times the author bogs down the flow with too much minutiae about the weapons themselves. I have read many sniper books recently, and this one not only doesn't pull any punches about the "unique" mindset of the type of individual that would fit the parameters of a successful sniper, it also doesn't shy away from the celebration accorded the up close and personal ending of an enemy combatant's life.
   
   The author and "ALL" the snipers portrayed, make it blatantly obvious to anyone who has ever served in combat, that more care and regard to the "RULES OF ENGAGEMENT" (ROE) are observed by our American troops in a week, than all our enemies combined do in a lifetime. I shudder at the thought of how many American lives have been lost while we go through chain of command before we shoot, as compared to terrorists walking into schools, restaurants and places of worship, and with no conscience at all, destroy uncounted civilian lives from toddlers to adults.
   
   It takes a very, very, unique individual to be a United States Sniper. And as it's obvious to see, the ranks of these highly qualified warriors must increase for us to be successful in today's type of war. It should be noted that one of the main pre-requisites as stated in "DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY SNIPER TRAINING FIELD MANUAL FM-23-10 SECTION 1-3 (Washington DC,1994)": "THE SNIPER MUST BE ABLE TO CALMLY AND DELIBERATELY KILL TARGETS THAT MAY NOT POSE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO HIM. IT IS MUCH EASIER TO KILL IN SELF-DEFENSE OF OTHERS THAN IT IS TO KILL WITHOUT APPARENT PROVOCATION. THE SNIPER MUST NOT BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO EMOTIONS SUCH AS ANXIETY OR REMORSE."



3. My name is James "Rock" McGlynn. I was a Marine Scout/Sniper and I fought in Beirut Lebanon in 1983. Hans Halberstadt was gracious enough to interview me for this book and I think this book has the ability to give it's readers a much better understanding of what it means to be a "Sniper" on the modern battlefeild.
   There are a whole handfull of books on store shelves about us.I have been written about in a few of them. Yet, "Trigger Men" will give you a view that not many of you have ever witnessed before. The art and the craft of being a Sniper has evolved into a new era. The Battles we are fighting in the Middleast and the urban settings in which those battles are taking place, have forced the modern day Sniper to adapt and overcome many obstacles that previous generations did not have to deal with.
   This book tells the actual stories from those of us that have been there. I strongly reccomend this book to you. It is written well and it's told without being filtered. You get the realism that others may have lacked. Not because other books are not truthful but, because Hans has written it without being apologetic or fearful of offending.
   Combat is the most Barbaric event that man can partake in but, killing the enemy is what it's all about. Snipers' kill with accuracy that our enemies have never seen before. "Trigger Men" will bring it home to you.
   Thanks, Hans for writting a great book and I am honored to have been included in it.
   Semper Fi
   Rock McGlynn



4. Much like Greg Mast, I must confess to being a dear friend of Hans. As one of the Commanders of a large regional SWAT Team, and the Sniper Element Commander of that team, I was delighted when Hans told me of his plans to write this superb book. Many previous works on sniping have documented the history of this deadly art, others have listed in great detail the hardware and tactics used by snipers, but none that I have read before have taken this approach of providing intimate, personal accounts of this specialized profession, straight from the mouths of the men in the field. I have also had the pleasure of meeting and sharing stories with Major Charles Greene, the inspiration for Trigger Men. This book is a fitting tribute to Greene and all the other military snipers who have proven time and time again that the most efficient, fearsome and cost-effective weapon on the battlefield is the sniper. Hans has done a magnificent job of turning these individual vignettes into an informative, insightful and thorough look into the world of combat sniping. No student of the military or the rifle should be without it.
   
   Captain Nicholas Gottuso
   SWAT/Sniper Team Commander



5. With his newest installment from an already well appreciated line of excellent books on various tactical aspects of military warfare, author Hans Halberstadt has again blessed military & police "operators" and the interested civilian readers with an outstanding text on the art of long and short range sniping. In my humble opinion, no one writing about military warfare and tactics has quite captured the essence of the psychological, physiological, technical and tactical aspects of "projecting force from afar" like Halberstadt since the late Carlos "White Feather" Hathcock, USMC wrote his military classic on snipers.
   
   Make no mistake about it, "Triggermen" is not for those with a weak stomach. Author Halberstadt, through the stories of the snipers he interviewed for this book, allow the reader into the deep recesses of the military sniper's mind. For civilian readers, this book takes one on a unique journey where you begin to appreciate the mental and physical hardships associated with becoming a sniper on today's ever changing battlefield. From training, to target acquisition, to trigger compression, to terminal velocity; Hans Halberstadt transitions the reader from arm chair to prone position with eyes on the target. It just doesn't get any better than that!
   
   "Triggermen" is MUST reading for all military and police operators; those seeking to be; and those who dream about what it would be like to defend this nation with a long gun and a scope. Five stars and a special salute to Hans Halberstadt!
   
   Dr. Ron Martinelli
   Criminologist/Law Enforcement Training Consultant
   Technical Advisor, "Military & Law Enforcement Snipers"
   The History & Discovery Channels
   Martinelli & Associates: Justice Consultants, LLC
   The Officer Safety Institute
   Temecula, California

5 comments about Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

1. A great overview for the one-sided viewer but Bugliosi doesn't explain:
   
   * How James Tague got hit - 150 yards in front of the limo, at a different angle.
   
   * How every eyewitness reported that the limo came to a *complete stop* and how police riders claimed they drove by the President's car and that neither of these things are seen in the Zap film.
   
   * How a police officier got hit in the cheek - to the point of bleeding - due to a rear-blasted bone projectile. A rear-fired shot could not have done this.
   
   * How a bullet is seen hitting a chrome strip on the limo's windshield (via a "flare") in Zap frame 330.
   
   * How bullet casings were found on the *fifth floor* of the Book Depository that day and how *extra bullets* were found outside the day after and that none of these were accounted for.
   
   * How there are massive discrepacies in the photographic record. People in one photo are not seen in others and how Zapruder himself changes positions while filming !!
   
   * How *two different* murder weapons were photographed - one by the Dallas P.D., the other by the FBI.
   
   * How the Zap film contains many impossibilities inc. a motorcade that appears out of nowwhere, lamposts that are cut in half, cars that float, occupants moving at super-human speeds and women in the background that are 7 feet tall !!
   
   * How JFK's neck bones could be intact if a bullet had (allegedly) transversed the neck. Impossible.
   
   * How there was a bullet hole in JFK's shirt *six inches* below where he was (allegedly) hit in the lower-neck area. The FBI report, as well as JFK's death certificate (which was based on the autopsy - showing a wound at the third thoracic), reveal this as well.
   
   * How *every* Dallas doctor reported a massive blowout to the rear of the head.
   
   * How the original autopsy X-rays show *two headshots* and that there is an upward bullet trajectory path to go along with them.
   
   * How there is a mysterious 6.5 millimeter object found in JFK's skull on X-ray.
   
   * How modern blood-splatter analysis (on JFK's shirt) reveals at least one shot came from the front.
   
   * How several people said that Oswald *did not* carry a package into the Book Depository that morning and for the one person that did, it was too small to be a dis-assembled rifle.
   
   * How Oswald was seen in the 2nd floor lunchroom *right before* the shooting by several people - including a cop, how the three shell casings found on the sixth floor were laying *side by side and pointing in the same direction* (impossible), how only *one* of those casings was traced to the rifle found and how *no fingerprints* were found on the weapon - only to be discovered days later.
   
   * How the photos showing Oswald with a rifle have been proven, beyond a resonable doubt, to be forgeries.
   
   * How the alleged murder weapon could have done *that much* cranial damage, then (separately) transverse 15 layers of clothing, 7 layers of skin and 15 inches of tissue *plus* remove 4 inches of rib, WHEN IT WAS NOT A HIGH VELOCITY WEAPON.
   
   * How this many-times-impacting bullet showed up in *near-pristine condition* at Parkland Memorial Hospital.
   
   ******************************************
   
   I have no idea who killed President Kennedy...but until these and other questions are answered, people will never stop seeking their answers.



2. When I first decided to buy this, all the reviews said it was a "work", a "tome", a "comprehensive destruction of all the conspiracy theories" (I may be paraphrasing a little).
   
   And they were right. In my youth I had a feeling something was wrong with the "official story", that Oswald couldn't have done the shooting. Later I began to understand he DID do it, alone, but I couldn't formulate it.
   
   But along comes this book and explains, again and again, and again and again (and again and again), and again, why every. Single. Conspiracy theory. Is wrong. In excruciating detail.
   
   If you still believe that Kennedy's death was the result of a conspiracy after reading this book, you're either intellectually dishonest or stupid. No, just stupid.



3. I am suspicious of a writer who has to prove his point by publishing a book of this size! It is quite an insult to other JFK researchers! Anybody with half a brain who is an independent thinker has to realize that so much more happened behind the scenes in Dallas that day! The police dept. was corrupt too and some crucial evidence was tossed out with the trash! I say read Mafia Kingfish and Dr. Mary's Monkey then decide for yourself! Please keep in mind that The Warren Commission had to go along with "The Lone Nut Theory" to keep Hoover happy! Do you know anything about Hoover? He was a mess! Nice try Bugliosi!



4. husband purchased this instead of getting it from our library because it's so lengthy--he needed lots of time to read it. He reads only non-fiction and enjoyed this one.



5. 81 days is what it took me to read this over-sized, tightly-spaced, mini-fonted, 1512-page, concrete slab of a book, though this duration was unevenly distributed. Bugliosi starts his book with an extremely suspenseful countdown to the death of JFK. Minute by minute, he presents a pulse-pounding, real-time narrative that easily overshadows the reader's foreknowledge of the tragic conclusion. Were the book to stop here, it's a homerun, 5-star effort. But, it doesn't. Not by a long shot.
   
   Next, is a thorough and highly readable biography of Oswald that perfectly complements the prior assassination narrative. Indeed, at the conclusion of this section, I was fairly certain I had stumbled upon a real gem. However, Bugliosi's ultimate intent is to completely destroy a preponderance of conspiracy theories from the nuttiest to the least implausible, and soon the laity must hunker down for a long, and often tedious, sermon.
   
   Further aggravating the slog is Bugliosi's habit of flippantly and frequently taunting the conspiracy theorists or "buffs" as he likes to call them. He possesses less humor than he thinks and despite his feelings for some of the more outlandish theorists, his playground antics detract from what he, himself, believes a serious piece of scholarship.
   
   Things pick up momentarily when Bugliosi rightfully dismantles Oliver Stone's horribly inaccurate and intentionally misleading film, JFK. The more serious pro-conspiracy scholars, themselves, labeled JFK, the movie, a fantasy and Stone assuredly deserves everything Bugliosi hurls at him.
   
   Bottom-line, however, is there is nothing the author can ultimately do to save what steadily becomes a lead weight in the reader's hands. Those who have developed a personal stake in either the anti- or pro- position might feel differently, but if you're just a person who happens upon an impressively thick, initially inviting account of the JFK assassination, it becomes something of a chore. 5 stars for the first half and 1 for second leads me to settle on 3. It could have been so much better, but the captain himself seemed intent on scuttling the ship.

5 comments about The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar.

1. Coincidentally, the day I started this book there was a news announcement that the graves of the missing Romanov children had possibly been discovered. I should have known that it was a good omen! I had been looking for a novel about the Romanovs for some time and this hit the mark. THE KITCHEN BOY is a wonderful mix of fact and fiction and a valuable history lesson, too. Mr. Alexander did an outstanding job of turning turbulent times and a tragic event into an entertaining novel that I couldn't put down. So believable that I had to convince myself that the fictional mystery ending really didn't happen - or did it? Simply wonderful!



2. The author kept you interested all the way through the book and even though you already know the outcome, you are hoping for a better ending. Great read by Robert Alexander. I am now going to read Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander.



3. This book is a page turner, and a great pick for a book club read. Alexander's fact based fiction is seamless, leaving you wrapped in the Russian era and wanting more. At the same time weaving a strong character based drama with suspense as well as emotion. Definately would recommend to a friend, or a book club.



4. Alexander manages to weave much historical detail into his fast-paced story. The reader definitely gets a sense of everyday life with the royal family. I really felt as if I were with the Romanovs, from the Tsar's hemorrhoids to the details of their daily menu to the "arranging medicines" and finally to that descent down the 23 steps.



5. The last days of the Romanov family didn't go well. Removed from power, widely hated by their people, they were imprisoned in a house in Siberia. Although they were carefully guarded, the family dreamed of rescue. When their kitchen boy, a young servant, began passing them notes that were sneaked in with their food, it seemed that the family might be able to escape.
   
   I really liked some of the history of the Romanov family. I didn't know much about them before reading this book, but I felt inspired to investigate their history after I read this story. It was horrifying to read this book and know that the family we were observing would soon be brutally murdered. Although I knew what was going to happen, the author was able to build up a nice amount of suspense.
   
   I would have liked to have gotten to know the characters a bit more, though. I got a fairly good idea of the personality of the Tsar and Tsaritsa, and of their sickly son. Their four daughters, though, were only vague sketches of people with no real details or personality. If a family is going to be murdered before my eyes, and I'm going to be expected to be sympathetic, I'd like a better idea of who these people actually are.
   
   Some people loved "the big twist" at the end of this story. I thought it was entirely unnecessary and would have preferred if the truth had been the simple one I expected throughout the rest of the book. The narrator having this big secret that became the point of the book took something away from the story of the murder of the Romanovs. In the end, the story became all about the narrator, instead of all about the murders.

5 comments about The Road to Dallas: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy.

1. Haven't finished yet, but; This is good! Very detailed but not hard to read. Some of these assassination books have you bogged down before you find out that it's Kennedy that they are talking about. Nice to have a professional historian that doesn't seem to have an axe to grind. I go into this with a disposition toward paranoia; but some of the theories are just too far out. This is a reasoned and introspective approach that leads to the hope that "the truth will out". Will finish soon.



2. The book is good with respect to some of the mob/exile interactions. The section re the actual shooting is completely unreliable. It flies in the face of massive amounts of new information re the autopsey that belie a single shooter. It also ignores the evidence of eyewitnesses that Oswald was not on the 6th floor at the time of the shooting. It also makes almost no mention of the coup operation that the Kennedy administration planned for Cuba. That was pretty thoroughly detailed in ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, yet Mr. Kaiser fairly well ignores it. His contention that Rolando Cubela was the highest level official in the Castro gov't. that was in contact with the CIA directly contradicts ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, which book is far more convincing of CIA contacts with Juan Almeida-Bosque. Almeida was infinitely higher in the Cuban gov't. than Cubela ever was. And on and on. Kaiser's book is interesting, but it isn't a primer on the assassination. Read ULTIMATE SACRIFICE (Waldron/Hartman) and SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TALKED (Hancock), then read this.



3. Had not received the book a month after it was shipped. After calling Amazon, received book in two days. Matt, the Amazon rep. was very helpful. Book is excellent read.



4. Full disclosure: I haven't read that many books on the subject but have always tended to believe it was a setup of some kind involving the mob and someone else. Principal reasons being Ruby's killing Oswald, and the murders of prime Mob suspects in 1975 during the Congressional investigation.
   
   Now the review:
   
   This book is painstakingly researched. The accumulation of detail makes for a difficult read for a while. It could have used an editor in the early chapters. For example, the minor figure Irving Davidson is introduced three times by his full name with a brief biographic sentence.
   
   Toward the end, it really picks up speed. The week of the assassination reads quite well and conveys many convincing details.
   
   The author - who teaches at the Naval War College - has apparently picked up the work of certain investigators on the 1970's Congressional investigation and I imagine they provided some direction to his efforts. They are cited in the book from time to time. The data in this volume, however, is not a pure rehash. It includes some recently declassified CIA documents. The evidence is utterly circumstantial, and there is of course no smoking gun or the book would have a lot more publicity. Every once in a while the author's speculation went past my threshold of credulity. I think he fails to recognize the healthy possibility that in the hysteria of the aftermath of the assassination there were many people who, like Catholics who convince themselves of apparitions of the Blessed Mother, convinced themselves of having seen Oswald or Ruby or that they heard someone make a veiled reference to plans for the assassination.
   
   Midway through the book, I was losing confidence in my own beliefs as it didn't seem the details were adding up to anything at all. The author speculates Oswald may have been a double agent for the CIA - his pro-Castro public persona is suggested to be a cover for an attempt by someone, presumably the CIA, to introduce him into Cuba to shoot Castro. I didn't find that all that compelling as there is no rational explanation how he then goes off and shoots JFK.
   
   Still, the details that come from more reliable sources, like telephone records, and so forth, eventually become compelling. And once Oswald goes to Mexico to attempt to obtain a visa for Cuba, the story picks up some traction. Oswald comes off as a totally unstable person. As one mob figure is quoted years later, Oswald didn't know if he was working for a pro-Castro or an anti-Castro organization. And the book definitely convinces in relation to that. For a while, I was thinking to myself, this is proving the nutty lone gunman theory. Then I realized, just because the guy is a nut, doesn't mean he wasn't being used by somebody. And when you read about Ruby's and a few other low-level mob figures' actions around the day of the assassination, and that Oswald had an uncle in Marcello's crime family, it becomes hard to doubt that the somebody was the mob.
   
   The thesis of the book is that Oswald was the instrument of a somewhat improvised alliance - conspiracy may be too organized - between anti-Castro Cubans, right-wing Americans down south, a couple of strange Europeans, and the Mafia. The contours of this alliance are unclear. Certain Mafia figures are named, particularly Marcello and Trafficante, but also the 1975 murder victims, Giancana, Hoffa and Roselli. One mob figure is specifically identified as having carried messages between two of those names, relative to the intent to kill JFK, but it is long before Dallas and there is no tie to Ruby or Oswald in the message. There is no one as notorious from the other groups tied as closely to the murder, although there are a couple of low-level anti-Castro names in Dallas near the relevant time and a couple gun dealers/runners as well. The motives for the murder are mixed: was it designed to provoke a US invasion of Cuba? Or was it just elimination of the Kennedys from the executive branch, to turn down the heat on the mob? Maybe both. The author lays them all out there but has little hard evidence of the motives.
   
   Anyway, although most of the relevant witnesses are dead, and probably not a lot of documentary evidence remains unexamined, and so the full details will never be fully proved, I thank the author for doing a terrific job, for history's sake, of compiling what evidence there is of the forces that were likely behind Oswald.



5. A very good book and the most up to date account of what happened and who were involved.A.T.Kiln

5 comments about Assassination Vacation.

1. On p. 118 of the 2005 hardcover edition of this excellent book, there is a rare typo (perhaps the only typo). Lincoln did not say "If slavery is wrong, nothing is wrong." He said, "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong."
   Thank you, Ms. Vowell, for one of the best history books I've run across (we're reading it in my book group). I assume there will be further editions; perhaps you have already spotted this error.



2. What a great and interesting read. This book reads like the best sort of history book, or the best sort of travel log. There is no such thing as a dry statement of facts in Vowell's world, and her particularly droll delivery leaves waffly, wishy-washy, romantic travel tales in the dust. It's particularly amazing how she can weave in the fine details of the assassins, presidents, and ephemera and make them not only interesting but pertinent. I've never read Vowell's work before but will read more now.



3. Sarah Vowell's very chatty and informal overview of the first three successful presidential assassinations manages to chart, in its off-kilter way, a compelling if highly selective version of American history from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War through a series of anecdotes concerning the assassinations, the presidents who were the victims, the assassins themselves, and most of all the U.S. historical events associated with these events which Vowell manages to visit with the help of her friends and family, and where she meets a charming assortment of local volunteers who become the unofficial heroes of her narrative. Even if you're well versed in Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS, which explores much of the same territory in a completely different manner (and which Vowell enthuses over at the very beginning of her narrative), there's still much to find new and interesting here, and Vowell's candidness about her political affiliations and enthusiasms are very refreshing.
   
   Vowell does identify herself on the bookjacket as "a McSweeney's person," and for better or worse that is a fairly accurate self-assessment. On the plus side, the book is charming, hip, ironic, and clever. On the other, it can be a bit self-consciously twee (favoring anachronistic terms in her writing like "looky-loos" and "mosey"), it's in strong need of an editor, and Vowell seems to need to tell us constantly how many supportive and brilliant friends and relations she has. It's almost impossible to nitpick, though, about someone who can be fervent and honest about her nerdy love for American history. This is a fun book to read.



4. This book makes me want to throw my kids in the car and drive them as quickly as possible to the nearest historical memorial/museum/old graveyard/bronze plaque and giggle, tell stories, do ANYTHING other than fret over their brains turning to mush on a Webkinz/Sims diet. Assassination Vacation is not just history for a witty leftie reader. Can you imagine how someone in the future will write the history of OUR time? Do you want just the mentioning of a war in Iraq and details about the number of people who died, or do you want someone to read the part about missing weapons of mass destruction? If you're the kind of person who thinks details like missing WMD's makes the story of our time come alive, you'll really 'get' Assassination Vacation. And you might also learn to love James Garfield and his special, comfy reading chair, which is worth the price of purchase by itself. Great writing.



5. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It focused on Abraham Lincoln and took the author to some interesting places. I found it educational and entertaining, even though it isn't something that I would normally read about.
   
   I am not that into recent American history, and that may be why I didn't enjoy the second half of the book as much. Presidents Garfield and McKinley aren't that interesting to me. I didn't think that it was any fault of the author, for she seems to really get into geeking out at historical sites, and likes things that make my eyes melt from the boredom.
   
   I think the book is worth reading, just for the first half, and if you are interested in the other two men, you will enjoy it even more.

5 comments about Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (P.S.).

1. I had heard good things about this book before I read it, and I was certainly not disappointed. This is not a book that will teach you about the Civil War or Reconstruction. It has a singular focus. And it's great. More than any history book I've ever read, this was like a novel that was very difficult to put down. It's brilliantly researched and informative, and it brings an infamous killer to life. You won't sympathize with him, but you will get swept up in his escape attempt like you were watching a riveting action movie. This is the type of history book that could be enjoyed by someone with limited interest in history.



2. I enjoy Civil War history and presidential history, but never have I read such a page turner on the topic! I really couldn't put this book down.



3. This book is great. Even though there are hundreds of books on the topic of Lincoln's assassination, this one stands out. It's exciting, well written and well researched. I credit this book for getting me interested in the Civil War, Lincoln and that period. As you read it, I recommend that you visit the Ford's Theater website and take the virtual tour. Put yourself in the audience, look at pictures, and read further about some of the places talked about. There are other great websites that you'll want to visit also. If you want to learn more about the assassination, read Blood on the Moon by Ed Steers as a companion to this one. Enjoy!



4. I am only half way through the book & I alradey don't want it to end. It is a wonderful jistory lesson and reads like a terrific novel. I will certainly look at other things by this author.



5. There are a hosts of books that purport to prove that there was a conspiracy at the root of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. If you want the basic facts about John Wilkes Booth, the night of the assassination and the events surrounding the escape and capture of Booth, I would strongly recommend MANHUNT. It is an excellent starting point for any in depth study of the subject.

3 comments about JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters.

1. What a Golden Age of Kennedy Assassination history and interpretation! - masterpieces of writing and research: Gerald McKnight's brilliantly argued "Breach of Trust", Professor Joan Mellen's white-hot "Farewell to Justice", and the tributary hymn-of-despair in David Talbot's "Brothers". (We've also had the occasional fly-in-the-ointment from the Hall Monitors and Disinformationists: Waldron, Myers, Russo, Sturdivan, Vinnie the Bug, Robert Stone[who turned out to be an even worse filmmaker than he is a novelist].) And it is amusing how virulently, predictably and cowardly the Main Stream Media -- the Cerberai of the Unspeakable - continue to bark at the moon. As Lyndon Johnson once said: "Throw your bread upon the waters, and the sharks will get it."
   
   James Douglass's "JFK and the Unspeakable" is also a hymn, in a way a companion piece to the Talbot book. But Douglass's sound is a hymn of hope, belief, and transcendence. In Kennedy's murder by the forces of the Unspeakable, a contemporary crucifixion, Douglass sees meaning beyond the resulting Vietnam genocide, beyond the takeover of our society by back-stabbers, soul-crushers and ghouls, beyond the shifting of cultural meaning toward something hideously empty and narcissistic - meaning in the symbol of a man willing to die for his beliefs, for his (in Douglass's term) "turning". One can argue with this, for at the heart of Douglass's profoundly spiritual argument, there is something anti-political. Rather than viewing John Kennedy's murder as a political and economic act by men who saw themselves only in those terms, we experience it through Douglass's writing as a modern day Stations of the Cross. First Station: Kennedy refuses war with Laos. Second Station: Kennedy refuses invasion & air attacks during the Bay of Pigs; Third Station: Berlin Wall goes up, Kennedy allows it to stand. Etc. It is an agony, as we follow Kennedy's turning and his movement toward the Golgotha of Dallas.
   
   So what do we do? Much can be said for acceptance and a belief in transcendence, a belief in Grace. But as Jack Kennedy said: "Here on earth, God's work must truly be our own." Do we let this crucifixion stand? Do we accept the vampires now in almost total control? Do we try to protect a man who may soon be experiencing his own turning, Barack Obama? Do we take up arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them? Can they ever be ended here earth? Do we let Catholicism be defined by Hitler-Jugend Joseph Ratzinger, the man who led the war against Liberation Theology? Do we let Christianity be defined by Tim LaHaye and his life-haters?
   
   Such questions. That "JFK and the Unspeakable" forces us to ask them marks the Douglass book as a rare and beautiful masterpiece, one I know I will go back to through the years. A must read.
   
   (BTW, this is the first of a James Douglass Trilogy, covering the assassinations of the 1960s. Volume 2 will be on Malcolm & MLK. Volume 3 on Robert Kennedy. A magnificent start.)



2. As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service (and their interaction with a host of presidents, in particular, JFK), I was most anxious to acquire this volume, as Mr. Douglass had contacted me several times in the past regarding his then work-in-progress (for example: I was able to put him in touch with former Secret Service agent---and current outstanding author---Abraham Bolden). So, with these factors in mind, I happily report that this book is a very fine volume, indeed. The tremendous depth of research, as well as the very nice writing style, is most impressive. Douglass goes to great length to nail down each and every idea he has to offer; this is no amateur book, to be sure. What more can one say? Get this one asap!



3. We are all jurors in an ongoing trial to find the truth of John Kennedy's murder. Most of us have fallen asleep; some left the chamber, and others don't even care anymore. But a few, a very small few, have been paying attention for the last 45 years as arguments for the prosecution of Lee Harvey Oswald, headed up by government lawyers and their lackeys have been constantly countered by a volunteer and unpaid defense team for the truth made up of laymen, clergymen, historians, teachers, researchers, republicans, democrats, non-affiliates of all ages shapes and sizes. It has been a bewildering experience to have been patted on the head and told to go to sleep by the Warren Commission only to be rudely awakened by a garrulous DA from Louisiana, followed then by a government report which said, well, there might have been two, but go on back to sleep. Dazed and confused we began to leave the room but were called back in by Oliver Stone who told us to take a look at his evidence of Oswald's innocence. We were intrigued, but an impish Gerald Posner convinced Dick Cavett and other icons of American mainstream media that Stone's myth was just that and the case was indeed closed: Oswald did it. But Stone had garnered enough interest to cause Congress to form the ARRB- under George Bush Sr, no less. It took Bill Clinton half his presidency to get the thing going, but we watched with bated breath as the Assassinations Records Review Board began pulling from the FBI, CIA, and the rest of the alphabet bits and pieces of information that left gaping holes in the official story. Most of us didn't believe it anyway, but a few, a small few did notice that there seemed to have been two brains pulled from John Kennedy's head during the so-called autopsy. In fact so many moles began popping up it was difficult for the gatekeepers to bop them in the head fast enough. Distracted as we were by 911 and the war on terror, and the revelation that our government has the capacity to pull off an Operation Northwoods, as the ARRB found out, we continued to keep half an eyeball on the story, those of us who were paying attention. But then just as we were ready to reach a verdict of no true bill, Peter Jennings pops in to save the day for the prosecution. Disregarding all prior logic, evidence and common sense he lulled us back to comfortable numbness as he proved through computer generation, laser beams and some small degree of witch-craft that yes, indeed that was some magic bullet. Nevertheless, while almost dozing off again we heard rumblings of another defense witness about to enter the courtroom. He was David Talbot, an almost Main stream media type who was arguing that John and Robert Kennedy were possibly victims of powerful forces in our own government who wanted and needed them gone. But before he could present his full case a boisterous and bellicose advocate of Governmental Righteousness threw on to the floor, almost breaking it, an objection, claiming his stake in the case with a tome of such immense size and weight that no one, at first, dared to read it or question its obvious Buglisosian authority. When it was finally opened, the muse of Arlen Spector saundered forth speaking in only a language that he could understand. Talk shows raved about Vince's masterpiece; gatekeepers swooned, and the prosecution let out a huge and foul-smelling sigh of relief as they said, There! That ought to put this damn thing to rest finally! Everyone began to pack up and leave, most never having read briefs by Scott, Gerald McKnight, Larry Hancock, etc., defense advocates who had built their arguments on the works of Vince Salandria, Marrs, Howard Roffman, Sheim, Weisberg, etc., and the thousands of pages of released and obscure documents. But just as the courtroom almost emptied, looking like a Senate Chamber with a wobbling old man named Byrd trying to make a point, in comes a Jesuit priest. I'm no Catholic, I thought, as I was getting up to leave with the two or three other jurors who had sat through the whole case so far, trying to pay attention, but this guy seems to know his stuff. He's talking about everything we have already heard but putting it all into context. His summation is actually making sense- reason, logic, truth, honesty, footnotes, primary source interviews, follow-up questions, giving the benefit of the doubt to all sides. I sat back down. As James Douglass presented his case, scales fell from my eyes. Oswald was innocent. I look around. Is anybody there?
   
   David Neal
   Kitty Hawk, NC

5 comments about Behold a Pale Horse.

1. Besides the Bible, this is a MUST READ for everyone, especially these days. William Cooper was a man of integrity, a man who served his country in Navy Intelligence. Later he discovered the truth about many things, one got the sense he would rather not know.
   
   But he TRULY died for his country!! READ THIS BOOK!!! It will confront, challenge and frighten you but it's information to ponder and remember.
   
   God bless you all.



2. This book is a must have to all truth seekers.
   I lost my 1st book I purchased so I purchased another one. William Cooper is a real American, exposing the Governmental lies. This book holds vital information behind the masonic teachings UFO and classified information that the government doesnt want you to know about....
   Thank God for people like William Cooper.....
   
   Don't think twice about buying this book..!!!



3. The late William Cooper can be likened to Paul Revere in his ride to warn the patriots of his time. Even though his book was put together almost haphazardly, his reasoning was to get as much information together as possible and let the readers sort things out and research further on their own.



4. I first bought this book without having any idea of what it was about, but I just intuitively knew (after flipping through it's chapters) that there was at least SOME truth to be found in it. I knew that this was new territory for me, and was excited to be finally learning something brand new and relevant. By the time I had read the Introduction, Foreward, and Chapter 1 (Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars), my old belief system about politics was shattered. Thankfully beginning to be shattered rather. At that point I tried moving into Chapter 2 (Secret Societies and the New World Order) but it seemed to be in a language I just couldn't possibly grasp. So in that sense I might recommend that the novices and uninitiates among you read up to the end of chapter 1, and then head into some other books along the same lines but with more of an introductory quality. I'd recommend the following sequence of books to be read inbetween chapter 1 and chapter 2 of Behold a Pale Horse:
   
   Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins
   Lucifer Dethroned by William and Sharon Schnoebelen
   Secret Societies and Psychological Warfare by Michael Hoffman
   Rule By Secrecy by Jim Marrs
   Mind Control, World Control by Jim Keith
   Programmed to Kill by David McGowan
   The Carnivals of Life and Death by James Shelby Downard
   The End of America by Naomi Wolf
   
   So that's what I personally have done, I've read all of those titles and have seen most of Alex Jone's movies (Endgame, Terrorstorm, etc.), Dr. Deagle's 5-hour lecture, Lindsey William's Energy Non-Crisis Lecture, the movie "Esoteric Agenda", etc.(I've found the list just goes on and on, heh)etc. Anyway, after becoming very fluid in the twilight language of the Illuminati, and all the buzzwords, I feel much more informed and human actually. Stil now I find myself returning to this book, Behold A Pale Horse, over and over again. Not only did it "have some truth in there", I haven't hardly found one thing I can prove to be false. I'm absolutely stunned that Bill was warning Americans about FEMA camps and Rex-84 (which is the talk all acrost the country now of course) way back in 1991! William Cooper is obviously way ahead of his time with this one, and perhaps more credible a resource than any whistleblower's name known to me. And as another reviewer said, the fact that he was martyred for the cause, along with Phil Schneider, Malachi Martin, Arnold Ehret, etc. ad infinitum, only adds credibility that he really was indeed a patriotic whistleblower with inside information he felt he could no longer hide from public view.
   One last note: Recent studies have shown that Americans are in fact the dumbest people on the planet, I know that bothers a lot of you, but we must look Truth in the face no matter what time it knocks on our doors. Indeed, the test scores prove it. Another study has shown that 20% of Americans cannot even find the USA on a world map, those 20% of Americans are the people Rush Limbaugh "speaks" to. According to the "bell curve", the other 60% or so are just going about the dizzying break-neck pace of their lives working 50+hour weeks, and therefore have very little time for introspection or musings on who the puppetmasters are behind the scenes, and what their plans might really be for humanity. So those people are unfortunately lost in the comfy and temping-to-buy-into-illusion of thinking that there's some kind of football game being played by the "right and left". The other 20% or so are the type to realize that William Cooper is telling the truth, and I think you will find that these will be the people in life who have cultivated their minds AND (perhaps more importantly) their hearts. The people in life who are: a) living Spiritual lives, AND, b) knowledgable about the NWO and/or the pedophocratic corporatocracy, I state that these are the people who are closest to the genuine Truth in Life, in It's Essence. "Where JUSTICE is, there I AM". One cannot be very spiritual if they don't at least grasp the powers that be, please know the enemy so that you can better guard against It. Bill, rest in peace my friend. Also, May the Creator of All-That-Is Bless You All.



5. This work published by THE foremost international authority on black ops, secret societies, the secret government etc. (who was assassinated for his efforts) is the seminal tract in this area. For those who want to know, for those who want to know more, this book is virtually the bible of all affairs clandestine. Excellent bibliographies throughout provide many jumping-off points for reading excursions further afield.

5 comments about Don't Start the Revolution Without Me!.

1. Jesse is clearly well on his way toward figuring out that all is not as we were told. He sees the 911 coverup. He experienced firsthand the CIA meddling in domestic affairs outside of their supposed mandate. He saw and relates in the book many of the inconsistencies of controlled, two-party politics in cahoots with a completely controlled mass media that prevent the American people from learning the truth. So, for the most part, he does get it.
   
   But Jesse still has a ways to go. He bought the global warming scam hook, line, and sinker. He still thinks there are bad, old Islamic terrorists out there waiting to kill us in our sleep. He hasn't yet figured out that the terrorists are the Establishment. He hasn't seen their global, long term agenda: global enslavement and depopulation of the planet by 80%. It's hard for regular people, let alone one conditioned by military training, to see our government as anything other than a benevolent father. Wake up, America! The Forth Reich has arrived, it is here in the USA, and we are the new jews. They already have camps for us, did you know?
   
   Hang in there, Jesse. Keep doing your research. You'll see the evil in its full glory soon. I just hope you live to see it. God help us all.



2. This book contains some fascinating accounts of events throughout Jesse Ventura's adult life, including numerous vignettes of his time as governor of Minnesota. He also freely expresses his concerns for the state of our nation, its foreign and domestic policies, and its future. As Jesse is also a veteran of the Navy Seals, one can hardly write these concerns off as "unpatriotic." He calls things as he sees them, a quality rarely found in the media today! If you have an inquiring mind, you will probably enjoy this book.



3. I just finished 'Revolution' and not only do I agree with Ventura's logic and righteousness, but I learned a few things, such as what a bicameral congress is and the advantages of sales taxation vs. income taxation (and why we need these things). Also, I've long been a fan of removing the electoral college. It's a passé and gerrymandered hoax as is clearly pointed out, especially via Bush 2000.
   
   Ventura and Russell articulate more clearly than anything else I've seen so many important points about how our government is mismanaged, but also how to fix it.
   
   The book is a great political education handbook wrapped in an entertaining and thoughtful sheath. I couldn't think of a better book to get people interested and informed about the political process. Typically, the types of points that Jesse makes are buried in esoteric libertarian and constitutional literature and the such, not taught in schools.
   
   If this book gets enough circulation it will raise the consciousness of the populace. And my god do we need a more educated and involved populace. Especially, in light of the media blackout on meaningful subject matter.
   
   So as America burns, our future is squandered to benefit the few and the media ceaselessly focuses on Brittany Spears cavorting about aimlessly, "Don't start the revolution without me either!" It's going to take a revolution to fix this mess.



4. America is in a U.H.F. television renaissance. For example, political discourse prevalent on A.M. talk radio and network television has sunk to the level of old U.H.F. programs such as HOT SEAT, where antagonistic host Wally George ranted and raved about topics of the day. Professional wrestling, another U.H.F. mainstay, has become so popular that many of its stars are as well known as the big names in Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
   
   But I don't say that to disparage Jesse Ventura, formerly both Minnesota Governor and pro wrestler, as his candid book DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! presents a man working for a citizen's renaissance. Maybe he gained fame through the "fixed" sport of pro wrestling, but as a politician and political commentator Jesse Ventura lets no one choreograph his moves.
   
   One DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! story underscores the irony of the ex-wrestler who, in the political arena, is not following a script. General Electric-owned M.S.N.B.C. television hires author Ventura to host a show but, when he won't tailor commentary to please the weapons manufacturer, removes him. Ventura winds up collecting $5 million from M.S.N.B.C. for not appearing on television - not even on U.H.F.!
   
   As I write this in May 2008, it appears Jesse Ventura will not seek the presidency, an idea he floats in DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME!, which came out in 2007. As the book title implies, perhaps the author is waiting to see more Americans rise against the corporations and the two major political parties they control. Ventura even asks, "When will someone do something?"
   
   To answer the author, the grassroots movements are out there; it's just that you would not know people are doing something if your information comes from corporate media such as G.E.-owned N.B.C.; Viacom-owned C.B.S.; the many "news" organizations Rupert Murdoch owns; and so on. Attend a protest against the Iraq occupation, for example, and see what kind of media coverage it gets.
   
   The revolution is under way, Mr. Ventura. Please join. Better still, help steer it. Even if the corporate media still won't cover it, your leadership will make recruitment easier and hasten the end of the injustices so many Americans suffer.
   
   In DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! Jesse Ventura describes himself as a moderate. I don't accept the premise of that argument, as the world's power struggle was never left-right; it's always been up-down, the wealthy stealing from and exploiting the poor.
   
   As he details in DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! Jesse Ventura governs as a citizen, "moderate" label notwithstanding. Winning office as an independent candidate, there are no political party rules he follows. Further, the author does not reward those who helped him win office with jobs and other political favors. Even if you disagree with his actions or words, Jesse Ventura lets the people and his own conscience guide him.
   
   While it looks as though Jesse Ventura will sit out the 2008 elections, DON'T START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME! won't be the last time he weighs in. No one with credentials such as Navy S.E.A.L., professional wrestler, actor, Minnesota Governor, talk show host, and author stays off his feet for long.



5. This man does not lie. You may not like what he says, but he won't lie to you. He knows the political scene, he knows the good from the bad, and he should run for President. He's totally against the war in Iraq. Is he a whimp? Hell no. Jesse was a Navy Seal in Vietnam. He knows the TRUTH. Do you want to know the Truth?! Buy this book, or check it out from your nearby library. You will learn the truth. Remember, you may not like everything he has to say, but that is because he speaks his mind and will not LIE under any circumstances. TWO THUMBS UP!!