2 comments about Understanding September 11th: Answering Questions about the Attacks on America.

1. As a teacher of adolescents, I often find myself unable to answer their "Why?" questions about the state of world affairs. This book gave me a deeper understanding of the history and issues underlying the events of September 11. Mr. Frank presents the information concisely and unsentimentally -- a difficult feat given the emotional import of the subject matter. I found it immensely informative and will undoubtedly refer to it during this school year as the first anniversary approaches and passes.

   I'm also the mother of a two-year-old girl, and I've felt at a loss as to how to explain the attacks to her when the time comes. By the time she is of grade-school age, her social studies texts will definitely contain references to September 11. I now plan to read Mr. Frank's book with her to give her all the background information she could possibly need, and to share with her my husband's and my memories of that terrible day.




2. Mr. Frank has swallowed the whole barrel of government Kool Aid. He cites no evidence linking Osama bin Laden to the crimes of 9/11, because there is none. He tells the children who are his main intended readership that certain Arabs planned and coreographed 9/11 when there have never been any criminal indictments or trials to prove that premise, and so, without even any evidence of that, we cannot infer as much and still remain faithful to our creed demanding due process and presuming innocence until guilt has been proven -- and here, it hasn't even been formally charged! And, there are other suspicions, actually backed by LOTS OF evidence, as to who really planned and carried out 9/11. Are we, of all people, not concerned to follow the evidence when a crime (especially a horrible mass murder) has been committed in our midst? Mitch Frank's "blame the Arabs" refrain is not the right answer, and ought not be urged on America's children!

1 comments about Dissent from the Homeland: Essays after September 11.

1. There are many people who believe that America is now facing the greatest enemy in its history. I am one of the them; the difference is that I don't think that enemy is some vague dark cloud called "terror" enveloping everything outside the borders of the United States. The greatest enemy we faces is ourselves. The events of September 11 should have incited an awakening. Americans should have begun to realize how the United States, in its relentless pursuit of its own happiness, has trampled on all of the people of the rest of the world. In America's blind selfishness, American has inflicted unbelievable pain. In the wake of September 11, the American public should have begun to see its own pride, assumed responsibility for the atrocities it has caused, and made changes. Instead, America managed to become even more supercilious, enveloping itself in self-serving lies (most propagated by the Bush administration and the media), lies that America is "good" and "they" are "evil," lies encouraging Americans to thrash out against the world blindly and violently.

   Thank God, there are still some people who can see and who can hear. Thank God, they have the courage to say the truth even when the masses don't want to hear it. In Dissent from the Homeland, religious scholars and theologians have analyzed America's abhorrent response to September 11 and are fighting back with words against the forces of lovelessness and lawlessness threatening America.

   Dissent from the Homeland is the most eye-opening book I have read in a longtime. These essays approach the response to September 11 from historical, aesthetic, sociological, and ethical perspectives, and the insights they offer are really astounding (my favorite essays are those by Wendell Berry and Stanley Hauerwas). American life is certainly in peril, and if the United States wants to save itself, it should begin here.

No comments about Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy.

1 comments about Counter-Terrorism after 9/11: Justice, Security and Ethics Reconsidered.

1. This is a textbook that addresses the major issues concerning Counter-Terrorism. The book is very detailed, almost too detailed. The greatest problem with the book is that it is extremely hard to stay awake while reading it. This is a 5 cup of coffee book/hour. If you can stomach the coffee than good luck in your reading. Other than the completely dry content, it was an alright textbook.

5 comments about Under Siege.

1. Under Siege is the fourth or fifth (depending on which way you put them in order) book that Stephen Coonts has written about his fictional hero Jake Grafton. It's a good read, both because it explores a scary scenario about what could happen if Columbian drug lords terrorized Washington DC in the same way they terrorize Columbia, and because it details the lives of some very believable people who are involved in the conflict.

   Unlike some of the later Jake Grafton books, Under Siege doesn't feature much in the way of high-tech weaponry. Instead, it features a large cast of characters from all walks of life and describes them in ways that make them seem real and allow us to empathize with them.

   This book is a thriller, of course, and the story is certainly suspenseful and exciting. A Columbian drug lord has been extradited from Columbia to the USA and awaits trial in Washington DC. In the hopes of forcing the Americans to release him, he institutes a war of terror against Washington DC on several levels. Soon there are assassination attempts on the President and several other key government figures, innocent people are being gunned down left, right and center, bombs are exploding in public places and the city is blacked out when the electrical system is destroyed.

   How will the politicians, the police, the military and the ordinary residents of Washington react to this? Stephen Coonts has his suggestions, some of which are rather surprising, and this keeps you reading as the level of terror increases and the story unfolds.

   Stephen Coonts is good at describing people and their relationships. Here's a passage I found especially appealing:

   "You love a woman for many reasons. A goddess she seems when you are young. But finally you see she is of common clay, the same as you, with faults and fears and vain, foolish dreams and petty vices. So you cherish her, love her even more. As she ages you cling closer and closer, holding tighter and tighter. She becomes the female half of you. The toughening of her skin, the engraved lines on her face, the thickening waistline and the sagging breasts, none of it matters a damn. You love her for what she is not as much as for what she is." (Page 87 in the paperback edition I read.)

   Not what one expects in a thriller, and that makes this quote even more appealing.

   I do have some criticisms though, and that's why I'm giving Under Siege four stars instead of five.

   Most importantly, I dislike thrillers that create a fictitious modern history populated with real people. An assassination attempt on the President of the USA is exciting, but placing George Bush Sr. in the role of the target makes the whole thing a bit too weird.

   Another problem I had with Under Siege is that the description of the mutilation and killing of a drug dealer gets quite a bit too graphic for my taste.

   Finally, there's a scene where an assassin shoots a man 500 yards away, firing through a glass window right in front of his gun. This is simply not possible as far as I know because the glass window will deflect the trajectory of the bullet by a tiny amount, and after 500 yards this tiny deflection will have become a very large displacement from the desired trajectory.

   Still, I did like Under Siege a lot, and I think it's a refreshing change from similar high-profile thrillers that are typically populated by cardboard clichés instead of real people.

   Rennie Petersen




2. In this brilliant story a man is murdered, and there are no suspects. Then a druglord leader of a major Colombian cartel is captured and brought to the U.S. Then the first strike is struck as a chopper carrying major U.S. officials, including President Bush, is shot down, killing some and putting Bush in critical condition. Dan Quayle is forced to become temporary president. Then terrorists enter the capital and cause much destruction. Quayle declares martial law and people are put in prison camps as the havoc is wrought. Talk of invading Colombia goes around. Then an FBI agent investigating a suspected cocaine dealer finds himself in a tight spot as the dealer and his men close the noose on him, figuring out who he is. Bloodbath ensues. Then an assassin begins sniping important U.S. officials in the time of crisis. Anyway, Jake Grafton and several other military people are put in charge of finding and killing the assassin, the same man who shot down Bush's plane. A final confrontation ensues between Grafton and the assassin in a stadium. The rest is yours.



3. This book was great in it's time, but only gets 4 stars as some characters are outdated. I don't like to make a habit of giving any plot away, but what I will say is Stephen has a great way of getting the reader to visualize a situation. There are situations in this book that as the reader you feel could happen today, whereas any other author you may find it to be too obsured to be real.
   Great read, especially for the reader who does not trust the government to get the job done right.



4. First, the President's helicopter is shot down by two missiles on the way back from Camp David, killing four including the Secretary of State and putting President George H.W. Bush into a coma. Next eight or ten heavily armed terrorists break into the Capitol Building killing or wounding everything in sight in one bold suicide attempt, until they are finally suppressed. Then, acting President Dan Quayle, after viewing the damage at the Capitol Building, while giving a short press conference on the Capitol steps is apparently shot at. He isn't hit but the Attorney General is. But this was just a prelude. Things get so bad that the National Guard and Army is called in and then the riots start.
   
   
   It seemed to start when, in an effort to show that we were winning the War on Drugs, the United States extradited Columbian drug kingpin, Chano Aldana, for trial. Aldana, probably insane but a truly scary and evil individual man gave an interview to two Washington Post reporters saying in essence that he was Satan incarnate and that the streets of Washington were going to be awash in blood if he wasn't released.
   
   So begins a story of violence and terror in the streets of Washington that was written fifteen years ago but seems right at home in this age of terrorism and terrorist threats.
   
   I never read a book by Stephen Coonts where Navy Captain (in this book) Jake Grafton wasn't in and this is no exception. He, along with his sidekick Toad Tarkington is currently attached to a terrorism unit of the Pentagon, working directly for the Joint Chief of Staff. He and FBI agent Tom Hooper wind up trying to track down Henry Charon, a rancher/hunter/poacher/hunting guide/hit man from New Mexico. The main plot is interesting enough but Coonts adds some subplots involving Post reporter Jack Yocke, Aldana's lawyer Thanis Liarakos, attorney/fixer/lobbyist T. Jefferson Body, smarmy senator Cherry and last but not least, my favorite, undercover agent Harrison Ronald Ford, who was trying to get the goods on Washington's number one drug dealer Freeman McNally.
   
   If the main story was engrossing, Coonts' method of weaving these sub-plots made a good book great. Each sub-plot was separate but they all had a thread that tied them together. The story involving Ford was most compelling and almost took away from the main story.
   
   The Author
   
   I don't read many of Coonts' books even though he's an excellent writer because his subject matter is usually militarily oriented a genre I do not gravitate to but this book was the exception. Although the military is involved, it deals more with law enforcement and government..
   
   Coonts is really a talented writer. His writing is fluid and compelling. It's easy to follow and in the case of this book kept me turning them pages. His character development is just right, making you feel things with the characters but not going overboard. Of course repeat character Jake Grafton is Mr goody two shoes, almost too perfect with no vices and the perfect family but that's the way Coonts chooses to portray him. You could compare him to Clancy's Jack Ryan.
   
   Other characters in this book however are another matter. We have unethical to sociopath to truly evil behavior. Our assassin looks at his work as a game - the only thing worth living for. The drug dealers as you might expect are brutal. And of course there are frailties such as the irony of Aldana's attorney, Liarakos' position comes out, defending the number one drug dealer in the world while his wife is a crack addict.
   
   Conclusion
   
   When I first read this book, some ten years before September 11th I found it to be a well written, very interesting story containing three or four interesting subplots but there was no way I thought something this horrible could be perpetrated on the American people. Well things have changed and as I read this for the second time, I kept feeling similarities to the atrocities that were being committed in the book and what's going on in Baghdad and throughout Iraq. It's eerie.
   
   It seems to me that if we ever capture the likes of Osama bin Laden or Abu Musab al Zarqawi we certainly don't want to bring them to the United States. Better a bullet hole to their head and an unmarked grave.



5. I have just begun to read Coonts and I enjoy his books. This one was a lot less technical.

1 comments about Medical Response to Terrorism: Preparedness and Clinical Practice.

1. The Medical Response to Terrorism Textbook is EXCELLENT - I have really enjoyed reading it (and I HATE reading textbooks). Each chapter is up to date, focused, and written in a manner more reminiscent of a novel than a medical textbook. Limiting the number of pages per chapter really forced the authors to be concise and made each topic more inviting to read. Great stuff - Dr. Keyes, et al should be very proud.

1 comments about The Terrorist Perspectives Project: Strategic and Operational Views of Al Qaida and Associated Movements.

1. This is an outstanding effort and one of the first USA produced books that takes a serious and insightful look at Al Qaeda's strategy and operational fiews. A must read for finding out whether it is possible to prevail in the face of the Al Qaeda threat.
   
   The authors of this book have predicated its publication on the simple premise that you should "know your enemy." In order to prevail in the face of the threats posed by Al Qaeda and its Associated Movements (AQAM), the authors believe that you must have a thorough understanding of the beliefs and strategies of your opponent. The book is a particularly refreshing perspective on terrorism responses at a time when we are often given vacuous and empty ideas such as "The terrorists hate us because they hate our freedom."
   
   This book explores both the religious and the often overlooked secular views of Al Qaeda and its adherents. By examining salafi jihadist theory, AQAM's perception of its enemies and the strategic level communications being used, the authors are capable of providing real policy implications and not just recycled policies or empty rhetoric.
   
   One of the most interesting aspects of the book is how it examines AQAM's own view of itself. This exposes many of the myths about Al Qaeda. As was often the case in the Cold War, we were led to believe that the Soviet Army was a fearful enemy and it had soldiers who were "ten feet tall." As it turns out, this was not the case and the USSR collapsed in on itself. This book shows that not only are Al Qaeda's followers not ten feet tall, but they have significant short comings, many of which they are aware of themselves. While many in the West are dismayed at Al Qaeda's media capabilities such as As-Sahab, the authors demonstrate that the Al Qaeda's leaders believe that they are losing the media wars. As in many other sections of the book, this revelation opens up new areas of effective responses.
   
   The authors also show that AQAM has significant recruiting and retention problems. As many of the terrorist leaders note, they initially recruited tens of thousands, but were only able to retain a limited few.
   
   As well, AQAM leaders lament that many young Muslims were zealous to start with, but lost their fervor in a relatively short period of time.
   The book also makes the honest (and brave) observation that the USA is probably losing in its overall efforts. However, the book does not offer a pessimistic view of the future. To the contrary, it posits the view that the Salafi led global jihad has significant weaknesses. One of these may turn out to be its Achilles heal: recruiting and retention. The authors believe that the USA and others, if they can gain an institutional understanding of the problem, should be able to exploit the vulnerabilities of AQAM and prevail in the face of its strategies and operations.
   
   [...]

2 comments about Encyclopedia of Terrorism (Facts on File Library of World History).

1. Students, researchers and policy makers alike will appreciate the Facts On File Encyclopedia Of Terrorism, a quick and informative reference to the history and events of terrorism, providing a comprehensive chronology of events from 1945 to modern times. From hijackings and chemical weapons to nuclear terrorism and urban bombings, this includes plenty of historical background to help students place events in perspective. Encyclopedia Of Terrorism is an essential reference for high school, public and college libraries.



2. After reviewing the book, I found it very informative with plenty of background information on the various terrorist groups. There are so many different groups out there today, its tough to keep up on who is who. This reference book can you help out when needed.

No comments about Uniting Against Terror: Cooperative Nonmilitary Responses to the Global Terrorist Threat.

5 comments about The Rings of Allah.

1. Not many people could write this book, but Lee Boyland's background and in-depth knowledge of nuclear physics enables him to lay it out in terms that are as easy to understand as they are frightening. In addition to spelling out how a nuclear attack could be done from a technical standpoint, the author takes us into the minds of Muslim extremists who are intent on destroying modern civilization and taking humanity back to the seventh century.
   
   A believable plot, fascinating characters, and suspenseful writing combine to make THE RINGS OF ALLAH a must read for everyone, but especially for those who believe a terrorist nuclear threat in America is overblown. Such an attack won't be easy to pull off, but the author clearly shows that it can be done, and that we need to be ever vigilant. To paraphrase Secretary of State Rice, "The terrorists can make many mistakes. We just have to make one." Highly recommended.
   
   Maurice Medland
   Author of CHINA STAR



2. Author Lee Boyland puts his extensive special weapons background to use in spinning this completely believable tale of al-Qaeda's next step after 9-11. Leftover Soviet technology from the beginning of the Cold War falls into al-Qaeda's hands, and they establish an intricate network in order to place five atomic devices in five US cities. The US gets word of the attack, but will it be in time?
   Boyland does a great job of mixing good character development with great technical background in order to create this story. Technical readers will appreciate his attention to detail as he relates and educates the reader on the workings of gun-type atomic weapons. Literature advocates will respect how he uses significant events to develop his main characters. Many new writers fall into the trap of trying to tell too much of the story, but Boyland avoids this by jumping sometimes a year ahead in the story in order to keep things moving.
   A great action story that is just a bit too possible, this is definitely worth it for action and techo fans alike.



3. Hard to get through. Made it about half way through and that awas it. Very creative especially the beginning but loses its appeal toward the middle



4. After hearing weapons expert and author Lee Boyland on talk-radio, I was so impressed by his knowledge of current events, Islam, and nuclear weapons, that I ordered a copy of his first book. I just finished it and am spellbound by the author's unique ending - an obvious setup for a sequel.
   
   Beginning in 1990 Russia, the story is divided into three parts. Part I is Ivan's story, an old, destitute Soviet nuclear weapons engineer with a secret. Through Ivan the reader meets opportunistic KGB Colonel Alexi Valek, who introduces us to Mohammed al Midhar, bin Laden's fiendishly determined lieutenant. Valek discovers Ivan's secret and the adventure begins.
   
   In Part II, American nuclear-physicist-turned-terrorist Ralph Eid becomes Mohammed's brilliant protégé and takes center stage. As the chilling plot unfolds, the author shows how easily an intelligent, patient group of terrorists can plant five atomic bombs--hidden in plain sight--in our cities.
   
   Part III jumps the story to 2004, when Hilda Rodman defeats George Bush in her bid for the presidency and immediately pulls America's troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. While chaos erupts in the middle east, Mohammed presents his in-place plan to destroy five American cities to the Shura. In return for his part in destroying the Great Satan he will be named caliph, leader of the new Islamic Empire.
   
   Running afoul of America's military in the wake of her fateful decision to recall the troops, Rodman offers a token appeasement by appointing retired Air Force Major General George Alexander to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Hours before the timers, set by Mohammed and Eid, detonate the nuclear weapons, Alexander leaves Washington on a family emergency. Warned of a pending attack, Alexander tries unsuccessfully to reach Rodman, while she's giving her "Everything is Wonderful" speech to a join session of Congress. In the end Rodman's arrogance and ambition are her undoing. The bombs detonate, America is left leaderless, and our government and capitol city has been reduced to radioactive ash.
   
   Stunned by the not-so-perfect, unhappy ending to the novel, the reader struggles to comprehend the real possibility of such events actually occurring. Suddenly we're aware that in a real the world, life as we knew would be gone in the blink of an eye. If not fiction the story we'd just read would be history and our best hope would lie with the sole survivor in the line of succession to the presidency, George Alexander, a man we know little about. Forced to assume the presidency, Alexander will face a daunting task.
   
   By co-mingling history, fact, and great story telling the author has given terrorists full sway to render a crippling blow to our country. Still reeling from the cliff hanger ending the reader becomes irresistibly caught up in the fictional troubles facing a shattered nation. The author has given us only a glimpse of Alexander. Is he the man right man for the job? Can he inspire Americans to follow him to victory over the forces of evil? Only time and Boyland's sequel, "Behold an Ashen Horse" will tell. From what we do know it appears Alexander is a no-nonsense man with no trace of political correctness. Qualities, which may or may not be tantamount to his future success as a world leader.
   
   Anchored in historical events, the novel's plot is replete with facts about U.S and Soviet nuclear weapons programs, the Soviet-Afghanistan war, Iraq, and of course al-Qaeda. Fast paced and believable, Boyland's tale will most certainly make any sane person reevaluate America's sense of security. One military friend, who's read the book, tells me the technology described in the story is accurate. Other friends have told me that "The Rings of Allah" is the equal to Tom Clancy's "Sum of all Fears." Not being an avid Clancy reader, I'll have to accept their word for that, but, all things considered, I can make this observation. After reading this novel its clear to me that readers who love cliff-hanging, edge-of-the-seat action can be certain of one thing. Boyland has staked his claim on being America's newest star in the galaxy of techno-thriller authors. If his next novel is as good as his first, we're in for another phenomenal read.



5. HIghly recommended! Lee Boyland has crafted a thriller with a chilling plot line. Coupled with his technical expertise in nuclear weaponry this book will keep you awake at night! I couldn't put it down and as soon as I finished it I immediately ordered his sequel, "Behold, An Ashen Horse."