No comments about Conspiracy Investigations: Terrorism, Drugs and Gangs.

No comments about Anti-terrorism And Criminal Enforcement (American Casebook Series).

5 comments about Task Force Blue (Rogue Warrior ): Task Force Blue.

1. This is another thriller in the Rogue Warrior series. Through his experiences as a U.S. Navy Seal Marcinko has been enabled to write some very entertaining books. His vast knowledge of types of weapons and special operations manuevers make his books quite believable. In this book Marcinke and his troops are matched up against an evil ruthless billionaire. Despite the man's over- whelming wealth Marcinko is still able to prevail. As usual there is nonstop action. The ending of this book is also very unique. Be sure to read this book. You will be greatly entertained.Dick Marcinko has written another good book.



2. In the way that karate movies are entertaining. Lots of cool action parts and a storyline that doesn't quite make it to good.

   The writing style is very similar to all of his sequels to the original Rogue Warrior book. Not quite redundant in my opinion, but almost.

   A decent enough story, really good slam-bang double-tap action, I'd only recommend this book only to fans of action-adventure books and fans of Richard Marcinko.




3. Let me say first off I am a 21 YO computer sci major, and this was one of the best books I have ever read. Richard Marcinko is such an admirable leader and he shares all his tactics with the reader. If only he ran for president. I immediately was sucked into the book, they way the book was written I really felt like I was along for the ride, and oh what a ride it was. Marcinko's books are so enthralling that it even makes me think about joining the milliatry, just so I could follow in his footsteps, and if I wasn't almost done with school, I just might've done it. Forget what you see in movies, or what you think you know about the millitary/SEALs, Marcinko is the real thing, and he'll set you straight.



4. A Literary Guild Selection and a Doubleday Book Club Selection. Author Richard Marcinko is retired from the Navy after more than 30 years of service. Author John Weisman specializes in espionage and military themes. A must read if you seek action, a fast moving plot and military operations.



5. I will order again from you. Great condition and i got it right away.

2 comments about The Road to Balcombe Street: The IRA Reign of Terror in London (Monographic Separates from the Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations).

1. I've read many books on the IRA and the conflicts in Northern Island. I've read much on the history of how things got so bad and the way the violence spilled over onto the UK mainland. I'm also very interested in the psychology of hostage negotiation. This book brought these two topics together very nicely for me.
   It seems as if this book is very well researched, but nicely escapes the trap of being dry. It's a great read and pulls you along. The personal stories of the people involved really brings this book to life. Very topical in these times of increased terrorist activity, its a sobering story.
   I'm a little too young to remember this time in London, but my father was stationed in Northern Ireland for a while, and I remember that. This book does a good job of painting the picture of this very important terrorist period and the very emotional event of the siege itself.
   Its a good read, highly recommended for people interested in any of its main elements of hostages, terrorism, IRA, Police tactics, etc.



2. This book is a rare combination of excellent writing, thoroughly researched historical information, informative case study analysis and exciting story-telling. Dr. Moysey does an excellent job meticulously documenting the history of the IRA and their motivations leading up to the Balcombe Street Seige. He also articulates an excellent case study in police hostage negotiation strategy. Even better, he has written an exciting and entertaining adventure story! Dr. Moysey carefully documents the history of the IRA and the individual terrorists' backgrounds while providing an insight into the passions and motivations of the brave professionals who risked their lives to protect others. As he tells the story of this dangerous cat-and-mouse pursuit, he brings to light the individual stories of heroism, the tragic sacrifices of human lives, and the passion of those who put their lives on the line to bring this horrific reign of terror to an end.
   
   I would highly recommend this book. It not only describes an important and terror-filled era in Britain's history, but it also provides the reader with a rare detailed case study on developing and leading successful hostage negotiations. What's better is that it is an exhaustively researched, page-turning adventure story!

5 comments about Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror.

1. This is a must read for anyone concerned about the war on terror. If you want an honest understanding of what is going on in Iraq. Both of these guys are retired generals. They were at the forefront before they retired and have kept abreast of the worldwide situation since. They have a clear understanding of what has happened in the middle east and what needs to happen.



2. The book was fairly thin and I got through it pretty quick (that may have also been do to the Iced Cafe Americano I was drinking).
   
   The book makes no mention of, nor does it acknowledge anything like 4GW. All of the commentary on US Forces is 3GW related. I didn't really find that part of the book interesting or useful. The suggestion that the Army Reserves and National Guard should be heavy forces (and not what I think: Military police, engineers, civil affairs, intel/counterintel, and logistics) is just one example.
   
   It did find several of the non-armed forces ideas interesting:
   
   * A new Five Freedoms as a global statement of values
   * reform of US Diplomatic efforts
   * Allow rapid appointment of vacant house seat in case of national emergency
   * Method for emergency succession of federal judges to Supreme Court vacancies in case of national emergency
   * Disperse Federal Agencies geographically across the US
   * Lay out specifically the rules and powers for Executive Branch to avoid confusion (and Lawfare opportunities, I think)
   * Special Terrorism Courts
   
   I like the idea of Global Values/Aspiration statement like FDR's 4 Freedoms (of speech, from fear, from wants, of religion). The authors suggest the following Five Freedoms:
   
   1. Freedom of Education
   2. Freedom of Economy
   3. Freedom of Information
   4. Freedom of Person
   5. Freedom of Governance
   
   This was the strongest idea in the book. I have been mulling over the need of the west and it allies and potential allies to have shared core values that they can rally around. FDR's Four Freedom just didn't seem to be quite right and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights is too lengthy to memorize. The author's Five Freedoms are short, get to the point, don't exclude allies and potential allies and work well as a meme.
   
   The other part of the book I liked was a the short section on Special Terrorist Courts (an idea I have blogged on before). Here are the highlights:
   
   * create special federal terrorist courts
   * Three judge panel that presides over the trial and acts as the jury
   * Special rules of procedure to protect witnesses and intelligence
   * provides security for judges and prosecutors
   * Another panel of judges picks the defense attorney(s) from a vetted pool (I am thinking a sort of Special Terrorism Courts Bar)
   
   Lastly, the book had a section on dealing with Iran. Here is the stated plan:
   
   1. Get a US Nuclear deterrence and shield in place - Regional Nuclear Umbrella
   2. Train a Free Iran Guerrilla Force
   3. Unleash US Air-power
   4. Coastal Navel/Marine Raids
   5. Raids from Iraq along the boarder
   6. Call on Iranian Citizens to rise up in rebellion
   
   It sounded like a Persian Bay of Pigs plan to me.
   
   It thought is was strange that the military specific parts of a book written by military guys were the weakest.



3. Speaking as an American: Our daily world is full of a tremendous variety of stimulation factors. We have the unparalleled luxury of selecting what we want to experience and what we prefer to believe, no matter how much influence of authority and/or domination we endure in our personal lives. Want to find out how that may end in a veritable flash?
   
   When you read this book, your sense of awareness of our "status" as American citizens/targets becomes quite acute, especially if you already acknowledge that our security -- our precious cocoon -- is quite different from what we thought prior to the wake up provided by 9/11 events and aftershocks. A very special thank you to the authors for providing this type of insight. Are the decision makers listening?



4. These dual authors had a real story to tell but seemed to have some difficulty saying it clearly enough



5. I really enjoyed this book. It is a well written, quick read, that makes you proud of our military efforts overseas.

1 comments about The Media and the War on Terrorism.

1. This is a superb collection of essays, first-person observations, and recollections of so-called embedded reporters and photographic journalists, edited jointly by Marvin Kalb, a former CBS reporter turned Harvard resident scholar, and Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the prestigious Brookings Institution. Written in the first person, each of the collected essays takes the reader up-close and personal and shows how difficult it is to know the degree to which such observations are typical or representative of what is going on the overall conflict in which they are embedded. And therein lies the rub, for to some extent it is apparent that even embedded reporter can be manipulated and co-opted by the military, and in several cases that is apparently the case for the individual reporters recounting their war tales.

   The pieces are both candid and raw; in the sense they somehow manage to catch the very essence of the intricate dance between accurate reporting and the tension with the host army to whom they owe their sustenance and their safety. This tension between the ostensibly objective reporters, on the one hand, and the very partisan military representatives overseeing them, on the other, is what drives the considerable insight the correspondents manage to extricate from the madness of the ongoing battle they cover. This is especially true for electronic media journalists, whose products are almost immediately available to the general public, and who still find themselves both physically and existentially with the troops.

   The latest tendency to meaningfully embed reporters with elements of the shock troops racing across Iraq, seen in context, is just another of many such attempts by the military to deftly manage the reporting from the front, and indeed, to prejudice the reporters by forcing them to live alongside the often valiant and sometimes suffering soldiers, whose personalities and sacrifices do indeed win the reporters over to see the war through their eyes. The experience in Iraq, upon reflection, will likely show that reporters and journalists were kept "on the reservation" by sequestering them into small groups seeing only limited actions, and seldom allowing them to see aspects of the conflict not consistent with military goals and objectives. Once again, the omnipresent tension between the needs for security on the one hand, and the rights of the citizens of a free society to know what is being done in their names, on the other, is all too apparent here. Enjoy!

4 comments about Forever After: New York City Teachers on 9/11.

1. What would you do if you had been a teacher or administrator in a New York City school on September 11th, 2001?
   
   None of us can be sure how we would have responded to such a challenge. But the 17 teachers who wrote this book, do. Their very personal memoirs have inspired me as a teacher, and as a grandparent of young children who have already asked: "Can something like that happen again?"
   
   Reading these teachers' well-earned words is like sitting around a kitchen table with a group of smart, dedicated, and exerienced teachers, and hearing them share t heir struggles with the greatest educational challenge of our time: sustaining the hopes of the next generation.
   
   Patricia Lent, a 2nd-3rd grade teacher, reports one of her students saying: "I'll never forget that on that day you held my hand and you didn't let go."
   
   "I couldn't let what had happened destroy what was left that was good," writes Debbie Almontaser.
   
   Voices from the classroom are all too rare in the literature of education and pedagogy. This book is exhilarting to read and an authentic source of hope and help for parents, teachers, and students.
   
   Ronald Gross
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. This book eloquently recounts the stories of the 9/11 tragedy and its aftermath from the perspective of the New York City teachers who were on the job that fateful day. It is powerfully written, a testament to their hope and strength and shared humanity. The writing was so compelling that I wanted to read it all at once, but emotionally I needed to go slowly, to let each chapter sink in. It is one of the most powerful pieces of writing that I have ever read.



3. IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY PRIVILEDGE TO WALK THROUGH THE HORROR OF 9/11 WITH THESE COURAGEOUS TEACHERS. IN TELLING THEIR VERY PERSONAL STORIES WITH HUMILITY AND HUMANITY, THEY GAVE OF THEMSELVES, OPENLY AND GENEROUSLY, AND, LET US INTO THEIR LIVES ON THAT UNIMAGINABLE DAY.
   
   WE ALL THOUGHT ABOUT THE NYC SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT DAY. WE ALL WONDERED ABOUT THE TEACHERS WHO WERE IN CHARGE. WE WANTED TO KNOW WHEN AND HOW THEY FOUND OUT, WHAT EACH TEACHER SAID , HOW THEY FELT, WHO THEY CALLED, HOW THEY KEPT THEIR COOL WITH THE CHILDREN.... HOW THEY SHOWED UP AS LEADERS IN THE FACE OF THE GRAVEST TRAGEDY. AND, IN THE AFTERMATH, HOW THEY CAME TO AN INNER PLACE OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE; HOPE THAT CONTINUES TODAY.
   
   THE STORIES ARE STIRRING. THE VOICES NEED TO BE HEARD. THE READINGS WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART, WILL MOVE YOU TO TEARS, AND WILL LEAVE YOU WITH PROFOUND RESPECT AND ADMIRATION FOR OUR TEACHERS... AND A DEEP SENSE OF GRATITUDE FOR EVERY DAY.



4. I bought this for my best friend, who is a teacher...she absolutely loved it and said it was wonderful book.

No comments about Terrorism and Global Disorder (International Library of War Studies).

2 comments about Terrorism, The Laws Of War, And The Constitution: Debating The Enemy Combatant Cases.

1. This edited book is useful for attorneys that follow constitutional law issues and the debate on Qitmo detention issues. John Yoo writes an easily understood article that summarizes the Bush Admin argument. Unfortunately, the other authors were not selected to offer a different argument. Regardless of the absence of competing arguments, the summary of the enemy combatant cases is comprehensive and two authors provide unique perspectives of the response by the three branches of US govert. In short, four of the articles make this book worthy of your time, but buy the used book.



2. This book gives one a view about what's wrong with the thinking that led our country to commit torture and to think that it is morally correct. The only purpose for reading this book is to see how morally bankrupt our current political leadership is. I couldn't have imagined that in my lifetime I would find people who with a straight face encourage actions that in previous days would not have been allowed to be spoken of in polite company. Who would ever believe that we would allow such an attack on the US Constitution and American values!

5 comments about The Ultimate Terrorists.

1. In order to determine the severity of any potential threat, that threat needs to be analyzed in terms of the enemy capability and intent, and of the friendly vulnerability. Jessica Stern, in The Ultimate Terrorists, expertly addresses all of these factors in her analysis of WMD terrorism. By doing so, Stern enables the reader to form an educated opinion on this topic. Whether the reader is a national policy maker, academic researcher, military professional, emergency service provider, or simply an American citizen, this book offers valuable analysis of a viable threat to national security. The Ultimate Terrorists is highly recommended for reading.



2. It is an interesting testament on the nature of human beings that even intellectuals in the west continue to relate only HALF the story in this terrorism equation. Terrorism is abhorrent, no doubt, but people like Dr, Stern know full well that the west is not wholly the victim here.

   A considerable number of people in the east and south have and continue to suffer from terrorism sponsored and supported in western capitals. The examples are manifold, and they should be mentioned and condemned also, if only for completeness.




3. The Ultimate Terrorists joins other timely publications in providing an assessment of differences between post-Cold War perceived threats and the modern reality of imminent terrorist attacks with weapons of mass destruction. From the threat of nuclear materials to biological warfare, The Ultimate Terrorists provides chapters which assess the new sources of terrorist activity.



4. This book must be one of the easiest books to read and understand on the subject. Sageman's book is great and Hoffman is excellent, but to me, this book was the best! The others go over terrorist inception much more, but Stern is more interested in the WMD proliferation. If there was ever a terrorist book that one could curl up to near a fireplace, this is it.



5. This book was well worthwhile. I am pleased that Amazon
   had it in stock, and shipped it right out. I am a graduate
   student and I needed this book in a fast manner so I could
   read it and then report on it.
   
   Amazon was very accommodating to me. I certainly will use
   this source in the future. Thank You.