No comments about Jihad vs. McWorld: Terrorism's Challenge to Democracy.

No comments about War on terrorism will compel revisions to Posse Comitatus. (Viewpoint).: An article from: National Defense.

5 comments about Soldiers Of God: White Supremacists and Their Holy War for America.

1. The authors of the book take a neutral stance on these white supremacists. They present their ideas without actually condoning them. They have a reserved sympathy for these people since the authors live in the rural conservative culture of Texas that breeds this sort of extremism. They also mention that they had repugnance towards some of the ideas presented, but avoided editorial comments as part of their deal with the extremists.

   Many racial extremists have the religious theology of an antisemitic variety of Christian Identity. They interpret the scriptures to mean that whites are actually the chosen people and the Jews are the seed of Satan. They believe that the stone of destiny that the monarchs in England swear themselves upon when being enthroned is Jacob's pillar in the Bible because English tradition says so. Not all Identity Christians are anti-semitic though.

   The extremists are firm believers in conspiracy theories involving the Jews and their Gentile freemason cohorts. They believe everything is controlled by ZOG (Zionist Occupied Government) and that the Jews and freemasons involved shape society to their own benefit and to the detriment of the white population.

   The authors do not sanitize their accounts of what the extremists truly believe. They believe in the elimination of homosexuals, Jews, race mixers, and the unproductive. Some of their beliefs on these matters are influenced by their interpretation of the Scriptures. (The more violent, younger and secular Neo-Nazi gangs believe in elimination of the unproductive.) The religious racists see themselves as soldiers of God in a righteous fight against what they see as evil. These religious beliefs make them very committed and sometimes they will attempt violence or lawbreaking to achieve their goals of having a Christian theocracy. They believe they are at war with a corrupt government that needs to be overthrown. However, they think that Timothy McVeigh was actually a government agent that worked to put the blame on racial extremists for OKC bombing and to create an incident to pass an anti-terrorists bill targeted against patriots.

   They have problems with the theory of racial equality since they think affirmative action is used to promote people who do not merit the position and that blacks often make formerly all-white neighborhoods crime zones.

   The authors do not try to confirm or deny any of the many conspiracy theories that they believe in and I think that this is weakness to the book.

   The racial extremists have a battle strategy of leaderless resistance in which they form a small group of no more than seven people who know each other well. This strategy guards against infiltrators because the group remains very quiet about what they plan to do. They plan to have hundreds of these groups who will reek havoc upon what they see as ZOG controlled society as they attempt to implement a revolution.

   I view the group as ultra conservatives with unorthodox Christian beliefs that do not want to live in a multi-culti society with race mixing and little adherence to some of the more thorny traditional Christian beliefs. They are unable to get what they want at the voting booth and are willing to use violence to get what they want. They also see through the weaknesses in the theory of racial equality and racial sameness when they observe reality. They are scary, but at the same time, fascinating to read about. Although milder conservatives may have the same complaints as the extremists do, they do not have the same nuances in their beliefs that will lead them to violence. Nuances in belief systems are important.

   More people will probably be radicalized enough to join extremist groups in the future if the economy keeps sputtering and more foreigners come to live here making the nation less of a predominately white culture. Resentment will be stirred if non-whites are still considered a protected class as opposed to whites according to the law.

   This is an informative and readable book that covers extremists in depth while avoiding the simplicity and distortion that the media usually resorts to when covering extremists.




2. This book is fairly presented & unbiased. The authors prove that much like societies as a whole, there are good & wicked people.The mainstream media will never present these people fairly. I know some of these folks personally & they are God fearing, law abiding people. The ones I know truly love their families & are concerned about government chicanery & deceit. Read the book. Don't waste time with media imposters & hype built on an intricate system of lies to create profit.



3. This is probably the ONLY book you will find that gives a fair, balanced account of those in the Christian Identity Movement. If you would like a true account of their beliefs, I would have to point to this book. Not all people that adhere to Christian Identity are crazy terrorists. Most of them aren't. Most Muslims are not Terrorists either. However, in our "tolerant society" we seem to be good at lumping all the bad together without knowing anything about certain people.



4. Lots of research obviously went into this book, with a very difficult balance to maintain. The difficulty lies in getting these people to trust you enough to interview with you without you personally professing their beliefs. Pictures must have been hard to come by. A must read to learn the inner workings of their minds, and the beliefs which control their actions.
   
   We need to be aware no matter how distasteful.



5. Soldiers of God is the only book, that I'm aware of, that fully explores the religious justifications of several prominent white supremacist organizations. Whats truly startling is the confession of one of the domestic terrorists that he holds in racist views because he...learned it from the Bible. As a Protestant I found his statement shocking and more than a little misguided. The other content was fascinating and mostly credible. Bottom line...this is the definitive book to have if you're looking to understand the religious motivations of these hypocritical "Christian" terrorists. However, if you're unfamiliar with Christianity I recommend you read the Gospels first to understand with these groups have no relevancy in Christianity.

2 comments about Challenging US Human Rights Violations Since 9/11.

1. I'm very interested in human rights. And I support human rights for everyone. But I know that it is not always easy for those whose rights are violated to get a hearing. The powers that be may not be interesting in publicizing their complaints. What is to be done?
   
   The answer is to find a way to speak out, and to get allies. And this book could be part of such an effort. Instead, it achieves the opposite effect. The wrong allies have been chosen. It is bad enough to choose tyrants as allies. It is catastrophic to choose liars.
   
   It is a good idea to monitor our behavior. But that requires honesty and accuracy, not mere transmission of anti-American propaganda.
   
   Since this book mentions American involvement in the Middle East, it would have been a good idea for it to find fault with our government's tolerance for and even support of opponents of human rights, including Arafat and his gang. However, this book chooses to ignore Arafat's transgressions and find fault with Arafat's Israeli victims for building a separation fence to defend the lives of Israeli citizens! And the book finds fault with the United States for supporting Israel's right to do this at the International Court of Justice.
   
   A book about human rights that includes such a gross moral error simply can't be trusted. And those who wish to use such a book to air their grievances about transgressions of human rights thus lose an opportunity to be heard and taken seriously.



2. Please take the review from Jill Malter with a ghrain of salt. If you review her reviews of other books it's important to note that they share a common, Pro Israeli point of view. Naturally, she has every right to hold this view. However, to defend the building of a "security wall" is beyond defensibility. If the goal was security, Israel would build the wall 1 mile within the, internationally accepted, 1967 border. That is a defensible action. The current wall is an act of imperialism at best and terror at worst. Read the Chomskey / Dershowitz debate for a more detailed discussion of this topic.
   
   That issue aside. This is an extraordinary book that details some of the pressing issues confronting our current political situation in the US. I would also recommend Amy Goodman's book.

No comments about Evaluating Novel Threats to the Homeland: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Cruise Missiles.

1 comments about Integrity in Mobile Phone Financial Services: Measures for Mitigating the Risks of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (World Bank Working Papers) (World Bank Working Papers).

1. This book is a remarkable piece. It opens ones eyes to the potential money laundering risks in mobile financial services. Great read. Very informative.

2 comments about Kindergarten.

1. I read this book when it first came out, and have since read it several times. It is an extraordinarily moving story about modern English children who, because of an act of political terrorism by which they are directly affected, are brought to confront the meaning of the Holocaust from the standpoint of children. The novel is written with a somber simplicity and elegance, yet it succeeds in evoking not just the events themselves, but the whole cultural context of modern European history. It contains, for instance, one of the most frightening versions of the Hansel and Gretel story that you are ever likely to read. This book is definitely not recommended for children, but it would be hard to imagine any adult not finding it a wonderful experience.



2. This is a short book which brings memories and deeper thoughts to the surface. For anyone who merely wishes something to pass the time during a train journey, sorry, but you're in the wrong place. Rushforth's excellent prose draws the reader through various times into a work which is both dark and enlightening; a memory of times past and, perhaps, a warning of future times.
   
   Since it was first published I have read this book many times, and have purchased at least five copies.
   
   Peter Rushforth died recently, shortly after the publication of Pinkerton's Sister and before the publication of Dead Language, both of which show the skill and literary knowledge of a man who (even at 60) died before his time.

4 comments about The Middle East War Process: The Truth Behind America's Middle East Challenge.

1. I found this book easy to read and very informative. The writer explains in lay man terms why the Middle East is so relevant to America's interests. In addition, he explains that there is a "war process" in the Middle East as oppossed to a "peace process" (a quote from Shimon Peres if I recall correctly).

   I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh, interesting, and personal analysis of the situation in the Middle East.




2. The MIDDLE EAST WAR PROCESS is easily understood by the lay reader, yet interesting and informative to anyone working in or studying the Middle East. The book provides new, unusual and little-known facts explaining America's challenges and long-term problems in the region. The United States has shouldered a long-term commitment in the region that will last for generations. The MIDDLE EAST WAR PROCESS offers insights into ways to make this transition less painful, if we will learn from the past.

   With American interest in the Middle East at an all time high, The MIDDLE EAST WAR PROCESS is an insightful and interesting book.




3. This is a great book for those who would like to understand how the Middle East really works and thinks. It contains information not readily published about America's challenges in the region. It looks forward to what we can expect from this area and gives an understanding of why and what we are doing there now. Mr. Robison's experience there, working with military, intelligence, and business sources along with his love and knowledge of the cultures of the area, give this book depth and breath not found in other publications. A great read for anyone who really wants to understand our involvement in the area. I gained a completely new understanding of our challenges, opportunities and risks as he explained them from the perspective of the power, governments, culture, and history of the people there.



4. I had the opportunity to interview Richard Robison for a two-part article in Utah Spirit Magazine (March & April 2004), and in the process I read "War Process." I found a thoughtfulness that only nearly a quarter century in the Middle East could deliver, an insight that only a CIA case officer could gain, and the kind of read that only a master storyteller could create.

   The message of the book is tactful, but very forward. Robison loves the Middle East, its culture and people, but he doesn't let that stop him when it comes to calling a spade a spade. The pages of "War Process" contain many elements of U.S.-Mideast foreign policy that readers won't currently find in mainstream media. For instance, Robison examines the Islamic "taqiya," where "a lie is not a lie," and also how terrorists often exploit the idea that "Americans don't bleed well" to create incredibly damaging attacks on American forces and civilians.

   "Fear the man who has little to loose," Robison warns.

   Robison also spends a great deal of time examining the gap and overlap between Islamic and American cultures. He uses many personal experiences to show how little known parts of Islamic culture, when overlooked, can create a great embarrassment and, in some instances, a great divide. He also explains how popular American culture with all of its tantalizing skin and revealing clothing has become the perfect recruitment tool for terrorists.

   He offers an interesting insight into why the US went into Iraq, even toying with the idea that America might have had some part encouraging the first Iraq war. And however incredible such a claim might seem, Robison was there as part of the Gulf War Task Force, something that few others can claim. He was there.

   Robison says that America is in the Middle East to stay. It has little to do with the price of oil, and yet it has everything to do with the security of oil. For the answers, Robison says, look to China, its increasing dependence on oil, and a future conflict that many intelligence experts (both American and Chinese) say is inevitable. America is in the Middle East to place a firm hand on the spigot---a tactic similar to one that America employed against Japan in WWII.

   The book is beefy with ideas, but it can be read fast. Robison keeps the info simple and critical, never wasting his readers' time.

   I absolutely recommend "War Process." Readers will find that many of the more cryptic reports in the world press more revealing. There's a lot to miss out there when, as Robison said during the interview, "you don't know what questions to ask."

No comments about By His Own Rules: The Story of Donald Rumsfeld.

4 comments about Flight of the Raven.

1. This book is a sequel to Welcome to the Ark, which I really
   enjoyed because of the sensitive portrayal of extremely gifted
   children. As a sequel, this book follows Elijah, who recently
   escaped from the mental hospital in which he was being held and
   is picked up in the forest by a group of terrorists who are
   bent on disrupting and eventually destroying the repressive
   government of the United States.

   Elijah, who is for a long time mute and who is usually outside
   of the happenings in the compound, eventually makes friends with
   Amber, the daughter of the head of the group. Amber is uneasy
   about certain aspects of the goals of the group, but she can't
   articulate the reasons for her growing sense that something is
   wrong.

   Both of the major characters have to eventually face the realities
   of the world with regard to their personal commitments to each
   other and to the mission of the group, when Amber is the target of
   an attempted assault and the terrorism of the group goes further
   than they can fathom.

   The eeriness of this tale comes from the "bombing of the towers"
   and the attempt to infect the whole world with small pox.

   As with Welcome to the Ark, though, the ending of this story goes
   just a bit too far into fantasy for my taste. Most of each of the
   books is realistic and so possible that you would almost think
   that the characters are real. But then, at the very end, the
   books get mystical and veer off into fantasy. Yes, there may be
   powers that these kids have that can't be explained by modern
   science, but that almost seems like a cop out, given the very real
   world problems they are confronting.

   Still, I am eager for the next in the series.




2. In "Welcome to the Ark", Elijah was the least developed of the four characters. Miranda was the easiest to empathize with, the clear center of the novel. Doug was clearly hurt, but he expressed it. Taryn had her poems and her deep connections with everyone and everything to show her feelings of loss. Elijah, a superbly intelligent boy diagnosed as autistic, was the string tying them together, but his characterization itself wasn't much thicker than one. He was the raven, both the protector and the protected, and the silent child who grew a voice in his head, on the computer, and eventually quietly out loud.

   In "Flight of the Raven", much of Elijah's characterization suffers from being in the focus rather than the background. His character is interesting when based on interactions, but in this book, he's one of three things: the hunted, the hunter, or the symbol. He and Kenny play a game of cat-and-mouse that seems out of character for Elijah- especially for an Elijah who certainly remembers how to "tame" the violence, as he expressed. He might not have been sure if it would work, but none of the kids in WttA with the possible exception of Doug would have refused to try after the events in the book. Elijah, especially, tended to think before acting. His desire to "get back" at Kenny is normal, but his constant hesitations due to his own size seem to contradict the history in WttA, with Taryn calling birds and all four causing Timmy to break his own foot. The ending of this book makes no sense in the context of WttA, which provided so many ways around violence before he used violence as the means to an admittedly non-violent end. The way he used violence was also mind-boggling; his transformation wasn't precipitated by any hard facts, but he was willing to try that over something tried and true. It rang false for the mind of such a logical character.

   Elijah and the raven have always been intertwined, but in this book it becomes much more heavy-handed. In WttA, it was his symbol, and it was in the dreams. As Taryn had said, "the raven still flies". In this book, everyone accepts the bird as a sign, Cassie sees it as an omen, and Kenny hunts ravens to make his point to Elijah. Ravens save Elijah. The book leaves Elijah seeming almost Taryn-like, but his views against peace (saving himself and Cassie and Amber over the lives of others) are decidedly not.

   Speaking of Amber, her "Ark-ness" isn't in any way explained. Both Amber and Kenny are intelligent, but Amber shows no sign of Ark. The only signs we're given are heavy-handed, at least compared to the subtlety in WttA. In WttA there were glimmers between Miranda and Taryn or Miranda and Doug, before they communicated about their shared dreams, before Taryn "told" her how the tree felt. Here, Elijah feels connection from almost the beginning. He heals Amber before he knows her. An argument could be made that he opened up after the Ark experience, but the same could be made that upon leaving them he immediately went back to his old ways (getting "inside" the marble, Tondishi, avoidance, etc.) as soon as he left. Amber, however, has never been open to Arkness before. Ark kids were anti-violence, anti-world; she reveled in it and took her father's words at face value.

   The near-assault of Amber, while compelling, seemed harsh in a book aimed at children. I don't know if the youngest readers would understand how close it seemed to a rape, and the older readers will probably wonder why it wasn't more of a focal point. Amber was okay with murder when she felt her assaulter would be properly punished, but that isn't a solution. WttA succeeded because the solutions, although not feasible in a literal sense, make sense in symbolic terms. A child could become friends with others who are different and improve the world, albeit not by psychically bonding. Accepting a bombing isn't an answer.

   The bioweapons seemed both heavy-handed and scarily prescient. I wish there had been more of a hint of something wrong with Landis, besides Elijah's "bad feeling" about him. It made a possibly good plot weakened. In addition, Elijah left Mack and Kenny in charge as the lesser of evils, and it's disconcerting to think of a "good guy" seeing things that way. No, 140 million people won't die, but they aren't solving problems except with bombs whose death tolls "don't matter". As I was IMing a friend about the book, I kept finding things that rang eerily in the aftermath of even worse New York terrorism. The smallpox issues, which hit me both because of the recent news issues and because of the Cross-X high school debate topic on it, were exceptionally, frighteningly, and flawlessly accurate as far as my research has gone, but the concepts of the "solution" seemed to again go against Elijah and what he chose. He empathized with Amber over dead rabbits and dead parents, much like he did previously when he chose vegetarianism. I suppose the reader could assume that he chose to "turn off" part of the Ark part of his mind the way Doug and Miranda did, but he clearly used it with Amber throughout the novel. It makes sense for Elijah to develop his mind more, away from the stabilizing and repressing atmospheres the other three were in, but it doesn't seem logical for him to develop in this way.

   Overall, despite these criticisms, I enjoyed the book. I liked references to the Ark, and the story kept within the context of the ending of WttA. Elijah is still a compelling character, although less so. But unlike WttA, this won't be a book I'll be rereading often. It provides some closure for Elijah, but didn't fit in with what I wanted to believe about all of the characters. It had all of the ingredients for a wonderful book, but they didn't mix together for a really good read.




3. I loved the book! It is highly prophetic, as we see now, after 9/11. It presents moral, ethical, and philosophical questions to the readers that require deep soul-searching...



4. THIS BOOK WAS GREAT.TOLAN PULLS YOU IN WITH EXCITING PHRASES, AND AN EXTREMELY SUSPENSEFULL PLOT. I WOULD RECOMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE ABOVE THE AGE OF 10.