4 comments about Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Understanding the New Security Environment, Readings and Interpretations (Textbook).

1. This is a very timely book which draws on the expertise of many first rate people. I especially liked the articles by Russ Howard and Richard Betts. Must reading for all citizens interested in the most important issue of our day.



2. This volume of essays was written and compiled as a college textbook for upper level undergraduate and graduate level seminars on terrorism and counterterrorism. These essays were written on both sides of the 9/11 divide, as such some of them predicted the occurrence of (large scale)acts of terror on American soil while others prescribe strategies for countering the terrorist threat in the future. Readers other than college students will find the book of interest too. After all, members of the general public, not simply college students, have asked such questions as "Why does America inspire such hatred?" or "What strategies should the US employ in the war against terror?" This book addresses these, and numerous other questions.

   Although written by a variety of authors, the volume is well edited. Any work dealing with the US government and the bureaucratic responses to terrorism could easily be overwhelmed by a host of acronyms offputting to the general reader. The editors avoid this problem by consistent definition of acronyms and generous appendices covering foreign terrorist organizations, significant terrorist incidents, and weapons of mass destruction.

   In addition to its coverage of specific incidents, the book addresses theoretical issues which will remain current in spite of the developments which will continue to unfold across the front pages of our daily newspapers. My favorite essays in the book were the ones which dealt with the intelligence failures prior to 9/11 as well as the ones which made specific recommendations to change or improve the intelligence community. I'll be curious to see which recommendations are incorporated into US policy in the future.




3. This book is most certainly an excellent guide to anyone who has the slightest interest in Militant groups. Terrorism may be a pejorative term, and this text attempts to take the reader beyond that and into an in depth analysis of trends, tactics and much more. Though I may be biased since it is required reading for my POLS376 class (Political Violence), it is most definitely not for everyone as it is not an easy read. Though the Cindy Combs book "Terrorism in the 21st century" may be the most definitive source on this subject next to Hoffman, I still must give credit where it is due. However, I did have one major gripe with this text. The coverage of terrorist tactics and training was lacking to say the least, so I recommend that you buy pick up the Combs book to complement this one. Wish me luck on my midterm! lol



4. Brings up good points about various weaknesses and problems in preventing future attacks. Many of the included essays are redundant because the authors bring up parallel points making the book dry, especially after the first two or three chapters.

5 comments about Shooting War.

1. Lappe & Goldman's "Shooting War" is a fast-paced, gorgeously illustrated rollercoaster ride through a predicted future of the state of war in the Middle East. The hypothesis is that the conflict won't be over by 2011 (of course, it has been going on, "with or without" the USA for decades) and a video-blogger, Jimmy Burns, gets his big break with a very "lucky" live feed of the explosive destruction of a local Starbucks. We follow Burns, a limelight-chasing media newbie, in his quick rise to fame to the warzone in the Middle East itself. His experiences prove that life doesn't just exist through the lens, but that it's happening all around him and TO him, but he is there to do a job, hence the only way he is permitted to survive in such a volatile place is by way of his camera. Lappe's story gets a little confusing at times, but moves very quickly and is chock-full of warning. But it's Goldman's illustrations that are the star of the show, mixing real photography and digital drawings on two-page spreads that make one look away due to the occasional gore. It's a beautifully executed book and well worth the small price.



2. Shiny, pretty, without too many words, Shooting War takes a look at the war, at our media, at the corporate take over of our country without taking itself too seriously. Hiding behind animation, Shooting War is able to face, head on, the brutality of the war without any danger of becoming a sensationalistic blood fest.
   
   Makes a great gift for any socially active person!



3. This savvy look at the all-too-proximate future couldn't be smarter or more gripping. It holds up a mirror to our own times and beams back an absurd apocalypse. It's a beautiful hardcover coffee table accoutrement. The pictures are amazingly vibrant. A great conversation starter.



4. Internet buzz darling Shooting War is an excellent comic book. With its slick cgi-real photo imagery meshes, deliberately provocative storyline, and adolescent upper-middle class anti-corporate rhetoric, it creates an appalling yet thrilling view of a possible near future Iraq. It paints a War on Terror two seconds from tomorrow, with the same quagmire and tragedy, except with different politicians to blame and worse atrocities to shock our senses. It's all very edgy, yet blogosphere chic, but ultimately, its message ends up being muddled and unconvincing.
   
   Lappe's version of Iraq isn't much more believable than Alfonso Cuarón's U.K. in Children of Men. Don't get me wrong; I'm not entirely unsympathetic to Lappe's views, and I was listening to M.I.A. while reading this novel, so don't call me a FReeper. But he just lays on his political viewpoint so thickly it ends up sickening. Yes, horrible things are going on in Iraq. Yes, the occupation is not such a good thing for the country and her people. But I have to question the way Lappe chooses to express his beliefs. As much as I enjoy dystopias, did he have to milk the outrage of the anti-war movement? Iraq as it is now is bad enough. Why does he have to trivialize it by inventing his own atrocities? Depicting the sort of violence that occurs right now, that's not as bad (though still rather cheap). But that whole sequence in Baghdad at the end- does he really believe U.S. forces can be so cruel? That the Army would resort to such an indiscriminate measure? That all Iraqis are poor victims whose only source of suffering is the U.S.?
   
   Not to mention the implausibility of the dystopia. If the occupation really went so badly that Arab League peacekeepers under the U.N. are allowed in, the Iraq War would cease to be the sole responsibility of a McCain administration. The U.S. admitting that we need help in Iraq would be a momentous change from current policy. It would no longer be the fault of the neocons, because there would be other people, other nations, presumably people with better ideas to help stabilize the situation. In any case, I find it odd that Lappe chose throw in that plot idea, because while world opinion would certainly continue to be angered towards America, in the U.S. it would cease to be a "let's withdraw" issue and more "let's solve this thing with the rest of the world's help." In other words, it would open the door to multilateralism, something completely different from the current Bush policy.
   
   Oh, and Chavez cutting off oil to the West? And the "mullahs" of Iran as well? I guess they're both tired of running things and would like to retire at the hands of an angry mob of a counterrevolution.
   
   Though maybe bits like that are meant to be satire. Because while there are some lighter, more absurdist Catch-22-esque moments, they're few and far between. Most of the humor of "Shooting War" is derived from the scads of references and in-jokes to the near future. Which I totally dig and eat up. (The real reason why the future is truly terrifying: Only 10 megs per upload on YouTube!) But most of the overall tone is awash in cynicism that Iraq is completely fubared, that there is no hope for it, or for the U.S., or something. Which raises the question just what Lappe's entire point is, besides revel in the fact that we screwed up.
   
   "Shooting War" hides a smarter view. The villain's initial speech at the bunker where he dismisses Chomsky, Negri, and other would-be modern day Marxes, was rather novel for such a genre character. But it ends up muddled, and we never get a clear view of just what the ominous Sword is trying to do. Are they trying to build a Caliphate? Not only is such a notion about as realistic as trying to build a New Roman Empire by recruiting Jack Chick, the Westboro Baptist Church, and the Pope, the villain seems too modern looking for that. Are they new-pan-Arabists? Apparently not, since they are composed of Algerians to Iranians, which is also about as realistic as the previous idea.
   
   There's probably a small mountain of other political inaccuracies, and that's not even counting the patronizing depiction of Iraqi culture. A holdout of Iraqi Communists teaching their children Mao's Three Phases of Guerrilla Warfare? Is Lappe trying to be cute, or does he honestly think that all Marxists are the same?
   
   Ultimately, "Shooting War" is all about the shlock-shock value of its subject matter and slick presentation. It's the dailyKos version of your 1980's right-wing jingoist action flick. But instead of American triumphalism, you get some sort of polemic against the corporate media, condescension towards the Iraqi people, and a lot of guilt and shame. And instead of Chuck Norris, you get Jimmy Burns. It's definitely worth a read, but ultimately, not enough to take seriously.



5. Shooting War is an interesting, horrifying and superbly flawed work that envisions the Iraq War in the near future.
   
   The story sees smartass liberal blogger Jimmy Burns, an angry twenty-something who accidentally films a suicide bombing in New York, recruited by the exploitive, exhibitionist Global News and sent to document the Iraq War. It's now 2011, with McCain in the White House and Iraq even worse-off than it is now, and Jimmy soon finds himself embroiled in a battle between a group of chic Marxist jihadists and a US army group led by a brutal, possibly insane war hero. Oh, and Dan Rather is in there, too.
   
   The art is a mix of stylized drawings and what appear to be real pictures, and sometimes can be quite striking. The group of US soldiers, and their leader, "Colonel Crash," are most noteworthy, and it does a good job of depicting the havoc and chaos of this brutal war. It's not my favorite art ever, and I'm not sure it would've worked in a different book, where the frenetic and sometimes sloppy-looking style didn't serve the story, but it suits Shooting War fine.
   
   The book also does a good job of characterizing its major players. Jimmy Burns is appropriately conflicted, going from an overconfident yuppie to a despondent and hopelessly depressed kid realizing how far in over his head he is to something of wiser veteran journalist by the end. That last transformation comes a little abruptly, and his story arch is a fairly typical coming-of-age type story, but once again, it's done well-enough. If the piece has true villains, they'd be Colonel Crash, an evangelical extremist and a brutal war criminal, and the leader of the jihadist group Sword of Mohammed, who styles himself as a twenty-first century Che Guevera, beret and all. I was particularly pleased by the characterization of these two characters; both are shown to have admirable qualities (Che-clone has some good ideas about bringing Islam out of the dark ages and ending Western exploitation, while Crash has something of a sense of honor to him) to counter the monstrous crimes they commit. The book certainly doesn't allow the reader an easy judgment as to right and wrong in this case.
   
   Ultimately, the portrayal of the brutal chaos of Iraq is the highest point of the book; whether or not it is a strictly realistic picture of Iraq in 2011, I cannot rightly say, but it does an excellent job of portraying a nation torn apart by war--and as we know, we won't have to wait till 2011 for that situation to be true in Iraq. Frankly, though I recognized many of the elements of the book to be satirical, I often couldn't laugh; the thing is just too dark, too horrific. And I can't imagine that's not the point--you should be horrified at what has been wrought in that country, what is happening there right now. Shooting War succeeds on the front of stirring rage in its reader at the suffering of all the innocent victims of this war.
   
   The pointed portrayal of American mass media also hits home; here, the book is at its most satirical, with the bloodthirsty Global News but also with familiar companies like CNN being blasted for their raw exploitation and manipulation of their viewers. Dan Rather makes several appearances as a hero and mentor of sorts to Jimmy, being one of the few American journalists left in Baghdad, and provides most of the book's comic relief.
   
   Where the book falters is, I think, in the details. The dialogue is often stiff and stilted; characters soapbox and make speeches a great deal, and many interactions are fairly awkward or heavy-handed. And though I generally agree with the book's politics, I hate how it crams them down your throat with a wooden stick. A bit more subtlety and a bit less preaching would've done the book a lot of good. The plot also tends to meander, taking lots of dead-end birdwalks before returning to the main story; this could've been an interesting approach to showing other aspects of Iraqi culture in the war, but they mostly just mess up the pacing. And the portrayal of the Iraqi communists, mentioned by another reviewer, is kind of ridiculous, the book's only truly absurd scene.
   
   So that's Shooting War--dark, horrifying, bitingly sarcastic, uneven, and preachy. The book's flaws disappoint me--with tighter writing, it could easily have been a masterpiece. I still wholeheartedly recommend it; I think it's worth it to anyone to read.

2 comments about Enemies of Intelligence: Knowledge and Power in American National Security.

1. This book seeks to balance the deluge of criticism that has been directed towards the U.S. Intelligence System (especially CIA) with a more sympathetic view of how the U.S. intelligence process works. Its author, Richard K. Betts is a recognized scholar specializing in national security issues who has held a variety of positions on the fringes of the U.S. Intelligence Community. This scarcely makes Betts an expert on intelligence processes, although he seems to accurately reflect the views of the senior executives who occupy the highest levels of that Community. For this reason this is a valuable book.
   
   Betts identifies three categories of intelligence which he characterizes as: attack warning; operational evaluation; and defense planning. These are essentially military intelligence subjects and apparently he never considered the value to policy makers of economic, political, or technical intelligence. He also conflates warning with prediction even after reading Cynthia Grabo's book on Warning Intelligence. As he should know but does not, it is virtually impossible to predict the occurrence of discrete events, but entirely possible to provide warnings and risk assessments of potential threats. He also clearly has no real understanding of subject matter expertise (also known as target knowledge) as key to sound analysis.
   
   Betts attempts to defend a number of CIA's alleged failures. For example, there is his defense of the CIA WMD NIE that was published prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. According to Betts, CIA analyst determined that ambiguous aluminum tubes were to be used as centrifuges and other principal intelligence agencies agreed with this conclusion. This is debatable, but more importantly he offers no evidence that any effort was made to determine if Iraq had acquired or was attempting to acquire the other components required to build centrifuges. As it turned out there are many uses for aluminum tubes. Then there is the issue of Iraqi biological weapon production. Betts informs the reader that in addition to the infamous and bogus German asset "Curveball", CIA had access to three other corroborating sources although two of these were also bogus. More to the point again CIA evidently made no effort to find independent verification of this claim. Its analysts could have asked outside experts about the technical details of the reports they had and they could have looked for supporting evidence such as Iraqi attempts to acquire containment technology or approaches to pharmaceutical firms for large amounts of antidotes (if you are going to use biological agents on the battlefield you had better be sure your own troops won't be stricken). Such omissions are inexcusable.
   
   It is a sobering experience reading Bett's discussions of reform and analysis as applied to the U.S. Intelligence System. He clearly seeks to portray major reform as both unnecessary and dangerous. Further, his understanding of intelligence analysis and production is that of someone far removed from the actual processes. The fact that this probably represents the thinking of the senior managers of that system as well is disturbing indeed.



2. EDIT: Amazon's new review system will not load images. If and when...
   see Comment for URLs to the images on the Web.
   
   Retired Reader is as usual being kind. I agree that the book is useful as a sense of what the insider's want us to think, but it is at best a superficial summary (easily read) that has so many errors (of perception) and omissions (of fact) as to hardly be worthy of the read.
   
   I quickly realized the general shallowness, but out of respect for the author stopped reading and instead went and read every single footnote, every single index entry, and indeed confirmed that this is a mix of old work, draws only on "members of the club" work, and fills in the gaps with Op-Eds and newspaper stories written by people who generally have no clue. Then I read the whole book.
   
   Anyone who cites Deborah Burger's pabulum about "revolution in intelligence affairs" is kissing the institution's ass (pun intended); and anyone who considers the Sims-Gerber book to be transformative (as opposed to useful if you want the status quo), is simply out of touch with reality, with the possibilities, and with the complex pathologies that plague both the intelligence community (see my five images) and our politicians, every one of them, but most especially Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi, impeachable for breach of trust. For additional background, see my IJCI commentary on "Intelligence Affairs: Evolution, Revolution, or Reactionary Collapse?"
   
   This is in fact what annoyed me most about this book--it glosses over the high crimes and misdemeanors of the White House but also of the Cabinet, as well as the blatant errors and omissions of virtually every senior intelligence officer. The USS Liberty and USS Pueblo were outrageous acts of war that could have been defended against and also justified retaliation, but instead both Administrations covered up, as they covered up on 9/11 and the Kennedy Assassination. In the case of George Tenet, he screwed up three big things: the clandestine service; the hunt for Bin Laden; and his ignorance in refusing to follow the recommendations made by Boyd Sutton in "The Challenge of Global Coverage," calling for 1.5B a year against the 95% of the world that we ignore at our peril.
   
   This book gets three stars instead of the two I planned originally because the author is an original, has demonstrated he knows what the higher standard is, and I will simply assume that at this time in his life he too busy to read broadly. He could start with my reviews, which are free.
   
   There are so many books over-looked by the author here that I just shake my head. I link to a few below.
   
   I expected the author to be dismissive of open sources of information, and to ignore my own work despite the fact that he has been a speaker at one of my conferences and knows full well the contents of my varied books. What I was not expecting was what I consider to be an abject superficial apologia, almost a hearts and flowers farewell to the John McLaughlin's of the past.
   
   I was also not expecting the quickly evident lack of familiarity (or lack of time to properly integrate if known) with the wealth of information from many authors on both policy and intelligence failures, and the facts thereof. Nowhere in this book, for example, does the author properly credit Charlie Allen with sending 35 line crossers into Iraq to confirm what we already knew from the defecting son-in-law: keep the cook-books, destroyed the stocks, bluffing for regional sake.
   
   Although acceptable in an academic book of this kind, the author's lack of understanding of the magnitude of the budget (it is $60 to 70 billion, not the loose lips $44 billion that Mary Graham gave us) and his lack of understanding of how what we do now fails to address the ten high level threats to humanity that LtGen Dr. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret) helped identify, fails to help us create the needed four forces after next including the White Hat Peace from the Sea and Peace from Above, relegates this book to the curiosity pile.
   
   I was particularly annoyed by the disingenuous glibness in speaking of the value of an intelligence reserve, when the author knows full well that because of security blinders the secret puppies talk to just 14 of the 1400 Muslim experts in America; and either his obliviousness or naiveté in suggesting that dissent and multiple advocacy channels are worth anything when our young analysts are near idiots (the World Bank official I spoke to says their assumptions about Sudan and elsewhere are so ignorant as to be frightening); have no processing power, not even the analytic desktop that Diane Webb designed in 1985-1986, at which time I discovered we had no fewer than twenty "compartmented" projects to build the same all source fusion station, only each was a sweetheart deal with a different vendor; or access to the 96% of the information that the secret world does not have access to and will never have access to unless we first create a Multinational Information Sharing Activity outside the wire and able to share without restraint.
   
   The book whimpers to an end. For a free and broader grasp of reality and pathology, see my reviews of other books on intelligence (especially the ones the author neglects to integrate), and sign up for the free weekly report, GLOBAL CHALLENGES: The Week in Review. See Earth Intelligence Network.
   
   I won't even touch the lack of serious coverage of education, commercial intelligence, policy-maker ignorance, and all the other small but important details left out of this book. This book comes nowhere near the reality that you cannot create and maintain smart spies in the context of a dumb nation. This is what we get from a community that spends $60B a year creating a President's Daily Brief ($1.2B/week), largely ineffective at all else.
   
   Below are the tip of the iceberg.
   
   On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World
   The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
   Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
   Who the Hell Are We Fighting?: The Story of Sam Adams and the Vietnam Intelligence Wars
   Denial and Deception: An Insider's View of the CIA
   See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism
   Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers
   Wedge: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11--How the Secret War between the FBI and CIA Has Endangered National Security
   Deep Cover: The Inside Story of How DEA Infighting, Incompetence and Subterfuge Lost Us the Biggest Battle of the Drug War
   
   See my many lists for broader recommendations.

5 comments about Never Again: Securing America and Restoring Justice.

1. Never Again is very badly written, meaning that Ashcroft probably wrote it himself, as ghost writers are more experienced. The bad writing does its best to support nonsensical ideas. Worst of all, much of the book consists of Ashcroft whining and crying about how anything that doesn't go 100% his way is the fault of various other people such as the media, democrats, "liberal" groups, etc., while avoiding all personal responsibility. This is a terrible book, thats probably why i found it at a 99cent store.



2. My first impression on reading the book is that John Ashcroft is a true American hero. A man of insight, good judgment and integrity.
   
   My second impression is that the book is unusually well written and edited. In just 294 pages (hardbook edition), he tells the story of his time as Attorney General, and makes very powerful points about steps that he took (that were not previously taken) to improve our internal security. Especially impressive (and clear) is his description of the problem of the "wall" between criminal and subversive surveillance operations, which he fought to tear down.
   
   I recommend you read the other reviews here to get a fuller flavor of the book and Mr. Ashcroft (which include less favorable views of both), then I recommend that you buy the book, read it, and decide for yourself.



3. Please don't wear your political hat when you judge this book. Whether or not you agree with Mr Ashcroft, you must agree this book provides insider details that are intriguing. Ashcroft spends much of the book vigorously defending the PATRIOT act, with numerous success stories of its use in the war on terror. I think many of these stories have escaped the proper attention that the press should have given them. Mr Ashcroft also provides interesting accounts of his interactions with political enemies in the senate. I found it amusing that some senators would be so vicious in front of the TV cameras, yet cordial with Ashcroft off camera. One thing missing in this book is Ashcroft's views on the war in Iraq, although I would be surprised if he isn't 100% behind the President.
   
   One final thought... Mr Ashcroft comes across as an old fashioned gentleman with good character. I suppose he would value that more than any political accomplishment over his lifetime.



4. In this highly informative and fact-filled chronicle, Ashcroft details how his deeply held faith in Christ, his involvement in crafting the historic Patriot Act and his extraordinary talent for writing inspirational songs about freedom and eagles led to the restoration of justice and prevented further terrorist acts on the U.S..
   
   Although Ashcroft is the only man ever to have been defeated by a dead man in a U.S. Senate race, his faith in soaring eagles and his deep commitment to the Patriot Act make him one of the greatest Americans in history.
   
   Ashcroft is often criticized by many for evading military service (he applied for and received six student draft deferments during the VietNam war). But one must not forget that Ashcroft is the author of one of the most inspiring songs ever written about America, "Let The Eagle Soar." This majestic anthem is no doubt one of America's greatest weapons against the terrorists who hate our freedoms. Ashcroft's glorious love song to our great nation makes it clear that his blessed gift of patriotic tune-smithing more than makes up for his draft dodging. His participation in the senate barbershop quartet with that other great proponent of American family values and Christian morality Larry Craig is also a testament to his patriotism. Even though the people of Missouri decided it would be better to elect a dead man as their senator than Ashcroft, it must be noted that he is the most patriotic of Americans.
   
   His work as Bush's Attorney General will be remembered by historians as restoring a sense of security to the country by providing comfort to Americans by singing "Let the Eagles Soar" at every public gathering he attended.



5. I really enjoyed John Ashcroft's account of what he did, and why. It is an easy, informative, and enjoyable read. In my mind I had rated the book very highly, and told my wife that the mainstream news media had not done him or the Patriot Act justice. But then I decided to look into the Patriot Act for myself -- because Ashcroft's accounting of what the Act does is so different than what the news media has claimed. My conclusion is that the news media was as shallow as usual, worthy of little attention as a source of real information; and John Ashcroft was a bit strong in some of his own assertions. I rated the book down a bit because of this overassertion, but it is still a book well worth reading.
   
   Here is what I found on two key points:
   
   1.) Ashcroft spends considerable time describing the problem of the "wall" between criminal and subversive surveillance operations, which he fought to tear down. However, that this wall even existed was found by the Federal Surveillance Court of Review to have actually been a long-held misinterpretation by government agencies. I don't see this new insight as either pro-Ashcroft or anti-Ashcroft. I was in Government long enough to know that such misinterpretations indeed happen.
   
   It is a bit humorous (or not so humorous from another perspective) that the Attorney General of the United States can't get clear interpretations of the law from his scores of government attorneys!
   
   2.) Ashcroft claimed that the Patriot Act still does not allow any undisclosed surveillance without FISA judicial consent. This claim is so counter to the news media's claims, I paid it special attention. It turns out that Ashcroft's claim is too strong in two particular areas:
   
   a.) The Patriot Act expanded use of National Security Letters, which allows the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records without any court order, and places a national-security gag on the companies holding those records -- so that they may not inform those whose records have been accessed by the FBI. In fairness, Wikipedia provides an example of a National Security Letter demanded email header information from an Internet Service Provider, and the information they demanded specifically excluded the subject line and the text of the email; that is, they were seeking only the routing information -- that is, where the emails were originating and going. You can draw your own conclusions as to whether this is unreasonable governmental data mining; for the record, I personally don't object to this level of surveillance without court oversight.
   
   b.) There seems to be a loophole clause built into the Patriot Act that I've heard nothing about before. The Patriot Act specifies that those who operate or own a "protected computer" can give permission for authorities to intercept communications carried out on their machine. This permission bypasses the requirements of the Wiretap statute. The
   definition of a "protected computer" broadly encompasses those computers used in interstate or foreign commerce or communication. In my way of thinking, any email or web server connected to the Internet meets this definition. The Internet allows worldwide communication, so any PC connected to the Internet is used in interstate and foreign communication -- if any packets routed through it are to/from another state or oountry. So, all the government needs to do is find several server owners who will (for free or for a fee?) give them permission to intercept traffic through their servers, and the requirements of the Wiretap statute are bypassed. Some lawyer may prove me wrong on this, but it seems pretty clear to me.
   
   Ashcroft may have been a bit over the top with his zealotry for his particular brand of religion, but he has earned the respect of several liberals for doing what he thought was right, instead of politically expedient. Marty Peretz, in The New Republic (a liberal magazine), says: "I know it's difficult for some people to understand that Ashcroft tried to stand between public liberties and the president's minions. But he did." The truth about Ashcroft's legacy is far more complex than "I hate him because he flaunts his religion" or "I love him because he is a strong Christian."
   
   To me he seems to be a man of high personal integrity -- according to the standards he ascribes to, which are high, if perhaps misguided. He sees the world too much in black and white, without sufficient shades of gray. The world needs protection from terrorism, but the world also needs protection from overzealous governments. You can choose one or the
   other (black or white), but you are choosing between Charybdis and Scylla. We need to steer a narrow course between these two monsters. Time will tell if his policies get tweaked to set us on that narrow course, or if the legal loopholes have headed us towards Scylla. But never forget that he did nothing in the Patriot Act that Congress has not okayed. We seem to forget that they are the ones we should hold responsible.
   
   Read the book. It will give you Ashcroft's side of his story. Then, read the Patriot Act for yourself. You'll come away understanding more about the man and the issues, and you won't be able to paint him "all bad" or "all good." As for me, I think he was of about the same caliber as the rest of Bush's staff; well below the best and brightest the Republican Party has offered the country in my lifetime. But he is still a man who believes that personal integrity is a valuable attribute and that there is such a thing as personal honor. He measures up well above Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz in my mind.

2 comments about Guatemala: Never Again!.

1. This book is a summarization of a human rights report presented in Guatemala in 1998. Through eye-witness testimony, it outlines the military atrocities committed during Guatemala's Civil War and the effect the war has had on Guatemala's indigenous population.

   This edition has been edited from the original lengthy report but retains important testimony in smaller quotes where relevant and offers the reader stark evidence of the massive violence as well as the psychological warfare that was perpetrated on the citizens of Guatemala.

   The author of this report was killed two days after it was published. His assailant has not yet been brought to justice. This report is a must read for anyone interested in Human Rights, Native cultures, or the history of Guatemala.




2. I highly recommend this book for a number of reasons.
   If you are just starting to delve into the knowledge about Guatemala's tragic civil war this is the place to start. What this is is an abridged version of the Human Rights report on the atrocities committed by the Guatemalan army. This book is made up of two things: analysis and then personal testimonies from the victims.
   
   What it does for you is reveal that these crimes committed against the indigenous population went far beyond simply stated genocide and ethnic cleansing. There was far more to the army's tactics than massacre and physical torture.
   
   The crimes against the Mayas were highly psychological and I think that this report reveals that and puts it clearly. This book takes what you might already know about the horror and brings you in deeper. By the time you're done you will have a more clear, more concise, more accurate picture of what was done by the army to not only affect these people but to also keep them in silence about a war that not too many people know about.
   
   It also shows why Guatemala is still so devastated by this war, and what it's going to take to ensure that this history doesn't repeat itself. It's difficult in some places to read, but I think you need to. As you sit in your comfortable house reading it, I think it will change your perception on life. It did mine anyway.

5 comments about The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS (Classic Military History).

1. Heinze Höhne spins a masterful tale of the organizational quagmire that was Nazi Germany's SS. In so doing, he punches a huge hole in the Hollywood-developed myth which usually portrayed them as evil, highly-organized and efficient automatons in films like The Eagle Has Landed. Even worse, whole generations have grown up believing such poppycock as "true history" and that Heinrich Himmler was the second, most powerful man in the regime.
   
   Well, evil they certainly were. But organized and efficient? Not hardly. Nor was "Reichheini" [the unflattering nickname pinned on Himmler by a host of Nazi Party members and SS leaders] as overwhelmingly powerful an individual as he appears in movies and novels.
   
   Not only was he and his "claptrap racial superiority theories" [the words of one highly-placed Nazi] more often than not ignored, but several senior SD [security branch] officers were either openly critical ["He had power but in practice he made no use of it in Germany; he and his power were a pricked balloon" - Otto Ohlendorf], or simply disobeyed his orders.
   
   One example of this was Dr. Werner Best, his man in occupied Denmark. Under orders to round up all of that country's 6,500 Jews for removal to the camps, he simply arrange for their escape to neighbouring, neutral Sweden. He then sent a note to Berlin which said "1. Anti-Jewish action in Denmark carried out without incident .... 2. As of today Denmark can be regarded as free of Jews."
   
   Himmler had even less control over his vaunted, fighting arm, the Waffen-SS, as top generals like Sepp Dietrich, Paul Hausser, Wilhelm Bittrich, and "Panzer" Meyer paid him no attention whatsoever.
   
   Fully indexed with several photos of people like Dietrich, Heydrich, Himmler, and marching columns of SS, as well as the death camps, it also contains a detailed fold-out organizational chart of the structure of the SS in 1944.
   
   Fascinating insight, this book, first published in 1966 in Germany, is sure to raise more than a few eyebrows among those of you who grew up believing the Hollywood version.



2. This is a masterfully written book that does a great job in telling the story of the Schützstaffel. Hohne does a great job in keeping a 600 page book interesting and keeps the reader turning the pages. It took me a week to read the book, when something of similiar size may have taken two weeks. If you want a history of the Nazi SS and what happened from the beginning to the end, this is a great place to start. The translation from German to English is also great.



3. Its the best book written about the Nazi history.
   I used the book as Tour Guide when I was preparing Tourists groups to enter Auschwitz I made over 50 visits.
   It must be mandatory for everyone on earth to read the book so the history will not repeat itself which we are close to do this day December 23 2007!
   But I think its too late we are looking in to horrible times ahead of us!
   Lars Lindeberg
   www.Larslindeberg.com



4. This book is long but worth the time. Thankfully, it includes a glossary for those of us who don't remember which organization is which. It isn't an easy read by any stretch. An excellent book that is good if you are planning on reading more on Nazi Germany; especially the Holocaust or Himmler's negotiations with the Western Allies, etc.



5. Lately I have been delving into the history of the Third Reich, looking for similarities in our own clandestine government. The SS is tough reading because of its collection of psychopaths, but I am intrigued by the author's depth of information about the SS. It's reported that no one knew what went on inside the SS, yet this book is over 600 pages. You should read about Heydrich and Himmler to gain more insight about the SS.
   This book is well worth your time.

5 comments about The Big U.

1. Not his best, but a darn good read. Neal Stephenson, Boston U class of '81, made the most of his time at B.U. by writing his first partly sci fi novel. University life starts out as ordered chaos and gradually builds to a wild crescendo of open warfare in the lunatic asylum. Nothing is held sacred, well except for the Big Wheel Oil sign, in reality the Citgo sign in Kenmore square. Interestingly, it was actually turned off from 1979 to 1983, by Governor Ed King to save electricity. The book is full of gems such as an attempt to pie President Krupp (John Silber?), a brilliant computer nerd battling it out with an immortal computer virus, dungeons and dragons played in the sewers under B.U. infested with giant rats, and an incredibly bizarre method to raise money for the University (Silber again?). Laced with humor, some scares, but never a dull moment.



2. What a great book! I don't know about 80s college parody or whatever, but Stephenson writes some great characters and the style of narration is great. This book is great because of the exaggeration and because while I was reading it, Stephenson made the extreme stuff make sense. It's like watching a movie where the acting is so good you don't even go "She's a great actor" because the performance has got you. He sets the tone of the craziness right from the start, establishing the rules where this book takes place. Sure college kids can relate to this book but that's not what makes it great. Actually I read this book and didn't think about college too much at all and I was in a FRAT! hohoho. I definitely liked this more than his later books the whole Baroque Cycle, I barely got through cryptonomicon. I like his sense of humor so Zodiac, Snowcrash, and some of Diamond Age was more my style, along with the big U. So anyways check this book out especially if you liked snowcrash. It's pretty solid.



3. What's really fascinating about The Big U is how early Neal Stephenson hit upon so many of the themes that he follows through so much of his more recent fiction. Others have commented about the interest in computers, programming, and worms--these come in as plot points here, but Stephenson hadn't figured out how to use them in detail without losing the reader, as he did later in Cryptonomicon. The fascinating blend between absolutely ludicrous plot twists, believable detail, and weird, geeky heros is here already. And I noticed some more incidental ideas germinating here; I was struck by how the decaying University, once the epitome of higher education, resembled the decaying palace of Louis XIV, complete with bats and rats and crumbling ceilings and walls. Also, the dumping of cement into the hole occupied by the "B-men" in the Big U was surely a forerunner of two scenes in Cryptonomicon--if you haven't read it, I don't want to spoil it for you here. We are missing a red-headed immortal, but Stephenson was just getting warmed up. Fans should not miss this; but if you haven't gotten bitten by the Stephenson bug, you might want to start elsewhere.



4. Although the writing tends to be a bit undisciplined and even unrestrained, I greatly enjoyed this book. It's little more than a funny story, but a funny story it is (at least from the point of view of a college junior). It provides a view of college that is exaggerated in a most comical way. It's a great read for anyone in college or anyone who has been to an American university.
   
   It's also an interesting read that provides a look at Stephenson's early roots. I'm a huge Stephenson fan, and this novel is a good deal different from this later writer. It does, however, provide a look at some of his early ideas, especially ones that came out in his groundbreaking novel "Snow Crash". Many reviewers have made the obvious computer/technology connections, but I was much more surprised by the discussion of Julian Jaynes' "The Origin of Conciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" that was found in "The Big U". Fans of "Snow Crash" will know that Jaynes' work is a fundamental part of "Snow Crash", and it's interesting to see Stephenson talk about the research in "The Big U", if only on a much smaller scale than in "Snow Crash". Many of Stephenson's later ideas are touched upon in "The Big U", although it's clear that in 1984 he wasn't as adept at weaving them into a coherent, compelling story. Still, "The Big U" is worth reading for both entertainment and historical reasons.



5. The Big U is the first and least of Stephenson's novels. But if it ultimately fails to cohere, that's only because it was an ambitious attempt--with themes and a voice that Stephenson's fans will recognize from his later work.

No comments about Justice at War: The Men and Ideas that Shaped America's War on Terror (New York Review Books Collection).

5 comments about In the Words of Our Enemies.

1. Anyone who has not yet awakened to the peril we all face as freedom loving people should read this book. One cannot fail to make the comparisons to the years leading up to WWII. The people of the world at that time did not heed the blatant declarations of our enemies, just as most seem to be be failing to take them seriously now. If we do not recognize the warnings now, we do so at the risk of losing our freedom for ourselves and our posterity. For the sake of our liberty and the libery of our descendents, please read this book and keep vigilant.



2. This is one of the most timely, but at the same time one of the most scary, books I have read lately and, I believe, tells it like it is. I applaud Jed Babbin for taking the risk of trying to warn America of the terrible threat that is out there and becoming more of a reality every day. I believe every household in America should have a copy of this outstanding book. As a Christian minister I have done considerable research on Muslims and Islam, and find that Islam is not a religion of peace, as many on the liberal side of the spectrum would have us believe, but truly a religion of hate. I fear for this country and for my children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, most of the people in the United States seem to be more interested in American Idol, sports, fantasy, etc., and have their head in the sand as far as the terrible threat that is confronting not only America, but the whole world. Therefore, I say again, we had better WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!



3. I was born and grew up to age 11 without a television...I find television "entertainment" as well as "news" is extremely empty of reality!!!
   
   This book and many others I have read, first world history books by many authors, World at War histories....this is the kind of book that explains why we must always be ready to defend ourselves although Pres Bush has made a disaster of his defense of our country financially and personally to each of our troops and their families.
   
   Too bad Presidents and other top government officials are not required to pass a History of the world especially in the 1800's and 1900's so that wars can be averted before they ever start!!!
   
   In addition, any new national leader especially the President and Secy of State should be well aware of the words uttered in the 1900's that got us into unintended wars simply because of their statements to the American People as well as their actions while in office.



4. For too long we have shrugged our shoulders as people pronounce hate against us. Whereas we might regard their statements as hate speech if they were said in our country or if one of us said them against the 'other' we shrug our shoulders because we assume, wrongly, that it is 'their culture' to hate and it is 'natural' and therefore we should understand their hateful statements to be acceptable. This book dares to ask us to actually read what they say and also learn from it and take it seriously. Oddly enough people do not take Hizbullah's NAssrallah or Hamas or Bin Laden seriously. They are even less threatened by Hugo Chavez, Putin and China. That is a mistake. People in the U.S should start listening and they should not tolerate the hatred against them and the fate metted out to them by their opponents.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



5. This category of book--if only they had been written in the 1930s--what we could have avoided in death, maiming and carnage.
   
   This is one of the the best I've seen on the nature of our enemies, with an excellent forward by the esteemed Prof. Gingrich. When the Islamofascists say "Death to America" they are talking about You, You, You, and the "moderate" Muslim (where are they?)
   
   You have no excuse to say, "I did not know"!!! The information is everywhere, and a 10th grader can comprehend this book. We have been warned, over and over, and told, "just keep shopping." Now our defense is being contracted out to foreigners. We are committing national suicide.
   
   Here's a good example, from Must-See Saudi TV II (our allies)...Q: If a child aske[ed] you "who are the Jews, what would you answer?
   MAN ON THE STREET: I. Allah's wrath is upon them and they all stray from the path of righteousness. They are the filthiest peopl on the face of this earth because they care only about themselves, Not the Christians (also to be killed--author) or the Muslims or any other religion.....There is a country with a population of over 60 to 70 million, if we let them only march, with no weapons even, they (the surrounding countries-au.) would completely trample the Jews.
   
   Of course, what applies to the Jews applies to all "Kuffar" (non-radical Muslim). Death to all and world conquest. Watch a film about the Holocaust, or look at some photos. What more do you need to know?
   
   Cardinal Niemolloer of Germany was right, we must speak out now. Otherwise, when the come for us, there will be no one to defend us!

5 comments about Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorists.

1. This book first came out in the mid-1990s. If only the U.S. government had listened to the Israelis and the author, who increasingly had warned the U.S., or tried to, of the growing jihadist threat, not just around the world, but also inside the U.S (the Israelis had known of Islamic terrorists in places like Oklahoma city, etc. in the 1990s). At one point in this book, the author states that the threat is growing and "it is only a matter of time before they strike the United States, from within". Very true, unfortunately. This book costs less than $ 20, and yet, the CIA could have learned more from it than the billions they spend every year "monitoring" terrorists.
   
   I think the author also does a good job in explaining that it is not Islam per se that is the enemy, but the jihadists (Wahhabis, etc.). He also is able to put himself into the shoes of the Arabs and see how they view the world, which of course is very helpful. He does this from a position not of hatred or conflict, but just from a position of knowledge, and wanting to know.



2. Bibi, gives a sober assesment of the situation of Israel and the surrounding area.
   He starts with a review of the history of the founding of his country going back to the 19th Century.
   His writng style is fresh and clear with a superb command of English. He is a graduate of MIT so his use of our language makes easy reading.
   Although the book was written several years ago, the information is as current as today's news.



3. Interesting how Netanyahu already had "terrorism" on his mind even before his Zionist buddies from the PNAC think tank were writing that the militaristic foreign policy they wanted to pursue in the Middle East would not be possible without "a catalyzing event like a new pearl harbor.) Man did that prediction come true! What insight these Zionist warmongers have! Oh and don't worry about the 5 Mossad operatives who were caught high-fiving each other while filming 9/11 as it happened who were dressed as Arabs, failed a lie detector & whose van tested positive for bombs. And nevermind the fact that Netanyahu said that it would be "very good for Israel" immediately after 9/11. (This is sarcasm, you should be concerned about this and look into all of it and more.) The towers were brought down with explosives. Read this book only to know your enemy, these guys had a plan for us and we're in the midst of it today. It's leading us to destruction and the victimization needs to end. Our government listed to Netanyahu & his friends alright, in fact they listened all too well.



4. Another piece of trash, good to line bird cages with. What about the terrorism practised against the Palestinian people? I call that ethnic cleansing. Do not waste your money.



5. This book was first published in 1995. If we had implemented the hard learned lessons in this book then, thousands of Americans would be alive today. However, the lessons are timeless thus making it never too late to learn.