5 comments about Light in the Shadow of Jihad: The Struggle for Truth.

1. This is a good short book that highlights some of the fundamental strengths of Christianity as they relate to September 11th. It provide a good philosophical view of how we as Christians can help bridge the gap. Warning, Mr. Zacharias is an intellectual and you'll need to bring your A game to truly absorb the philosophy behind his thoughts.



2. This engaging book looks at 9/11 from a Christian perspective, seeking to make sense of the tragedy while placing world events in historical context. In chapter one: Hand From The Rubble, the author lays out the questions relating to 9/11 by analogy with Genelle Guzman who was the last person rescued from the rubble of Ground Zero. He discusses religion in public life, the categories of good and evil, mentions author Peggy Noonan and comes to the conclusion that America's moral strength and spiritual commitment will determine the future of the nation in the war on terror and the unfolding of history.
   
   Chapter 2: The Struggle Between Good & Evil investigates relativism with reference to Alan Dershowitz amongst others. The author looks at the arguments of atheists like Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell and Kai Nielsen and shows from their own words that reason alone cannot lead to morality. America functions within the moral framework of Judeo-Christian assumptions: Life is intrinsically sacred because God created and sustains it. He discusses George Washington's farewell address and two major points in it: morality cannot be maintained without religion and if religion is excluded, reason and experience forbid us to expect morality to prevail.
   
   In Chapter 3: The Struggle Between Truth & Falsehood, he looks at the history of Islam including the Sunni/Shia split, the sources of authority in Islam like the Qur'an, the Hadith, Sira and Tafsir, the doctrine of abrogation and the persecution of Islamic scholars questioning the primary sources. Recent history of the religion is explored with reference to Hasan al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood, Muhammad Farag and his book The Missing Religious Precept, and intolerance in Muslim countries.
   
   Chapter 4 deals with prophecy as the author recounts the story of Daniel and in particular the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. He contrasts the goals of Islam and Christianity: the one aims at world domination through geographical extension and the other seeks to bring the rule of God into the human heart. He then points to the root of the conflict in the story of Abraham and the contest between Isaac and Ishmael. Events in the Middle East are being played out on an ancient historical template centred on the city of Jerusalem. The prophecies about the nation of Israel are being fulfilled with the establishment of independent Israel in 1948 representing the dawning of the world's salvation.
   
   The problem of the "hiddenness of God" or divine hiding is discussed in chapter 5. There is a purpose behind God's visibility or invisibility, based on the fact that mankind is not only mind/intellect but spiritual essence too. Here the author refers to Blaise Pascal, Anthony Bloom and CS Lewis in identifying the importance of communion with God. The only real safety is found in the presence of God.
   
   Chapter 6 includes discussions of God and culture, culture and country, and country and history. He dissects and criticises the author Andrew Sullivan's failure of logic and equivocating statements expressed in the article This Is A Religious War in the New York Times Magazine of October 7th, 2001 where Moslem extremists and Christian fundamentalists are indiscriminately lobbed together. This is the Fallacy of the Undistributed Middle. It explains that just because 2 things have one thing in common, it doesn't mean that they have everything in common. This chapter closes with a discussion of God's hand in history and some comforting words from Isaiah.
   
   In the Appendix the author recounts his personal experiences upon getting the news of 9/11 and how the supportive words and actions of various individuals meant so much to him in that dark hour. He observes here that democracy and Christianity share a fundamental tenet: that of self-determination. The beautiful Psalm 74 is reproduced here and this section concludes with a moving poem based upon the comforting words of Isaiah 4:10.
   
   Life In The Shadow Of Jihad is a beautifully written, informative and measured look at the issues confronting us at the start of the 21st century. For further reading, I recommend The West and the Rest: Globalization and the Terrorist Threat by Roger Scruton, Dream Palace of the Arabs: A Generation's Odyssey by Fouad Ajami and Oriana Fallaci's furious screed The Rage and The Pride. These three books explore the same issues from different angles and complement this inspiring and informative work by Ravi Zacharias. Other works of interest:
   
   Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror
   
   Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America



3. Page 10
   Is this Islam or is it its abuse?
   Is this inevitable result of religion?
   These are two questions Ravi Zacharias gives in the introduction of the book about the event that happened in New York City on 9/11.
   
   John Lennon wrote the song Imagine. The ethic in this in this song is that religion is the root of all evil. That man could live peaceably with each other if he just give up on the concept of God and all the hangups that result from God base philosophy. Similar thought pattern is used by those who argue all religion and world perspectives are relative to the usefulness to the individual who holds them. It does not matter what is the truth as long as you do not argue about it. You may believe what you believe as long as one does not insult, discourage or try to convert someone who does not agree with you.
   
   Ravi Zacharias does not use the word tolerance, he does make the argument for free religious discussion. Expression of religious Faith is what makes this country strong. He does speak specifically about Christian Heritage in this country and does discuss that Christians have to put up with others poking fun at Jesus and other truths presented in the Bible. Tolerance of expression about God and Faith is what made this country great. The theme of this book is about the United States after 9/11. This book does not go deep into theology: very little quoting from the bible, Koran, of other religious resources. He tries to express how three different type of people perceive the world. These are Christians in the United States, Moslem's in the Middle East, and Moslem's now residing in the United States. That people need to be more open to explain their religious perspective among those of the same Faith and outside the Faith. Why the concept of religious relativeness and its definition of tolerance builds walls instead of being an aid to coexistence. It actually not tolerant of diverse faith.



4. I had to read this book for a critical review in a religion class that I took. I thought this book was awful. The author is never really clear on what points he is trying to make throughout the book. He jumps from one subject to another and never gives a good transistion from one subject to another. It appears to me that this author was just saying that God existed and Islam is abusing their religion against us because they dislike the Americans moral system. No, maybe it was that he was glad to be an American, because he ends his book with a story of somebody recognizing that his home was in the United States. I'm not exactly sure is the point I am trying to make. I wouldn't recommend anybody to read this book. I only gave this book two stars because the author gave a good description of how the Islamic people believe.



5. I thought this was going to take more of a stand against Muslims and Islam. But what I found is really a fight against evil and really against what the "extremists" believe in Islam. If I hadn't read or listened more of Ravi than just this book I would think he was partial to the "peaceful" Muslims. He did talk about the Islamic countries in bits and about their oppression but never really came down on the crux of this religion that, based on their own Koran, they are told to be "killing machines" to all those who are not Muslim, to wait in the bushes to ambush the infidels. So what happened on 9/11 shouldn't have been a shock to those educated on what Islam stands for.
   
   The book was good in parts but left me wanting more arguments for why Christianity is based on love and Islam is based on a vengeful and hateful allah to even his own people. Instead all you get is more generalities and universal arguments from a worldview standpoint instead of a point by point argument or discussion on basically "Why Christianity and Why not Islam"
   
   Because truly Christ is the only Light in any shadow.
   
   I was left wanting, and there was no message at the end that pointed people to Christ, just very vague.
   
   I did like the read and found some interesting points on topics and discussions I wasn't expecting so for that I give it 3 stars.

5 comments about 9/11 The Ultimate Truth.

1. Laura Knight-Jadczyk and Joe Quinn have written what is easily the most comprehensive book on 9/11 to date. There are plenty of books and websites that challenge the official version of events of 9/11, but Ultimate Truth delivers not only an examination of 9/11, complete with unexpected twists and turns, but places it in a political and historical context incorporating the latest research on psychopathy to reveal exactly where it's all leading us and why.
   
   It's a unique, thoroughly researched and important work on the subject of 9/11 and recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand the truth behind the defining event of this century.



2. This is undeniably the most important book on what really happened on September 11th 2001. LJK and Quinn objectively look at who benefited the most from these events and using publicly available research, piece together the most likely turn of events on that day. It was the day that changed the world in which we live. Since 9/11 there has been an accelerating clampdown on the human rights, freedom of speech and privacy of every individual on this planet.
   
   That the current US administration had forewarning of this event is without doubt to anyone who isn't spell-bound by the main-stream-co-opted press. What is rarely discussed, is the involvement of Israeli intelligence services, how Israel is benefiting from the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and future proposed Middle East invasions. LJK and Quinn present compelling arguments, with a unique historical investigation into the formation of the state of Israel and its Zionist ambitions. This is combined with research on the psychopathic individuals and groups that would be capable of committing such horrific crimes. Together the smoke clears and true perpetrators of this outrageous attack are clear for all to see.



3. With strong efforts in conducting a detailed research on the events of 9/11 and the motivations behind the attacks, Laura Knight-Jadczyk and Joe Quinn wrote the most ground-breaking work entitled "9/11: The Ultimate Truth," which was published in 2006. This 430-page book drives the reader to experience the shocking truth about what happened on September 11, 2001 and to understand the virulent motivations behind the "terrorist" attacks. To understand in depth on why the horrific events of 9/11 happened, the answer lies in "9/11: The Ultimate Truth."
   
   There are two parts in this book. Part One focused primary on the 9/11 events by analyzing the great deal of evidences surrounding the three events: Flight 93, the Pentagon, and the World Trade Centers. And, how the Israel became involved and the role of the United States government on that day is evident. It also laid out the evidence-based scenario of how the events been played out. It is important to point out that in first part of this book addressed a new look at the situation of Ted and Barbara Olson and how they are connected to the 9/11 events.
   
   The second part of "9/11: The Ultimate Truth" focused on the history of Zionism, genetics, the hidden motivations behind the attacks, and the nature of psychopaths. With an understanding of how and why Israel was involved and their on-going insidious actions, one will begin to comprehend why 9/11 was so important and how it led the United States of America to become a Fascist State. This part of the book also included some sections from Political Ponerology (A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes) by Andrew Lobaczewski who had done a paramount work on psychopathy and the nature of evil within the governments.
   
   Since Knight-Jadczyk and Quinn focused on the current phenomenon of psychopaths, the Zionist control, and the history in the second part of this book, it is strongly recommended for the readers to obtain and study other works that discussed with certain aspects of this phenomenon, including Political Ponerology (A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes) (by Andrew Lobaczewski), Controversy of Zion (by Douglas Reed), The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the Bush Administration and 9/11 (by David Ray Griffin), The Mask of Sanity: An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So Called Psychopathic Personality (by Hervey Checkley), Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us (by Robert Hare), The Sociopath Next Door (by Martha Stout), and Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders: Who They Are, How They Operate, and How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children (by Anna Salter). With these works, one will have a better understanding of how psychopath's mind works and an alarming and dangerous agenda of the Zionists.
   
   In Knight-Jadczyk and Quinn's "9/11: The Ultimate Truth," one can apprehend the nature of evil within the United States government and their motivations in bring about the terrorist attacks on the American people by looking at the real evidences in each events of 9/11, the Israel involvement, the political ponerology, the issue of psychopathy, and the history of Zionist control. Instead of being greatly confused about what happened on the day of 9/11, the authors bring the reader to this understanding of 'why' the horrific day has occurred. This book is easy to read with a historical perspective and it contains a powerful understanding of the nature of the pathocratic rule in United States. The back of the book where it is stated: "This book will shatter your world view," it is no joke.
   
   It is a strong opinion that this book is to be highly recommended, and a must read for those who seek the truth about the attacks on September 11, 2001.



4. This is an excellent book about 9-11. At least I haven't seen anything like that around, and it's actually two books into one, and so more food for thought here than one could ever have expected.
   
   There's a priceless time-line analysis full of details, and one in particular that you can't miss, 'the saga of babs and ted'. Then it goes from technicalities to the core of the event itself, by passing through the labyrinth of history, and the question about how and why all this could have happened. The second part of the book starts with a quote from Allan Bloom's, 'The Closing of the American Mind', that tells us a lot about the kind of freaks hiding behind the current War on Terror, against all of us:
   
   "The most successful tyranny is not the one that uses force to assure uniformity but the one hat removes the awareness of other possibilities, that makes it seem inconceivable that other ways are visible, that removes the sense that there is an outside."



5. This book is just amazing. By combining history with the theory of psychopathy and Political Ponerology with what may have happened on 911, the authors make you think page after page. Is this world such a big lie and manipulation? If the answer is yes, then it is urgently necessary that people start waking up to what may be the truth. This book gave me clues and a big thirst to keep learning. Highly recommended.

No comments about Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Terrorism.

5 comments about Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists Criminals & Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores.

1. Some US citizens almost seem compelled to feel afraid, very afraid. I suppose when the Soviet Union collapsed, the "perception managers" of the US elite needed to create a new menace to keep the population afraid in order to continue their funding of the military industrial complex, and to advance the growing police state. Moreover, many people have careers in the business of surveillance, detaining people, busting unionization efforts, building hi-tech fences and drones, constructing prisons and watching the border.
   We wouldn't have much to worry about if we treated other people in the world decently. We have been doing more than menacing them, throughout the Global South we have been killing them; if not by military intervention or CIA machinations, then through financial warfare and economic hit men. It is the job of propagandists like Malkin to studiously avoid this reality, and they can count on the psychic fear and intellectual dishonesty/laziness of many Americans to go along with this deception about the poor, put-upon military empire of the U.S. being "invaded."
   If people have the courage to look themselves in the mirror, here are a few resources to learn about the invasions, terror and war crimes committed by the U.S.:
   Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II
   The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (The American Empire Project)
   The Fourth World War
   Z Magazine



2. Incredible eye opener. Very well written and easily understood. The message is clear and somewhat shocking. I finished this book in two days. I just couldnt put it down. It really captures your attention.



3. Somewhere, there is a middle aged ultra-conservative white male author who's job has been outsourced to the Phillipines. Jokes aside, I'm of Asian descent and I would like to disassociate myself with anything Michelle Malkin has ever written. She is full-blooded Filipino, which makes her racially insensitive attacks on Hispanics, Muslims, and other minority groups that much more absurd. She is thoroughly confused about her identity, and she should have her head examined.



4. This woman only attempts to instill fear in people. Most everything foreign is a menace in her mind. The only people who really belong here are Native Americans. The rest of us are just lucky to be here.



5. Michelle Malkin is a first-generation
   American of flipapina extraction who
   married a non-practicing khazar-amer-
   cian husband and does her best in this
   book to indict arabs and hungarians?!
   
   She prattles on about a lone hungarian
   kook (one of a very few, I can asure you!)
   and shows very little knowledge of the real
   9-11 story. No wonder! She works for the
   dopes on Fox News! Though she makes many
   points in here, she is very anti-arab,
   which surprises me and seems to have
   no knowledge of the five israelies
   that were arrested and deported by the
   FBI for being caught on the room of a New
   Jersey building, looking out at the Trade
   Towers when the planes hit the building,
   with a telescope!
   She dismisses a palestinian inmagrant to
   the US sho was wrongly accused of a crime
   and who WAS persecuted by the Israelies!
   Throughout the book she constantly lets the
   Israeli war criminals off the hook (and just
   in time for the USS Liberty bombing anniver-
   sary!) and harps on the arabs. Bias showing
   Mrs. Malkin! This sentence says it all:
   'Before the next Mohammed traipses through
   the door and leads more hordes of American-
   haters on another mission of death and
   destruction, we must..."
   Items that I though were good to point out,
   however:
   *A Jamaican convict who shot a Virginia of-
   ficer point-blank in the head during a foot
   chase.
   *In 1997 Rudy Giuliani [who the dopey Skull
   'N Bones-er 'Pat' Robertson ENDOSED], filed
   suit against the Feds on immigration laws...*
   *Pg. 50: "Take San Francisco, which has had a
   'sanctuary' policy since Diane Feinstein was
   mayor in the 1980's..."
   *Pg. 56 "Once again Rep. (Tom) Tancredo (Co-R),
   and his caucus fought the bipartisan onslught
   [see above]
   *Pg. 63 "Capistalists will sell us the rope with
   which to hang them" [widely attributed to V.I. Lenin
   (wrote the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion -
   R.A.S.)]
   *Item: And I don't like this one, because it repeat-
   es Establishment lies. I am so sick of everyone (and
   here Mrs. Malkin, doubleminded as usual jumps face
   first on the bandwagon) of the 'so-called Shoe-bomber
   being referred to as 'Richard Reid'. His name is not
   Richard Reid. That was an alias the brits gave him;
   his real name is probably Mutafa Al-Kaliq, or maybe
   even Emanuel Goldstein!*
   
   Mrs. Malkin is a cute chick, but doesn't know real
   terrotists from phoney ones. Working for a dopey bunch
   like Fox News will do that for you. Yes, it's a pretty
   good book despite the anti-arab hate propaganda and
   hiding the Zionist & Masonic tails that wags the dog...

3 comments about Hoodwinking Hitler: The Normandy Deception.

1. Very well written with a plethora of little-known facts. Breuer uses small chapters constructing the big view of the D-Day deception operations in a fascinating way, making the book to be read like a thriller. No major mistakes are included in the military aspects of the subject (like the commanding officers, the allied and german orders of battle etc.) while a lot of interesting information is presented in a marvellous way. Especially enjoyable are the many interesting details of the personalities involved.



2. This book is just another attempt at selling interesting sounding ,far-fetched assertations.They are many gross mistakes not only in the text,but also in the illustration captions.For instance,one of his captions claims that hitler predicted the Normandy landing at Pas decalais,instead of Normandy.The fact is hitler did indead predict Normandy,while others did not share in his view.Also,a Skorzeny attempt at killing Roosevelt.Hoodwinking hitler makes a great fictional novel based on real people,but it's research and historical accuracy lack.



3. This book was actually an assigned text for one of my Naval Postgraduate School courses. I read it while in Fallujah. This is simply a phenomenal book! It reads quickly, is very interesting, and gives the reader an appreciation for how massive the Allied deception campaign was in the months leading up to the invasion of Normandy.
   
   To the reader who gave this book one star, I am not sure anyone, other than Adolf Hitler, will ever know what he did or did not believe. One point that all readers should appreciate is that the author was a private who waded ashore on June 6, 1944 and survived an event without parallel in the European Theater of World War 2. The author has my utmost respect and admiration. Excellent book!

4 comments about We Are All Suspects Now: Untold Stories from Immigrant America After 9/11.

1. This book is a collection of stories of prejudice, discrimination and racial profiling brought on by events and government policies after the September 11th attacks on the United States. It explains what some of these immigrants went through both before and after the attacks of September 11th. The author does a good job explaining the unjust detainment and sometimes even the deportment of immigrants around the country.
   This book describes in relatively good detail, how these people were living before and after the events and policies after September 11th. It goes into detail on how most of the immigrants had a relatively good life while trying to achieve the American dream. These people had jobs and they were making enough money to live and to send to their families in their own countries. Most of them saved to bring their families to America so they could leave the poverty, war and oppression of their home countries. This all changed on September 11th 2001.
   Within the next two months, the government conducted what was called the September 11th roundup. This is when they detained more than twelve hundred Muslim, Arab and South Asian men who were possible terrorist suspects. These men were not given attorneys or told why they were being detained. None of the men that were detained were found of aiding terrorism. This was just the start of the policies that made immigrants fearful that they might be deported from the country they loved back to the country they feared.
   The government also had new policies like special registrations that forced men who were sixteen or older to register with the government. This lead to an extremely large number went through deportation hearings and many also were detained. This policy seemed like it was meant to get rid of the immigrants whose visas and green cards were already expired. This would mean that they would go through deportation hearings and most likely would be deported. Most people did not want to register because they knew what was going to happen but one way or another, they would be found out and most likely deported. This was also a tragic thing to happen to a family. It would mean that the man would have to leave his family who were still living in the U.S. It was made even harder because the family would often have to follow the man because they really had no choice in the matter. They would have no money if the male had to leave the country.
   There were also some really awful things that were done to the detainees in the prisons. They were not allowed to make any phone calls, not even to their families. Most people were denied the use of a lawyer. They tended to set bail at a high price so the detainees would not be able to get out of jail. If they did have the money, it was hard to tell your family because you were not allowed phone calls and they also moved the detainees all over the place to different locations, sometimes even multiple locations in one day. There were some bad things that were done to the prisoners and I wish that I could say that they were done for a reason but I can't see any logical reason to do any of these things to those people.
   The issue that I think is the most severe is the border patrol issue. As an American, I think that it is very alarming that people can just about come into the U.S. from Mexico unnoticed. This seems like it makes us even more susceptible to many different kinds of terrorist threats and should probably be treated as so. If all these migrants can cross the border without being caught, then why couldn't a terrorist? Although the only places where they can cross are in either mountain or desert areas where many people die just trying to have a little piece of the life that we have. In some way it makes me respect and understand just how lucky I really am and how much more worse off I could be.
   There is also another part to the story of many immigrants just trying to make it in the free world. There are plenty of immigrants who were forced to seek asylum in Canada because they heard their asylum laws were not as strict as the U.S. and they did not want to register in the U.S. But the laws in Canada were about to change. The U.S. and Canada had both worked together to create similar laws to protect the border. So most of the time when the immigrants made it to the border, the Canadian government would take them right back to the United States. I don't exactly know how I am supposed to feel about this situation. I realize that all these people want is a home but the sudden rush of people trying to get asylum hearings was just not going to happen during these hard times.
   This was a very intrusting and enlightening book for me to read. I feel extreme sadness and sympathy for the people who were wrongfully affected by the procedures of these policies that were implemented by the United States government after the tragedy of September 11th. Although I think that for the most part, these procedures needed to be put into effect. Something needed to be done to help prevent another tragedy from occurring, especially on our own soil. These policies are by no means perfect but they are a large stepping-stone for us to start on.



2. WE ARE ALL SUSPECTS NOW: UNTOLD STORIES FROM IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AFTER 9/11 is essential reading for any who would understand the changed lives of immigrants in the U.S. after the event. It gathers the personal stories of communities affected by post-9/11 tension and threats to civil liberties, examining immigration, asylum and criminal policies and how these have affected thousands of immigrants past and present. Changes to these policies reflect a shift to the right - and a shift in how immigrant communities are surveyed and managed.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. In the book We are all Suspects Now written by Tram Nguyen, she explains the untold tales of immigrant life in the United States after what happened on September 11th. People of Somali, Muslim, Arab, and South Asian decent tell their stories of detainment, deportation, and discrimination through out all areas of North America crushing their hopes and dreams of a better life for many immigrants in this country.
   Nguyen begins her focus of We are all Suspects Now by explaining the happy lives most immigrants had living in the United States. She further explains that many immigrated to the U.S. fleeing poverty and harsh treatments in their homelands or for a better life. The U.S. is where they could fulfill the American dream. Many immigrants came just to work and send money back to their families across sea. Others found good jobs and a safe place to raise their families. These stories of their "dream" land continued on until September 11th. This crises threw the U.S. into a period of discrimination and racial slander not only from ordinary American citizens but also from American government. From then on immigrants lives have been changed and mainly not for the better.
   Within a period of about two months after the 9/11 attacks, more than 1,200 immigrants were unfairly detained as "suspects" to the attack with no proof to even convict them. The way that Nguyen explains how these immigrants were detained was very disturbing to me because I was not aware of many of the actions taken, or situations these people were put in until after I had read his book. For example, Nguyen gives details of how they were not even told most of the time that they were being detained or even given the right to an attorney. This lead to many people just "disappearing" in the eyes of their family members and friends. Next the U.S. government took this process a step further by requiring men 16 and older to register in order to find out which immigrants had been living in the U.S. illegally with no green cards or visas.
   I believe that Nguyen is an inspiring writer because of the many issues she talks about. She rises above many people by telling these immigrants stories, including people such as Mohommad Butt who have died during this struggling period in American history. Mohommad Butt was the first person to die during detainment and Nguyen recognizes that in her book by making him a hero along with other immigrants of their time. She also includes tales of immigrant leaders who rose above to guide other immigrants to do the right thing in order to prevent deportation and detainment. She even included the harsh trips to Canada when fleeing the United States and how they were sent right back after spending their lives savings to reach this "safe haven."
   Nguyen uses these examples along with many others to explain the tragedies occurring to US immigrants after September 11th. She tells her story in such a way that it is almost unbelievable what happened to many of these immigrants. Nguyen not only uses facts against the US but also sympathizes somewhat for the US, giving the reader a better understanding of both sides of the story. To do this she explains that many of these immigrants that were deported had legitimate reasons to be according to United States laws. Many of them were illegal immigrants or had expired visas. Immigrants may have gotten away with this for some time, but it was against the US law so the government was in many ways just enforcing these laws in a stronger way. Nguyen only went so far with this idea because in her writing I believe people are able to understand that these situations could have been handled in a better way. Nguyen also makes us aware that many people were fleeing the borders of Mexico into the United States causing many problems with drug dealing and violence. The people living there, American or not, had to deal with these issues in a very uncomfortable manner including encounters with minutemen and small citizen made "militias" attacking not only the trespassers in their front yards, but them as well.
   Nguyen is a very strong writer because of her truthfulness as shown above. In my opinion I feel like Nguyen is a very convincing and relatable writer. She uses very realistic and relevant information throughout her book, which after reading I felt like was not exaggerated or overwhelming. When I first started reading this book I thought it was going to be similar to a dull history novel, but after I started reading more into it, I began to enjoy it more and learned a great deal about the subject of United States immigrants. I thought it was mainly going to be about things I had already known about 9/11, but everything I learned was knew to me. For example, I did not know that the government was being so harsh and racist against these groups of people and was shocked by most of it. These people were just trying to support their families and strive for a better life while America was racially discriminating against them just because of their race and culture. I believe that Nguyen is trying to get this point across in her writing so more people can be aware of these situations and they do not happen again in the future.
   Over all, this book was very informative and interesting to me. I learned a lot of information about immigrant life in America. I was very much appalled at the way in which the United States citizens and government handle situations after September 11th. From the stories Nguyen explained I realized that I was somewhat naive and unaware to these situations as I'm sure many others were too.



4. In her book, Tram Nguyen claims that there is very little room left for any infraction by someone without the legal status to be here in the US due to a post-9/11 national climate of fear and growing intolerance. She argues that there is little room left for immigrants in America to become anything more than "cardboard cutouts" simply playing a role to please their suspicious neighbors and ever more watchful government. She claims that the American political imagination has shifted so far to the right that people without status who have a certain profile must work harder and harder to earn and deserve their place in society: they must prove to everyone else why they should not be suspected, jailed, and eventually shipped away (in other words, guilty until proven innocent). Not only that, the book also discusses how recent security concerns have been used as a justification for the US government to display increased racial and cultural discrimination in areas of long-standing concern to civil rights advocates; such as housing and jobs. There are no exceptions to the argument presented, any and all immigrants, and especially communities of immigrants have been affected in the post-9/11 national security frenzy. Somalis, Haitians, Pakistanis, Mexicans, and more, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, have all been targeted by recent policies. While several scholars and others have so far explored the legal and constitutional ramifications of the war on terror, this book takes a different, ground-level, view of how these national and local policies affect the individuals, families, and communities themselves - the real effects of such policies on our neighbors. Most importantly, the author argues that with hindsight, racial and ethnic scapegoating in response to crisis is by and large viewed as unjust and inexcusable. The author asks readers: Will the war on terrorism redefine the meaning of who belongs in America?
   The claim that America has been putting every immigrant and foreigner in the USA under suspicion post-9/11 is backed up in this book by several firsthand stories and conversations. Also, at the end of the book there is an appendix which is titled "2001-2004: A time line of major events and policies affecting immigrants and civil liberties", which briefly describes over 100 policies and events which have directly affected immigrants, their families, and their communities since the September 11 World Trade Center attacks. Policies and events included are Secret Proceedings, the USA Patriot Act, Military Tribunals, Indefinite Detentions, INS Restructuring, and the new Department of Homeland Security, among others. The firsthand stories alone are not enough for me to deem this book effective in its claim that all immigrants and foreigners are living a suspected and frightened existence in America. However, the time line appendix in combination with these stories does make it an effective and worthwhile portrait in my mind. This book was not made to dryly describe policy and legalities, it was written to get readers, fellow Americans, to feel sympathy and outrage at what has been going on to our immigrant neighbors. To me, I did end up fully feeling this sympathy and outrage to the fullest upon finishing the book.
   The author points out alternative arguments in a few instances that the attack on immigrant civil rights is not new in the post-9/11 era, but only grossly exaggerated and magnified. She cites the war on drugs which racially profiled men and women of color in the 1980's, as well as the continued conflict over the US-Mexico border in the southwest, especially California, throughout the 1990's and today. Other evidence cited that the new post-9/11 policies are just magnified excuses for increased racial profiling and suspicion enacted by policies of the last two decades, including the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which both expanded grounds for deportation to include over fifty categories of crimes and made detention and deportation mandatory minimum sentences (both signed by Clinton in 1996). These are just a few instances painting a picture of what the author feels is wrong with the United States immigration policy and treatment in general going back much further than the crisis following September 11, and will keep going on much longer afterward.
   Closing with: "What the detained and deported have to teach us is the lesson of the most disenfranchised of this state. How we treat the people nobody wants to defend, America's least wanted, tells us much about the ability of this system to uphold a free and democratic equal society", Nguyen's book was the most convincing argument I have read since 9/11 that shows me the injustices of a society living in fear of "terrorists", which I just see as a fear of different cultures. The Civil Rights Act may have been passed in the 1960's, but now it seems as if we are just a nation going back in time and breaking promises that have been made for civil liberties for all inhabitants of our country. The book has opened my eyes ever wider to the fact that old and discredited ideas about race, ethnicity, and culture are rapidly rising. The narratives and interviews pulled at my emotions, making me ask myself over and over again, "How can we treat people so inhumanely?" While the ending time line made me ask "How did these policies all get passed without any sort of a public outcry for justice?" Overall, We Are All Suspects Now has earned my respect as being a wonderful and straightforward book that can pull in and eventually open anyone's eyes (even those who normally don't like to read) to the current culture crisis which is now facing the US.

No comments about The New Face of Terrorism: Threats from Weapons of Mass Destruction.

No comments about Chain of Command CD: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib.

1 comments about Smuggling Armageddon: The Nuclear Black Market in the Former Soviet Union and Europe.

1. Mr. Lee has taken this obscure but, currently vital topic of concern to a level of understanding based on the little information actually available on the smuggling of nuclear materials. His text is careful to explain that there is a lot of ambiguity and concern for facts in his statements. It is very clear that the actual materials successfully smuggled is not and will probably never be known. His lists and charts are a big help in understanding why people try to smuggle these terrifying products. His information is carefully researched and documented with a large array of footnotes in a block section at the end of the book. Although it is a small book, it represents a very large amount of available data condensed into one place. The information about the involvement of government officials and the manipulations of the Russian Mafia show how convoluted this racket can become and why they are getting away with it. In short, he has tackled an obscure subject in the same way he approached the Andean Cocaine trade. The book is an easy and alarming read.

5 comments about The Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to Terrorism.

1. When I first got this book, I was anticipating a narrative that would draw parallels between the McCarthy era and post 9/11 America. On the cover, a quote from the Denver Post suggested that the manipulative tactics used by McCarthy were similar to those used by the current Bush administration. The four pictures on the cover showed a portrait of Senator McCarthy, the infamous picture of smoke bellowing from the Twin Towers, President George W. Bush, and a soldier (possibly Middle Eastern) aiming a shoulder-mounted launcher. I was anticipating an analytical discourse.
   
   The first dozen pages (in sections titled "Preface to the Paperback Edition," "To the Reader" and "Prologue") touched on fears of terrorism, leaks of classified information, U.S. invasion of Iraq, and our civil rights. These sections however did not draw strong parallels between McCarthyism and contemporary America. The analysis I was craving was probably in the main chapters--why start the comparison in the introductory chapters that most readers skip?
   
   The next twenty-two chapters (almost four hundred and sixty pages) focused entirely on McCarthyism--its rise, its hey-day, and its decline. The next two chapters (chapters twenty-three and twenty-four) focused on post 9/11 America but the narrative did not link contemporary times with the McCarthy era--at least not convincingly. In the "Epilogue" and "Afterword" no serious attempt was made at comparing post 9/11 America with the McCarthy era.
   
   While the book did not meet my expectations, Johnson should be given credit for a readable and through presentation of the McCarthy era. We probably are too close to post 9/11 America to realize its full historical impact. Johnson urges us to examine the possible consequences of our government's actions-- some of which we are already experiencing. He encourages us to question if these actions are compatible with our ideals of civil liberties. He also outlines some of his recommendations on actions the government should take to balance our liberties vis-a-vie terrorism.
   
   Whether we agree with Johnson is immaterial, what is important is that he encourages us to re-examine our ideals specifically those of freedom and individuality.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: A good book on McCarthyism



2. Haynes Johnson's "The Age of Anxiety" is a swift, entertaining and highly personal history of the McCarthy Era. Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, had a bird's-eye view as a teenager of the whole messy period: his father, Malcolm Johnson, himself an award-winning reporter whose stories on corruption in the dock workers' union inspired Budd Schulberg's screenplay for "On the Waterfront," was one of the first reporters to note Joe McCarthy's dire effect on America, and found himself threatened because of it. Haynes Johnson doesn't bring us any new revelations as to McCarthy's activities or character, but he does provide a thorough, intelligent and mostly fascinating summary of McCarthy's rise, dominance, and fall. He also is careful to place McCarthy in his historical context, describing the mood of Congress and the American people in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and also contributing brief discussions of earlier treason scares, starting all the way back with the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. In the book's last hundred pages, Johnson turns away from McCarthy to the current terrorism scare sparked by 9/11, with unsparing depictions of the Patriot Act, the illegal detention and deportation of Muslims, and of both President Bush and former Attorney General John Ashcroft (whom, Johnson believes and I agree, may still go down in history as the worst Attorney General ever). Frankly, this final section feels a little premature; among other things, Johnson wrote it before the mid-term elections of 2006, in which the American people showed their disgust with the Iraq war and other Bush administration policies by voting out Republican incumbents wholesale. But I find it hard to argue with the conclusions Johnson reached from the vantage point of 2005. Johnson writes, "Of Joe McCarthy it can be said that fear made him possible, partisanship was responsible for his rise, and politicians, press, and public shared the blame for failing to check his abuses, which damaged countless individuals and brought shame to the United States." Johnson leaves little doubt that, in his opinion, you could replace the name of Joe McCarthy in that last sentence with that of George W. Bush or John Ashcroft, and still have it be essentially correct. That's my opinion, too.



3. Haynes Johnson, in his book "The Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to Terrorism", has provided the reader with a nice descriptive history of the anxieties caused by Senator Joseph McCarthy and his anti-Communist crusade of the 1950's. It is evident that Johnson tends towards the more liberal view of explaining the excesses of McCarthy's tactics and does not attempt to justify any of McCarthy's work, but this supports his theory that McCarthyism contributed (if not created) the age of anxiety of the 1950's in America.
   
   On a much more serious note, Johnson has engaged in a diatribe against the current political environment and administration in the closing chapters of the book. The author explicitly states that he does not mean to link McCarthyism to Terrorism, and there is scant evidence that the two are related in any way. Instead, I believe that the author chose to expand his book to explain a personal philosophy rather than create a journalistic or historical argument that the two events were linked. For that reason, I give this book just three stars. If Johnson had focused entirely on the years of McCarthy, I would have given it four (or perhaps five) stars.



4. The author spends the last 70 pages attacking president Bush and the conservatives. If your a liberal you'll love his attack. Notice how he leaves out the Second Term election results for Bill Clinton. Notice how he is upset that the nation is not on his track. That is a liberal track. Notice how he complains about Fox News, and forgets the liberal bias of CNN and MSNBC.
   
   Yup he still has a beef with the 2000 election results and of course with the 2004 re-election of Bush. Notably he thought there was too much Flag waving at the NYC 9/11 site.



5. "The Age of Anxiety" is unapologetic from the outset in displaying the partisan bias of its author. The flood of vitriolic adjectives flowing from its pages reveals that Haynes Johnson is not a historian, but rather an ideologue who engages in tactics remarkably similar to those he attributes to Senator Joseph McCarthy.
   
   Through the fog of his hyperbole, Johnson looks at the 1950s without having to dwell on inconvenient figures like Alger Hiss, who really was guilty after all. In a 500-page book, Mr. Johnson only fleetingly mentions the Venona Project, which documented plenty of Soviet espionage and communist treason during the McCarthy Era.
   
   The Venona Project was a top-secret program that began in 1943 in which Soviet cables between KGB offices in Moscow and the United States were decoded. The decryptions from the Venona Project were first released on July 11, 1995, close to half a century after Senator McCarthy delivered his speech concerning subversives in the State Department. They have provided insight into the depth of Communist espionage in America, including in senior government positions. The full extent of this treason will never be known. Less than half of those found in Venona were identified, amounting to over 150 unknown spies. Communist subversion within the government was a reality, not a McCarthy myth.
   
   For anyone interested in the McCarhty Era and its implications for today, this book is an amusing diversion. However, for purposes of obtaining a rounded picture of the historical reality, it should only be read in conjunction with "Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies" by M. Stanton Evans and "Joseph McCarthy: Reexamining the Life and Legacy of America's Most Hated Senator" by Arthur Herman. Both are available at Amazon.com.