Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Shocking Secrets of American History

This book is full of anecdotal stories about people and events in American history.  The book contains some shocking stories; some more than others.   The stories are very short (at most 2 pages) but very interesting.  I used it as a springboard for additional subjects to add to my "to read" list.

One example is how the son of Francis Scott Key (the author of the poem which later began the Star Spangled Banner) was murdered by then Congressman Daniel Sickles for having an affair with his wife.  Congressman Sickles was the very first case where the "temporary insanity" plea was used and was successful. 

It is a great book to have in the bathroom.  Since the stories are so short, you do not get bogged down with lengthy WC visits. :-)

I recommend this book.



ISBN 10: 1567318975 / 1-56731-897-5
ISBN 13: 9781567318975
Publisher: MJF Books
Publication Date: 2006
Binding: Hardcover

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Six Frigates By: Ian W. Tolls

A great book about the establishment of the U.S. Navy.  Covers some of the more famous battles and some not so famous.  Does use many nautical terms but for me, a formal Navy guy, I was right at home. 

Not only does it cover the frigates, their captains and crew; it also goes into a small history lesson since there was some back-and-forth on the subject of even having a formal navy since Britain was "THE" Super Power.



This book is perfectly safe for someone 12 Years or older (although nautical words COULD be a hindrance).  Describes death from cannon balls, grape shot, and muskets.  


Paperback: 592 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (March 17, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 039333032X
ISBN-13: 978-0393330328

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Rivalry (Library Edition Audio CDs) [Audio CD]

The Lincoln/Douglas debates.

I absolutely love Paul Giamatti.  Anything he does is excellent.  He knocked it out of the park.  The CDs are a recreation of the Lincoln Douglas debate for the Senate seat which was ultimately won by Douglas.  Although I make no secrets about my feelings towards Lincoln, this work, taken from the transcripts of the seven debates gives you a window into what made Lincoln appealing to people.

A L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, James Gleason, Lily Rabe and Shannon Cochran







http://www.amazon.com/Rivalry-Library-Audio-CDs/dp/1580815693/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323471029&sr=1-1

Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse

By: Thomas Woods

This book is an excellent read for any TRULY interested in the money issues this country has experienced as well as the ones we are heading straight for.  Mr. Woods details the the first money, how it came to be, how it was monopolized, and eventually, and more important today, how it is manipulated to enrich some.

Woods explains the Austrian School of economics as well as the failed Keynesian School of Economics. He introduces you to the champion of Austrian Economics, Ludwig Von Mises as well as Hayek and Rothbard.

If you are looking for book that pins the current economics debacle on the Democrats or the Republicans, move on!  This book shows you how both parties are to blame and how the fiat currency is destroying our economy.

It explains in detail the "Boom/Bust" cycle caused by the Federal Reserve and uses the Von Mises analogy of the bricklayer building a house without knowing how many bricks he has in total.  When the bricklayer runs out of bricks and the house is not even close to completion, all the materials and services put into that project are lost.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.  This is written in a way that the layperson will fully understand the economics of this and other countries.






Hardcover: 194 pages
Publisher: Regnery Publishing; 1 edition (February 9, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596985879
ISBN-13: 978-1596985872

http://www.amazon.com/Meltdown-Free-Market-Collapsed-Government-Bailouts/dp/1596985879/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top




Friday, December 2, 2011

Do as I Say (Not as I do) By: Peter Schweizer




 
This is a very interesting book.  It only serves to solidify my assertions about those that feel they can make decisions for "me" in the government and in the media on both sides of the isle.  The book covers the hypocrisy of many of the left's heroes.  It focuses on:

Noam Chomsky
Nancy Pelosi
The Kennedy Clan
The Clinton Clan
Michael Moore
George Soros 
Barbara Streisand 

And a few others.  The saddest and most disturbing part of this is the genius of the book's title, Do as I say, not as I do. These people are the antithesis of their public persona.  The author points out something that is very interesting, he says that when a conservative goes against what he preaches, it ends up hurting them and their families, however when the liberals do the same, it enriches them and their family.  I believe the country would be better off if we did this kind of Expose on ALL politicians and media folks that try to influence the masses.

It truly makes me sad that many people today, are actually struggling to live the life these "Heroes" pain as the "way to live" while those same heroes are lying to them.


Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Anchor; 1st Paperback Ed edition (October 10, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767919025
ISBN-13: 978-0767919029

Monday, November 28, 2011

Day of Reckoning By. Pat Buchanin

Outstanding review of the George W. Bush's administration.  Mr. Buchanan holds nothing back in pointing out the mistakes and down right blunders of the Bush administration.  Mr. Buchanan hits on all subjects that at the time (2007) were in the forefront (e.g. Immigration, Unconstitutional Wars, Empire building etc).  Unfortunately this book was published in 2007 yet it is amazingly and painfully obvious that the "Bush Doctrine" is in fact alive and well today and has actually been expanded by Obama and his administration. 



I do not agree with Mr. Buchanan on many things, however the book is clear and concise and touches on the history that has gotten us and kept us where we are today.


Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (November 27, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1615540121
ISBN-13: 978-1615540129

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Destiny of the Republic By Candice Millard

Another excellent book by Ms Millard. 

This book covers the life, election and ultimate assassination of President James A. Garfield.  This book has enough details to keep you interested while not overwhelming you with useless facts or information.  The book is well researched and is an easy read, as opposed to some other biographies of presidents.


The interesting part of this book is the off stories.  For instance, the book goes into how Alexander Grahm-Bell invented a device that would come to be used later in life to track bullets in the human body.  Mr. Bell's life is touched on with enough details that it has interested me in pursuing additional works on Bell as the subject.  It also discussed the first air conditioning system created specifically for Mr. Garfield which revolutionized the world.

This book goes through his early life, his unlikely, unplanned and unwanted nomination and ultimate election to the presidency as well as his unfortunate and untimely assassination just 200 days after taking office.  It discusses his rivals as well as his allies.

All in all an excellent book.  Highly recommended.



Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (September 20, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385526261
ISBN-13: 978-0385526265 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Politically Incorrect Guide To The Constitution

Excellent book.  Goes from the discussions leading to the creation of the document to the drafting of the  Constitution, its ratification, and a detailed account of its distortion  at the hands of the judicial branch.

Dr. Gutzman is one of few authors I truly ENJOY reading.  He is a Jedi Master on the subject of Constitution and history in general. 





Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Regnery Publishing (June 11, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596985054
ISBN-13: 978-1596985056

American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies

American Brutus takes you through the days and months prior to the Lincoln Assassination.  The level of detail by this author is incredible.  Even for the seasoned reader of this subject, there are many new facts and dispelled myths as well.  Although the book starts off with what seems to be and overdose of information, it is easy keep up with the content.  I have read eight books on this subject and by far this is the one with the most detail.  The author seems to be neutral on the subject of Lincoln and his unconstitutionality and his white supremacy (although that is a review of a different book).






 The level of detail is again, incredible.  You are truly transported to Ford's theater and can visualize the goings on.  Although some of Booth's "motives" are unclear with regards to some of the co-conspirators that ultimately were convicted and those that were found not-guilty.  Seems that Booth was making certain to implicate some of the people that directly or indirectly helped him.



Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (October 18, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375759743
ISBN-13: 978-0375759741
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches



Saturday, November 12, 2011

George Washington Rules of Civility

Small Book, only 127 pages.  Probably would have fit in half of it since it gives the French interpretation.  It is an interesting bit of information albeit outdated.  It is really common sense things.  It is not a bad idea to read it and have an idea what a 'gentleman' was.  When compared to what people are today it is eye opening.



Example: 10th: When you sit down, keep your feet firm on the ground and even, without putting one foot on the other or crossing them.

This is also Masonic Etiquette; at least for the officers.




http://www.amazon.com/George-Washingtons-Civility-French---English/dp/0971117322/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1321149460&sr=8-16

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

End the Fed By. Ron Paul

Ron Paul is by far the leader of the Liberty movement in D.C. and in America.  Not only is he a strict Constitutionalist but his economic knowledge is unequaled in Washington.

This book is, as expected, well written, to the point and no holds bared.  The beauty of Dr. Paul is that he is able to explain the seemingly complex subject of economics in a simple way.  The book exposes the "Fed" as a legal counterfeiting organization and points to them as the cause for most of the postbellum economic woes we have suffered.  He also intelligently predicts what will happen if we stay the course we are currently on.







I am a BIG Ron Paul supporter however it does not skew my review of his book.  I fully recommend this book.  It is worth every penny and more.



http://www.amazon.com/End-Fed-Ron-Paul/dp/B004IEA4DM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1st edition (September 16, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446549193
ASIN: B004IEA4DM

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Revolution - A Maifesto

Ron Paul is the Yoda Master of the Constitution.  This man has broken the problem down in this book and showed what it is going to take to fix the problem.  He holds nothing back.  Slams the Republicans and the Democrats.  He calls them as he sees them.

In this book, Paul breaks down what mindset a candidate SHOULD have to save this country from economic ruins.  Unfortunately, this was written for the 2008 campaign for President, and we got nothing of what he suggested.

He is a master of economics and of the constitution.






This is an excellent book.  I recommend it 100%

http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Manifesto-Ron-Paul/dp/0446537527/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319563393&sr=8-1


Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446537527
ISBN-13: 978-0446537520

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century

Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century

Nullification is a great book.  It is very concise.  Easy read.  Informs you of why nullification is so important.  The Federal Govt are basically "Agents" for the states, how can we rely on the Federal Govt to decide what is constitutional and what is not.  That in and of itself is a conflict of interest.  Especially how the Supreme Court legislates from the bench as they do today.

This book will open your eyes quite a bit.  Nullification is not the answer for everything, but it is a tool we can use to put the Federal Leviathan in check when we feel they have overstepped their boundaries.  In my opinion, it is not used enough.


For those who support the constitution even when it is not in line with our personal agenda, you will enjoy it.  If you feel the Central Overlords need to provide for you from womb to tomb, move along.....





Hardcover: 309 pages
Publisher: Regnery Publishing; 1St Edition edition (June 28, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596981490
ISBN-13: 978-1596981492

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Ghost in the wires

***** 5 Stars 

Awesome book.  This book has enough technology to keep nerds like me involved and yet non-techie folks will also enjoy it.  My eleven year old son read a piece of it and wants me to give it to him so he can read it. I am in trouble.  And to think that it is Kevin's life story is even more amazing.  This could be a great movie..... No not the hatchet job by Miramax, a real one with the real story.







Recommended reading for all techies. 


Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (August 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316037702
ISBN-13: 978-0316037709

Monday, October 3, 2011

My Political View

In the past 5 years, I have struggled with a political "label".  One that fits me 100%. I was a registered Republican, but found myself disagreeing with MANY of the things they did yet found myself defending them to liberals I knew.  It made no sense to me.  I surely was NOT a liberal.  During the McCain campaign, I struggled because I really did not want him but I knew I did not want Obama.  I had read both his books and did not like what I read.

Once Obama won the election, I started to see an amazing thing, the people on the left were applauding the same things they were slamming Bush for. And now the Bush followers were bashing Obama for the things they applauded for Bush.  This was the turning point for me.


I decided to start from the beginning.  I read books about the founding fathers.  In doing so, I stumbled on the Libertarian party.  This was a godsend to me as I "lined up" with a majority of the points.  However I still struggled with some of the Libertarian views.

As I continued to polish off books on History, I found myself enthralled with Jefferson and Madison.  I started listening to Mike Church in the morning drive and found his views and his knowledge of the Constitution  addictive.  I found myself reading authors he had on his shows:  Thomas DiLorenzo, James Woods, Hayek (not on his show obviously but discussed), as well as Henry Hazlit, Ayn Rand, Bastiat and Von Mises.

Later on, I actually sat down to listen to Ron Paul.  I found myself mesmerized by his ability to speak to the left and the right and always have the same response.  The man is a true thinker and does not tow any party line even though he is a Republican.

Between Dr. Paul, my reading, listening to Church and Wilkow (Andrew Wilkow on Sirius), my Masonic teachings, and my Faith in God, I realized that there is no 'PARTY' per say for me.  I am a CONSTITUTIONALIST.

After reading Atlas Shrugged, it put it all in perspective, although, I do NOT agree with Rand's religious or rather lack thereof,  I do find her philosophy on work ethic, government intervention, and respect for one's self to be spot on.

I love to help those in need, destitute, sick and afflicted but I do it as I feel I can and as my ability permits.  I feel everyone should fight their way through life.  Doing the very best you can clawing their way through adversity and pit falls.  When the help is "needed" it should be provided.  It should not however become a permanent revenue stream for that person.  We never encourage them to get off of the "help".

I think we should leave all these wars alone.  Come home and secure our borders once and for all.  If another Country attacks us, them we unleash the biggest baddest military this World has seen.  We do not bomb and rebuild.  We level and move on.

Dred Scott's Revenge

Outstanding job Judge.  Again, he hits the mark with an unbiased view of the race issue in this country from its inception until present day.  In this work, he explains the difference between 'natural law' and 'positive law'.  He shows you how the departure from defending 'natural law' has caused and continue to cause slavery and racism.  After reading this book, I have a painful realization that African-Americans have gotten the short end of the stick and have been mistreated since the inception of this country and sadly continue even today.I highly recommend this book.




Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 21, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595552650
ASIN: B003F76HAW



Friday, September 30, 2011

In My Time - Dick Chenney

***** 5 Stars
This is an excellent book regarding our Former Vice President.  It goes through his life as a youth in Nebraska up until present day.  Although I found myself disagreeing with much of what he said, more especially the foreign policy, he did not throw any punches and was somewhat gracious to President Barak Obama.

One of the things I found curious was his little time at Halliburton, yet people in the past made it out to be some incestuous long term relationship.  I find it a little hard to believe that in the ~4 years of being CEO, he could have somehow entrenched himself as deep as others accused him of. Especially since Halliburton was already a big Government contractor.  It [the book] did however spark my curiosity in researching the Halliburton story a bit more.  I am actively searching for a book that is not a progressive hatchet job or a right wing cover up.

Surprisingly in his book, he was much more critical of the Bush administration's higher ups than that of the incoming President.  Of course he did mention his opposition with many of Obama's policies, but did so graciously.  Even commending Obama on launching the strike against Bin Laden. I highly recommend this book.  I love to read people's biographies since I gives you a view into their mind as opposed to the left/right wing media.  I read both Obama's book and hopefully when he is out of office in 2012 and right his book in 2013, I will read that too. :-) Yes I had to throw that in. 







http://www.amazon.com/My-Time-Personal-Political-Memoir/dp/1439176191/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317410307&sr=8-1




Monday, September 19, 2011

New Deal or Raw Deal?: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America

By: Burton W. Jr. Folsom

**** 4 Stars





This is a great book showing how FDR personal upbringing and his illegal and unconstitutional ways have harmed the US even today. In this book, you see that FDR was a failure in all business ventures he tried. Many of his friends succeeded but he always failed. He mooched off his wealthy mother and even as governor of NY was living in a home that was paid by his mother. This is telling of the way he would govern. It goes into details about the "New Deal" gimmicks and how he used them for political gain. How he used the Democrats to give out WPA jobs in exchange for votes. How he used the IRS to weed out his opponents, a tactic later used by Nixon.

Thia book goes into detail and names names of people and states the benefited from his reckless spending. How he created the position of Press Secretary to help cover up unwanted media coverage and to "leak" information hw wanted to leak.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing how closely the Bush and Obama administration align with the progressive movement of FDR.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Deal-Raw-Economic-Damaged/dp/1416592229


Monday, July 11, 2011

Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History

***** 5 Stars

 By. Judge Andrew Napolitano




This is an AMAZING book in regards to eye openers.  As ALWAYS, the Judge is non-partisan and slams both sides of the two party dictatorship.  He opens your eyes to the unconstitutionality of our government, past and present.  He blows the lid off of the false sense of 'innocent until proven guilty' he explains the "Federal Reserve" and surprisingly uses what I have been saying all along, "Its not federal and there is no reserves"

Truly an excellent book.  If you are interested in constitutional-ism, them  this is a must read.  If you are looking for a book with a Liberal or Conservative bias, continue looking.





http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Government-Told-You-Deception/dp/1595552669/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310381902&sr=8-1

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe

**** 5 Stars / **** 4 Stars



This is an excellent book.  The reason for the 5 and 4 stars is due to the quality of the Kindle version.  It drove me crazy since words were hyphenated where it did not belong.  Mr. Dilorenzo, should have the Kindle version reviewed and fixed.

I read Thomas Dilorenzo's previous book, 'The Real Lincoln'.  This book goes a bit further in explaining the unconstitutional ways of Abe.  He references other books and articles and he challenges you to read for yourself and make your own decisions. He exposes the 'Lincoln Scholars' for the fraud that they are.

This is an excellent book and I recommend it to everyone.  It is a must read.

http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Unmasked-Youre-Supposed-Dishonest/dp/030733841X

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Game of Throans by George R.R. Martin

This is my first try at the series genre more especially fantasy world.  I did watch the HBO season and loved it.  It is pretty long (895 Pages) but starts off pretty good.  I am 10 pages into it.  Since I am going on vacation, I hope I can fly through it.



  More to follow on this one.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Road to Independence - The Movie



Mike Church did it again.  Very informative movie that kept my 11 year old's attention throughout the movie.  After the movie I quizzed him and he was in fact paying close attention.

The movie discusses and shows you what transpired (based on the notes of the involved) regarding the lead up to the Declaration of Independence.  Some of it you will recall from the HBO Series 'John Adams' however this is not specific to one person.

I recommend it for the family.

The Real George Washington

***** 5 Star

Just finished "The Real George Washington" by Andrew M. Allison.  It is part of the "American Classic Series"


A great book on George Washington. Talks about his lineage, his sicknesses as a child and adult, his military battles both won and lost.  Goes through the time he was in the house of Burgess and later was chosen to go to the continental congress.

An overall amazing book.  Should be required reading.

http://www.amazon.com/Real-George-Washington-American-Classic/dp/0880800143/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309417644&sr=8-1

The Jefferson Key

**** 4 Stars



Great book by Steve Berry.  I have read other titles by this author and was very happy.  In this book as the others, his goto good guys (Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt) are back at it.  This books uses fiction and non-fiction in his story as most great novelists.  This book talks about the various Presidential assassinations and attempted assassinations and how they are all tied together.

The book kept me interested the entire time.  I did not give it a 5 star only because there was some places in the beginning where you lost track of the players and were confused as to who was who.

Great book otherwise and I highly recommend it.   

http://www.amazon.com/Jefferson-Key-Novel-Steve-Berry/dp/0345505514

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Liberty Defined

***** 5 Starts (Plus)




Liberty Defined is an excellent Book.  It goes through Ron Paul's vision of Freedom and Liberty. He explains how his "PERSONAL" views and feelings do not necessarily "gel" with what is constitutional.  This books gives you an excellent view into the Central Government that exist today from someone who is a stonch opponent of BIG government.  All version of it.  Big Social Governments or Big Warefare Government.

I recommend this book 100% as required reading.

http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Defined-Essential-Issues-Freedom/dp/145550145X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306861951&sr=8-1

Thursday, May 26, 2011

1776 by David McCullogh

***** 5 Stars



What a great book.  Loved it.  Talked about all the players in that year and was not just about the war, although DOES describe in detail (sometimes gory details) the conditions, sicknesses, and injuries sustained by some of  the players.

I recommend this book to all.

As of the writing of this post, there are 763 Reviews on Amazon of which 479 are 5 star and only 16 as 1 star.


http://www.amazon.com/1776-David-McCullough/dp/0743226720/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1310216308&sr=8-2

Ron Paul



Many people have made comments about Dr. Ron Paul regarding his 2012 Presidential run for the White House.  A lot of people say he is "unelectable".  I find that appalling as if the race relied on some kind of "look" or some sort of credentials.

Look where "great orator", "smart looking" got us.  To the point that this President has received a Nobel peace prize, and since then has not only remained in two unconstitutional wars but has "declared" war on two other countries in addition. 

I understand how some people may not agree with Dr. Paul 100% of the time, but I guarantee you that 100% of his comments, votes, and actions ARE CONSTITUTIONAL.

All of the Candidates as of this post, are George Bush the third.  We cannot have another Bush or Heavens forbid....... another Obama.

It is time to show the Republican establishment that "we the people", or as I like to say "The MePle" (Andrew Wilkow),  are tired of their ways.  Tired of the spending, tired of them subverting the constitution for their own gain.

In Paul's book, he talks about lobbyist and how they are pushing for legislature.  But if we reduce the size and reach of the "Central" government, they [politicians] will have less ability to corrupt that particular sector or business.

We have become Mercantilian in our ways.  The government is picking winners and losers and is not allowing the free market to adjust itself.

Dr. Paul is a very smart person, he is seasoned (yet not corrupt) politician.  He has voted regularly against his own party affiliation and against the left.  This is commendable as most of the other cronies are bucking for a chairmanship and personal gain and vote strictly lock step with their party.

He personifies the tea party.  He predicted the implosion of Fan/Fred, the crash in 08.  He is truly what this country needs.

Atlas Shrugged By Ayn Rand

***** 5 Stars




What can I say about this book?  It is probably one of the most amazing books I have ever read in regards to the way I think.

*** WARNING POLITICAL COMMENTS ***
For years I was a registered republican, and found myself at odds with where the party was going.  I knew I was not a Liberal, but I was not really a Republican (emphasis on the capital R) either.  I was not entirely sure where I stood in the political spectrum.  Once I read this book, it put it into perspective.

OK POLITICAL COMMENTS OVER

Book is a novel written by Ojectivist Ayn Rand.  The books was written in 1957 (I believe) it is a LONG book (~1,300 Pages) but you cannot put it down.  Book has a love twist as well as Ms Rand's own philosophy built in.  She shows through her characters how government interventionism causes nothing but loss.  Loss of work, wealth, self confidence and most of all, how it is corrupt, and its members [Government] are inept to fix it or even understand what the problem is.  The book does not call out "Republicans" or "Democrats", "Left" or "Right", "Liberals" or "Conservatives".  Nor does it mention any names of real politicians (at least during that time).  It is easy to put faces to her characters as we have so many politicians that come to mine that fit that particular situation. 

There is action, love, politics, betrayal, lust and just an overall profound wisdom of the way "things work".

There was a movie adaptation for it although as in many instances, the movie does not give the book it's justice.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0452011876/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306383502&sr=8-1

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Economics in 1 Lesson By Henry Hazlitt

**** 4 Stars



Great book.  Very easy to understand.  Mr. Hazzlit breaks it down and explains economics at a basic level.  The book IS from 1947 so a little dated, newer versions exist.  I opted for the older one because I wanted to her Mr. Hazzlits words.

The book goes through and explains the "draconian" methods the central government destroys the US economy.  It goes over:

Farm Subsides
Parity Pricing
Minimum Wage
Unions

Definitely recommend you read it.

http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306382061&sr=1-1

The Communist Manifesto

* 1 Star




What I got out of this "book" was that WE should not have private property, Should not strive for anything unless it involves striving for everyone, and that we should work only to supply enough for our sustenance.  That we should give all powers to the "central government" and they will make the decision for us.

I swear, my eyes were bleeding as I read this.  What a bunch of crap!!!!

"Communism is for the people NOT the communist".... Andrew Wilkow.

I recommend that you read this only so that you will know what this group of people think.  Frankly I felt as though they were telling me I was not smart enough to make any decisions nor should I have any aspirations.

The Real Lincol by Thomas DiLorenzo

***** 5 Stars



This books tells in great detail the other side of the "Great Emancipator".  This book was extremely educational and showed me that history has a way of erasing who people really are.

The book goes into detail about how Lincoln:

1. Suspended Habeus Corpus
2. Imprisoned people who disagreed with his political views.
3. Was in fact Racist and was not interested in "freeing" slaves.
4. He want to send all slaves to Africa or Hispanola and actually did send ~400.
5. Under the orders of Lincoln, thousands of civilians we slaughtered by his 
    Generals (e.g. Sherman, Sheridan)

Also, that the Lincoln did not actually announce that the war was about freeing slaves until many months after the war started.  Lincoln is on record with his racist comments. 

The book is filled with footnotes and references pointing to actual documents proving his statements.     

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Lincoln-Abraham-Agenda-Unnecessary/dp/0761526463

Book List

First post in this blog.  I wanted to start by posting some of the books I have read this past couple of months.  I will post when I finish reading them and give you a quick review.