Why Geography Matters: Three Challenges Facing America: Climate Change, the Rise of China, and Global Terrorism

Book Description

Over the next half century, the human population, divided by culture and economics and armed with weapons of mass destruction, will expand to nearly 9 billion people. Abrupt climate change may throw the global system into chaos; China will emerge as a superpower; and Islamic terrorism and insurgency will threaten vital American interests. How can we understand these and other global challenges? Harm de Blij has a simple answer: by improving our understanding of the world's geography. In Why Geography Matters, de Blij demonstrates how geography's perspectives yield unique and penetrating insights into the interconnections that mark our shrinking world. Preparing for climate change, averting a cold war with China, defeating terrorism: all of this requires geographic knowledge. De Blij also makes an urgent call to restore geography to America's educational curriculum. He shows how and why the U.S. has become the world's most geographically illiterate society of consequence, and demonstrates the great risk this poses to America's national security. Peppering his writing with anecdotes from his own professional travels, de Blij provides an original treatise that is as engaging as it is eye opening. Casual or professional readers in areas such as education, politics, or national security will find themselves with a stimulating new perspective on geography as it continues to affect our world.

Customer Reviews:

Occasionally insightful, but generally uninspired.......2007-08-29

I would describe this book as the rambling--but occasionally insightful--musings of a thoughtful scholar. Unfortunately, many, if not most, of Blij's arguments are not made from a geographic perspective. For instance, his chapter on the European Union rambles on for page after page about the history of the EU from the European Coal and Steel Community, to the European Economic Community, to the European Community, and, finally, to the European Union. That's not to say that's not and interesting and important history lesson for people who are unfamiliar with EU history, but its not geographic! I was hoping for a book of theories explaining human events using reasoning built on spatial orientations or location. Why Geography Matters had some of that, but Blij could have, in my view, omitted much of the voluminous background information. Doing some would have made his book more concise and allowing his genuine insights to be featured more prominently.

And for what its worth, the book could have used a better editor. For instance, on p.160 it refers to "South Ossetia" as a Russian Republic instead of North Ossetia. I noticed a couple errors like this.

Perhaps, I would be more positive about this book if its last chapter hadn't been the low point. The chapter on Africa had absolutely nothing original to say (AIDS is bad, we need to do more to stop it; colonization and slavery were bad too; Africa has been plagued by bad leadership; etc.).

Important book.......2007-08-28

This is an exceptional and needed introduction to Geography and how it relates to world problems.

What we should have learned in school about the world..........2007-05-27

This is essential reading for anyone who should have a sound foundation of knowledge to back up one's social commentary, but doesn't. Geography can be understood and used to understand our world with great clarity. Everyone who watched Al Gore's movie should read this book if only to know that Harm de Blij has been explaining geographic issues for decades better than nearly anyone.

The US Department of Education needs to buy and issue a copy of this book to every teacher in America.

Very informative reading.......2007-05-13

This is definitely a quality work in the field of Geography with an emphasis on Politics i.e. GeoPolitics. However, it is important to point out a couple of incorrect facts I found while reading this work.

1. On page 190 we have the statement, "On an aircraft carrier off the coast of California, President Bush declared "mission accomplished.", regarding the war in Iraq. If you read the speech that President Bush gave, you will find that he never uttered the words "mission accomplished." The author just regurgitated this line from the biased print media i.e. The NYTimes, Time, Newsweek, etc... Intuitively, if you think about it, George Bush, assigns the mission to the military and after assigning the mission to the military he is not going to turn around and say good "mission accomplished. That is what the military's response, will be, to the President, after they have completed the mission. This is reflected by the fact that the military hung a banner up on the aircraft carrier that said "Mission Accomplished."

2. On pages 193-194 The author states. "The American invasion severly damaged the city, which was for months afterward, and remains as of this writing, without a reliable water supply, power, medical facilities, or schools." It is very true that much of the infrastructure in Iraq is severly damaged, but the author has tried to blame this on American firepower and it is simply not true. The precision guided weapons our U.S. forces utilized were excellent at avoiding collateral damage. The truth is more damning for the Saddam regime. THE INFRASTUCTURE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY 30 PLUS YEARS OF NEGLECT ON THE PART OF THE BAATH PARTY AND NOT AMERICAN MILITARY MIGHT. Also, the military planners who provided for getting the infrastructure back online, after the war, grossly underestimated the level of the existing infrastructure of Iraq, before the U.S. military even set foot inside the country.

Overall I recommend this work, but it cannot be given five stars due to these errors.

Debunking the global warming myth!.......2007-03-08

This is an excellent book based on scientific fact debunking the "global warming" myth.

I highly recommend this book.

Average customer rating:

SKIP THE 9/11 REPORT. READ THIS INSTEAD.
SENATOR BOB GRAHAM FALLS VICTIM TO INTELLIGENCE WORLD OF DECEPTION & ILLUSION
Rather Good
Making sausages like making laws or formulating government policy
A scathing indictment

Intelligence Matters
Bob Graham , and Jeff Nussbaum
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400063523
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Download Description

In this explosive, controversial, and profoundly alarming insider's report, Senator Bob Graham reveals faults in America's national security network severe enough to raise fundamental questions about the competence and honesty of public officials in the CIA, the FBI, and the White House.

For ten years, Senator Graham served on the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he had access to some of the nation's most closely guarded secrets. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Graham co-chaired a historic joint House-Senate inquiry into the intelligence community's failures. From that investigation and his own personal fact-finding, Graham discovered disturbing evidence of terrorist activity and a web of complicity:

At one point, a terrorist support network conducted some of its operations through Saudi Arabia's U.S. embassy—and a funding chain for terrorism led to the Saudi royal family.
In February 2002, only four months after combat began in Afghanistan, the Bush administration ordered General Tommy Franks to move vital military resources out of Afghanistan for an operation against Iraq—despite Franks's privately stated belief that there was a job to finish in Afghanistan, and that the war on terrorism should focus next on terrorist targets in Somalia and Yemen.
Throughout 2002, President Bush directed the FBI to limit its investigations of Saudi Arabia, which supported some and possibly all of the September 11 hijackers.
The White House was so uncooperative with the bipartisan inquiry that its behavior bore all the hallmarks of a cover-up.
The FBI had an informant who was extremely close to two of the September 11 hijackers, and actually housed one of them, yet the existence of this informant and the scope of his contacts with the hijackers were covered up.
There were twelve instances when the September 11 plot could have been discovered and potentially foiled.
Days after 9/11, U.S. authorities allowed some Saudis to fly, despite a complete civil aviation ban, after which the government expedited the departure of more than one hundred Saudis from the United States.
Foreign leaders throughout the Middle East warned President Bush of exactly what would happen in a postwar Iraq, and those warnings went either ignored or unheeded.

As a result of his Senate work, Graham has become convinced that the attacks of September 11 could have been avoided, and that the Bush administration's war on terrorism has failed to address the immediate danger posed by al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. His book is a disturbing reminder that at the highest levels of national security, now more than ever, intelligence matters.

Customer Reviews:

SKIP THE 9/11 REPORT. READ THIS INSTEAD........2007-08-20

Nearly every page is riveting. Highly readable account of the missed opportunities before and after 9/11 and the failed Iraqi War. Senator Graham's expertise is validated by the fact that all his predictions about Iraq and al-Qaeda from 2004 when the book was published are now reality. He even broaches the subject of impeachment at a time when Bush was riding high and on the way to reelection.

The good senator doesn't pull punches. Intelligence Matters is full of shocking revelations of Saudi funding of 9/11 hijackers, numerous instances of the FBI and CIA not seeing the forest for the trees, and the Bush administration's obsession with Iraq blinding them to the immediate threat of the greatest attack on our homeland since Pearl Harbor.

A highly patriotic and useful account of the latest greatest challenges to our nation's survival. We overcame a civil war and defeated ruthless enemies from different continents in WWII, but are we prepared to win a global jihad, one that could last well into this century and involve dangerous weapons falling in the hands of stateless terrorists willing to martyr themselves for a cause? As Sen. Graham relates, we're off to a troubling start.

It's hardly reassuring that a man with such a grasp on foreign policy isn't still in the throes of power directing our response. What a missed opportunity that Sen. Graham, who never lost an election in Florida during his nearly 40 years as an elected official and briefly ran for president in 2004, wasn't at least selected for VP.

By the way, the double-entendre in the title is apparent, although I can think of a third possible interpretation - can you? [Hint: Think 'intelligence' in terms of our woefully feeble leader.]

Very educational, and well presented for the lay reader.

SENATOR BOB GRAHAM FALLS VICTIM TO INTELLIGENCE WORLD OF DECEPTION & ILLUSION.......2006-12-10

I have read this book cover to cover & I've read all 24 reviews. I don't doubt the intellect of any of these authors. It's apparent that Senator Graham is a noble American patriot & that the reviews of this book have expressed serious concerns.

Senator Graham points out 12 INSTANCES before 9/11 in which the 9/11 plot could have been discovered. He points out that at least one alleged hijacker was being housed by an FBI informant. (The FBI DENIED SENATOR GRAHAM ACCESS TO THIS INFORMANT FOR QUESTIONING!.) He describes the circumstances under which Arizona FBI Agent, Kenneth Williams, a seasoned 10-yr terrorism veteran wrote a memo, now known as the Phoenix Memo, in July of 2001 to the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. Declassified segments are quoted beginning on page 44, "The purpose of this communication is to advise the bureau [headquarters] and New York of the possibility of a coordinated effort by Usama bin Laden to send students to the United States to attend civil aviation universities and colleges. Phoenix has observed an inordinate number of individuals of investigative interest who are attending or who have attended civil aviation universities and colleges in the state of Arizona...". Agent Williams included 4 specific recommendations as to what to do about it. On August 7, 2001 the intelligence operations specialists decided that this lead should be closed with no action taken.

In excruciating detail Senator Graham tells the story of Zacarious Moussaoui and how suspicions of him at the Pan Am International Flight Academy were so acute, that authorities notified the FBI on only the 2nd day of Moussoui's training. Yet permission to search Moussoui's computer was denied. Incredibly Senator Graham tells us about the August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Brief received by President Bush entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.", and that Bush did nothing with the warning.

Senator Graham tells of the lies he was told by Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, the intelligence agencies, the White House, as well as many instances of stonewalling and deceit. Senator Graham tells of hearing personally from Tommy Franks that only 4 months after the Afghanistan invasion, the military resources were redeployed to Iraq (February of 2002) quoting Franks as saying, "This is not a War on Terror, this is a manhunt".. Senator Graham tells us that most of the deficiencies in our national security remain, as of the time his book went to press, broken and unfixed despite increased budgets for counterterrorism. The most revealing comment in the entire book is on page 202, "...the more we learned, the less curious the administration seemed about what had happened on September 11". And, "the more discoveries we made, the more the administration's obstructionism intensified." And page 166, "...the White House was directing the cover-up."

And then, we're all supposed to believe that these ignorant incompetent intelligence agencies were able to come up with the identities of all 19 alleged hijackers just hours after the attacks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

THERE'S MORE. Despite all the death and horror and destruction on 9/11-all attributed to "intelligence failures", senator Graham discovers, as disclosed on page 113, "It amazes me to this day that no one-not one single person-has been held accountable for the intelligence and other lapses that contributed to the failure to inderdict the attack...it is important that people be held accountable. None have been."

Unfortunately, the investigative committee on which Senator Graham co-chaired was NOT equipped with a "smell test". Based on the voluminous examples of administration malfeasance related to 9/11, Senator Graham's conclusions simply do NOT make sense. Therefore, they must be rejected!

We all have our own internal evaluation process in determining what does and what does not make sense. And at some point what is perceived as incredulous ignorance & gross incompetence becomes so overwhelming that one has to realize that explaining everything away as ignorance & incompetence is itself ignorance & incompetence.

You see people, all of the findings of Senator Graham makes perfect sense! The problem is HIS CONCLUSIONS DO NOT MATCH HIS FINDINGS! Therefore, the round hole premise in which he is trying to hammer his square peg of findings MUST BE CHANGED! Since the intelligence agencies lied to Senator Graham and his investigative committee about everything else, doesn't it make sense that they also lied about the identities of those responsible for the 9/11 attacks? And sure enough, soon after 9/11, various sources in the foreign press (obviously such stories are supressed in the U.S.) were reporting that at least 6 of the alleged 19 hijackers were still alive and well! (The BBC reported that Waleed Al Shehri is protesting his innocence from Casablanca, Morroco). It's been discovered that there were NO Arab names on any of the flight passenger lists. The USA Today reported that Osama bin Laden denied 9/11 involvement, AND the December, 2001 Osama "confession video" has been proven to be a fraud.

So there you have it America. Google "9/11 Truth" and you will see that nothing you have been told about the attack is true. And then ask Keane and Hamilton how they could be so void of conscious as to play along with such skullduggery in their 9/11 Commission Propaganda Report. We have lost our country, folks, and our gutless and clueless congress is worthless to a democracy.

You see people, despite all of Senator Graham's findings, it never occurred to him that the intelligence agencies were all working fine and were in tip top shape as they made sure that all 19 hijacker patsies were going about their business of building a "terror" legend and were NOT in custody on 9/11. These agencies were not born yesterday and they know that a little "international" flavor will create more distance from U.S. complicity (Pakistan's ISI had also funded $100,000 to Mohammed Atta.) Disinformation & propaganda is their specialty and accountability is not part of their charter. And in the end, the power of our intelligence agencies lies not in their ability to get away with secrets, but rather their power lies in their ability to get away with...murder...

Rather Good.......2006-02-19

Although slightly partisan and carrying a slight self-congradulatory tone in parts, this is a fairly good presentation of the facts. His recommendations are well-thought and should be given serious consideration.

Making sausages like making laws or formulating government policy.......2005-11-11

I'm afraid this book has made me ill, very ill indeed. I can understand now why some people say they don't want to know how our country's intelligence agencies work because Graham's description of their dysfunction is not pleasant. What the government does or doesn't do with that intelligence is even more sickening.

The first part of the book covers the 9/11 tragedy and all the errors that made it possible. There is plenty of blame to go around on this one and Democrats and career government employees as well as Republicans will have to bear their portion of responsibility. But what is tragic is the white washing, the stonewalling, and the outright power plays that has gone on to prevent the American people from knowing what could have been done and wasn't.

The second part of the book details the other tragedy - that the focus on the overthrow of Saddam diverted attention from the terrorists, allowed Bin Laden to escape, and has actually fostered a less safe world than we had before we began the war. Graham documents these details. This tragedy can only be laid at the feet of the Bush government since taking on Iraq was a purely optional war. Based on Graham's book, we should expect continue whitewashing, stonewalling, lying, and a campaign of disinformation from the Whitehouse regarding their role in making the world a more frightening place while at the same time being questioned about our patriotism.

I think I'd rather go watch sausage being made.

A scathing indictment.......2005-07-31

This is a scathing indictment of not only the intelligence community which failed to prevent the very preventable 9/11 attacks, but more incisively the Bush administration itself which is losing the war on terror through stupidity and incompetence.

Written by Senator Bob Graham with help from speech writer Jeff Nussbaum this book details in a clear and readable manner twelve intelligence and governmental failures that allowed the September 11th attacks to take place. Graham's point is that had any one of the failures been instead successes, 9/11 would likely never have happened.

The failure of the intelligence community is now well known and well documented. Mainly it has been a case of not so much incompetence (although there was plenty of that) but of (believe or not) "a failure to communicate." That is, the CIA would not tell the FBI what it knew and vice-versa, and neither would tell other law enforcement and intelligence agencies what they knew. The reason: mainly turf control. Institutionally, the CIA never wants to tell anybody anything since any revelation may have the effect of revealing sources or methods, which would tend to lessen their ability to gather information in the future. The FBI on the other hand wants to arrest people and have them prosecuted--although of course they don't want to make an arrest if they think they can get somebody higher up. Furthermore, government agencies tend to withhold information to keep hidden incompetence or failure. The Bush administration is notorious for this tactic; indeed the Bush administration does not share with the American people one iota of information unless it has to, or unless, in the rare instance, such information is entirely flattering to the White House.

The failure of the Bush administration is unfortunately not so well known or understood as is that of the intelligence community. Part of the problem is a failure NOT emphasized in this book, that is, the failure of the press to report the news as it is rather than as the White House would have it. I'll skip the failure of the Fourth Estate for now, as Graham has, and concentrate on the most massive of all failures reported in this book, the failure to engage the enemy in the war on terror. As Graham makes clear, what Bush has done with his invasion of Iraq is divert resources from the war on terror, using our military and hundreds of billions of our dollars in an exercise in utter futility, an exercise in shock and awe, full of sound and fury, signifying exactly, as Shakespeare had it, nothing. Instead of going after Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda when we had them on the run in Afghanistan, Bush let bid Laden escape and instead went after the bogeyman Saddam Hussein. The direct result has not only been that the terrorists who actually were responsible for the murders of 9/11 are still free to direct more acts of terror, but in Iraq, Bush has created "a laboratory for terrorists" (p. 222) and "a giant recruiting poster for radicalized Islamists" (p. 219)

To put it bluntly, the Bush administration in effect is helping the terrorists. Why? The obvious reason is just sheer stupidity, ignorance and incompetence, but it is increasingly being hinted that George W. Bush is so much under the thrall of the Saudi princes who have the ability to one day make George W. a really, really rich man (instead of just a run of the mill millionaire) that he continues to allow them to financially support terror and does nothing about it. Graham of course does not say this, but it is only a step or two from what he does say to this conclusion.

Here's what Graham does say. Noting that "...a section of the report [from a declassified CIA report on terrorism] related to the Saudi government and the assistance that government gave to some and possibly all of the September 11 terrorists" had been blacked out, he writes, "Again, it was as if the President's loyalty lay more with Saudi Arabia than with America's safety." (pp. 215-216)

One also recalls, as Graham notes on page 106 that immediately following the September 11th attacks, the Bush administration allowed "more than 140 Saudis--including members of the bin Laden family" to be flown out of the United States. This despite the fact that the FAA had ordered all (other) private flights grounded, and despite the fact that none of the Saudis was interviewed by the FBI. Most of them were no doubt not involved in the attacks, but nonetheless they might have had information that would have helped the investigation. I'm sure the reader does not have to be reminded that most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals.

I want to make two other points: One, if the Bush administration and the administrations that follow do not use America's resources wisely in combating terrorism (instead of increasing it), we will almost inevitably experience a nuclear attack on one of our cities, most likely Washington D.C. or New York. It is not enough to throw bodies and money at some perceived evil in the Middle East as if to puff out our chests in a macho manner. Fighting terrorism requires skill, knowledge, hard work and dedication. Bombs and troops on the wrong ground will not get it done.

Finally, why, oh why, have we not heard any more about who planted the anthrax in the mail immediately following the September 11th attacks? Graham reports only that "no connection has been established between the anthrax attacks and the terrorist attacks of September 11." (p. 134) I think he knows a lot more than he is letting on, and that there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the anthrax attacks that is being covered up, perhaps so as not to alarm the public. See Cole, Leonard A. The Anthrax Letters: A Medical Detective Story (2003) for more details.

Racial Matters: The FBI's Secret File on Black America, 1960-1972

Average customer rating:

A whole lotta nothin
The FBI and the politics of riots
A insight into Cointelpro
It's worth the purchase.
how about an on-line review of the book so that we can deter

Racial Matters: The FBI's Secret File on Black America, 1960-1972
Kenneth O'Reilly
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0029236827

Book Description

From Kennedy to Nixon, the FBI unwillingly found itself at the center of the struggle for racial equality and justice. Kenneth O'Reilly tells the shocking story of how political loyalties, priorities, and prejudices turned a government agency into an adversary, instead of a protector, of civil rights.

Customer Reviews:

A whole lotta nothin.......2007-09-04

I bought this book thinking that it would reveal personal secrets and details of prominent blacks like MLK, Malcolm X, etc. This book reiterates the same thing over and over, The FBI was bad, and Hoover was a racist. Too many names and titles were interjected thruought the book. As soon as the author touches on an interesting topic, he leaves it and goes to something else thats very dull. I kept reading, waiting for the good stuff to come. It never came. Don't waste your money on this one, Its boring and dull.

The FBI and the politics of riots.......2007-07-27

This was required reading for a graduate course in American history.

Kenneth O'Reilly's book provides a glimpse into the relationship between President Lyndon B. Johnson, (LBJ), and J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). O'Reilly examined their relationship through the response that both men exhibited to the urban riots that started in the summer of 1964. O'Reilly stated that LBJ, "turned to the FBI for help in managing the politics of the 1960's riots, not because he thought the FBI could be trusted, but because he thought the FBI could be controlled" (92). The Johnson administration was caught off guard when the riots broke out in northern cities because the administration had been totally fixated on the Jim Crow South. The spark that ignited the chain of rioting took place a little over two weeks after LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The impetus for the riots was the shooting of a fifteen-year-old Negro boy by an off-duty police officer in New York City. Over the next several weeks rioting spread through Brooklyn, Rochester, and then to New Jersey, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. LBJ saw these riots as a threat to all of the hard work he had accomplished with his Great Society programs. More importantly, O'Reilly's research showed that LBJ saw the riots had the potential to become a serious political threat to his re-election. Both the Republican candidate Barry Goldwater, and the segregationist George Wallace, Governor of Alabama, who was polling well in early Democratic primaries, had argued against passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Great Society. Both men predicted that they would give too much away to people who would just become lawless, lazy, and would not develop any work ethic. As these riots took place, LBJ envisioned votes slipping away from him in the upcoming November election and he knew that he had to act.

LBJ feared that southerners would turn their backs on the Democrats and vote Republican, so he turned to Hoover and the FBI for help, which O'Reilly's research showed to be a monumental mistake. LBJ held a strategy meeting about the riots with Hoover on July 22nd. He told Hoover that he was convinced that Communist agitators and right-wing elements had their hands in these riots, and LBJ asked Hoover to gather and report his findings about the involvement of these subversive elements. LBJ's beliefs about the radical support to the riots were music to Hoover's ears, since he was a rabid anti-Communist. In addition, in a strange twist in politics, LBJ received and used the help of Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican candidate for president in 1944 and 1948. Dewey became fed up with Goldwater's brand of conservatism. LBJ was happy to receive Dewey's help and used Dewey to finalize and draft the report of the FBI's findings, because Dewey still enjoyed the well-deserved reputation as a crime fighter from his days as New York's district attorney in the 1930's. O'Reilly's research showed just how paranoid LBJ was over the riots. During the summer LBJ was making so many phone inquiries, that he had a direct phone line installed into the bedroom of Cartha D. DeLoach, the Assistant Director of the FBI, who was serving as the FBI's liaison to the White House. One of several actions that the FBI took in September at LBJ's behest, was to leak to the media the FBI report that Dewey had drafted, which "was intended to defuse Goldwater's law-and-order politicking and to recapture those lost votes" (94). LBJ was even able to get Hoover, a staunch conservative, to support the War on Poverty in the report. Unexpectedly, Hoover and Dewey were both restrained in the report when it came to placing blame for the riots on Communist or radical agitators. They agreed that the riots were not started by these radical elements, but only received some support from them after they were initiated. This aspect of the report turned out to be quite accurate. The report came as a total surprise to conservatives because it emphasized poverty and discrimination as the causes of the riots, and not race or radical agitators. In addition, in a stunning rebuke to the charges of the Goldwater campaign, the FBI report supported Johnson's Great Society programs as the best response to the riots. The FBI report served the purpose for what LBJ intended. It was not written to stress any public policy, but was effectively used by LBJ to help stymie Goldwater's presidential campaign. The interesting question that O'Reilly answers is "at what price?"

Although LBJ was elated with both Hoover's and the FBI's support, history has proven that Hoover's acquiescence to LBJ would ultimately come at a high price to the Johnson administration, as well as the American people. "Only Hoover had it both ways. He managed to tell the president what he wanted to hear...and also to expand his bureaucracy's surveillance responsibilities" (98). After LBJ's re-election, he was continually plagued with riots across the country, and in response, he turned to the FBI to train local and state police in anti-riot tactics at the FBI academy. Once again, this rebounded to Hoover's advantage in increasing his budget and bureaucracy. During the summer of 1967, over 150 disturbances, from arson and looting to major riots and shootings, broke out in Black neighborhoods across the country. This activity caused conservatives to blame yet again LBJ's Great Society programs as the cause. LBJ's reaction was to press Hoover and his FBI to dig up information on radical elements within the civil rights movement, which again, Hoover was happy to oblige. He demanded an ever-increasing budget to correspond with the increase in responsibility of having to use FBI agents to infiltrate civil rights organizations. Unbeknownst to LBJ, by 1968 Hoover also started to funnel information to the Nixon campaign on radicals within the various civil rights organizations.

Thus, LBJ proved to be another in the long line of presidents who turned to Hoover and the FBI for illegal involvement in domestic political matters. LBJ, the consummate politician of his time, thought he could control Hoover; however, Hoover outmaneuvered him and succeeded in pursuing his own bureaucratic and political agenda. O'Reilly's article serves as one of the many examples why Hoover so skillfully held onto his job for so long.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history.

A insight into Cointelpro.......2002-10-10

This books details the relationship of The FBI and its director J. Edgar Hoover with Black America. It is clear from reading this book, that the FBI was the enemy. It only supported Civil Rights because of popular opinion. The FBI investigated the Viola Luizzo and Mississippi murders because whites were murdered and a FBI informant was riding in the car with the murderers of Mrs. Luizzo. This book shows how Hoover used his prestige during the 1960's riots to undermine Lyndon Johnson and help elect Richard Nixon. In addition to the character assination of Dr. King, this book details the harassment of the Black movement in general. The operations against The Black Panther Party are also in this book. This book is worth reading.

It's worth the purchase........2000-10-06

To answer the reviewer's question, it's worth the purchase. I read this book when I was a high school student working at a public library. I came across it and read word for word what the author has written. The spearhead of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, were instigators of the civil rights movement, slandering prominent and potent leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and bringing down the Black Panther's Party.

As I read this book at the bus station, a sister sitting next to me wanted to know what I was reading. I showed her the book title and the author. Her response was, "You can't believe everything the white man says." If she read this book, she would definitely believe what the author says!

how about an on-line review of the book so that we can deter.......1999-11-03

determine if its worth purchasing or no

What Americans Know about Politics and Why It Matters

Average customer rating:

Why this book Matters
Who Knows What and Why
an important book
Revealing

What Americans Know about Politics and Why It Matters
Michael X. Delli Carpini , and Scott Keeter
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0300072759

Customer Reviews:

Why this book Matters.......2004-04-25

knowledge scales and political sophistication are key variables in social science studies that often are used without really thinking about what they mean or measure. This book provides insight into this problem and real solutions to solve it, in addition to the primary context of how informed americans are about politics. Great work and a must have for any collection.

Who Knows What and Why.......2004-03-09

Anyone interested in the knowledge levels of the American public, especially in terms of political opinions and where that type of knowledge comes from, will find this book very informative and rewarding. Delli Carpini and Keeter have accumulated a very well researched and documented mass of data concerning what the American people know about many different categories of politics. In an enlightening fashion they break down political knowledge not just into different categories of information, but also by demographic categories in the general population. We find that socio-economic status is as important to political knowledge levels as personal interest or media exposure, leading to occasionally worrisome conclusions about how average people can truly make a difference.

This book does sometimes lapse into unnecessarily complex statistical models rife with under-explained regression analyses and coefficients (which should have been relegated to the Appendix section), while the writing style tends to be repetitive and is generally very verbose. Meanwhile, the conclusive analysis of "why it matters" is a bit rushed at the end of the book. But regardless of those issues, this book shows convincingly that the American public's knowledge of their own nation's politics is both more complex than may be expected, but that their knowledge is not always put to the most effective uses. Happily, the authors show that citizens typically do not consign political perceptions into simplistic liberal vs. conservative and black-and-white ideologies, as you may guess from the behavior of politicians and the media. However, we can also see here that the knowledge of the American masses is not frequently put to the best of uses, either by themselves or their leaders. [~doomsdayer520~]

an important book.......2000-10-11

*What Americans Know About Politics and Why It Matters* is an important book in that it reveals how informed voters have more stable, consistent opinions and are much more resistant to irrelevant information (such as commentary in the media and campaign rhetoric, sound bites, and photo ops). It also reveals that informed voters hold opinions that more closely match those of the Founders of the United States -- including personal responsibility and limited federal powers -- than do those who are ignorant of the issues.

Revealing.......1999-08-12

I thought it showed the ignorance of the American voter, and the dire need for voter education. In my opinion, the average American urgently needs voter education. I believe that voter education will produce a Democratic majority, and this book gave me data to back up my beliefs.

Money Matters Participants Guide: Financial Freedom for All God's Children

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Money Matters Participants Guide: Financial Freedom for All God's Children
Michael Slaughter , and Kim Miller
Manufacturer: Abingdon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Money & Values | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0687495350

Book Description

Imagine feeling free from financial worry, free from debt, and free from the never-ending pressures of juggling all those financial demands. Imagine…feeling in control of your finances. Money Matters: Financial Freedom for all God's Children shows you how to do God's math, which is based on spiritual principles found in Scripture. God's math results in: . Debt-Free Living . Focus & Planning . A Disciplined Lifestyle . Easy Simplicity . Surrender & Trust . Creating versus Consuming . Stewardship Versus Ownership . Generosity "I have observed how the grip of materialism can strangle a person and an organization. The only cure is understanding and applying God's principles of stewardship and generosity. Money DOES matter. Learn from Mike, one of the best teachers of our time, how to get in sync with God's game plan."—Bob Buford, Founding Chairman, Leadership Network "Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."—John Wesley "I have observed how the grip of materialism can strangle a person and an organization. The only cure is understanding and applying God's principles of stewardship and generosity. It's all there in the Bible. Money DOES Matter. Learn from Mike, one of the best teachers of our time, how to get in sync with God's game plan." — Bob Buford, Founding Chairman, Leadership Network Contents

The Focus of Heart DEVOTION Chapter 1 - A Faith-filled Focus Chapter 2 - Devoted to Our Rightful Owner Chapter 3 - Surrender, Trust, and Freedom

The Commitment to DEBT-FREE Living Chapter 4 - Stewardship 101 Chapter 5 - Steps to Debt-free Living

The Practice of a DISCIPLINED Lifestyle Chapter 6 - Creators vs. Consumers Chapter 7 - Lifestyles of the Disciplined and Generous

Book Description

This anthology brings together the personal stories of patients, physicians, policy makers, and others whose writings humanize discussions and deliberations about health policy.

Drawn from the popular "Narrative Matters" column in the journal Health Affairs, the essays epitomize the policy narrative, a new genre of writing that explores health policy through the expression of personal experiences. Forty-six articles focus on such topics as the hard financial realities of medical insurance, AIDS, assisted suicide, marketing drugs, genetic engineering, organ transplants, and ethnic and racial disparities in the health care system. The narratives raise ethical and moral issues that are being studied in many of our nation's medical schools.

This compelling collection provides important insight into the human dimensions of health care and health policy.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Splendid!.......2006-12-05

As this book's preface reminds us, the plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence." However, first-person accounts can do much to uncover the realities behind statistics and policy statements. The stories collected here, all from the highly-respected journal Health Affairs, are enormously valuable in this regard. They open up for the reader the conflicts, shortcomings, and heartaches with which our healthcare system is filled. I'll be using this as a supplementary textbook in all the medical ethics classes I teach.

The Way Out: The Gay Man's Guide to Freedom No Matter if You're in Denial, Closeted, Half In, Half Out, Just Out or Been Around the Block

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Great!
Should be read by every gay man
The Easy Way Out
Inspirational

The Way Out: The Gay Man's Guide to Freedom No Matter if You're in Denial, Closeted, Half In, Half Out, Just Out or Been Around the Block
Chris Nutter
Manufacturer: HCI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0757303927

Book Description

Christopher Lee Nutter came out of the closet in 1994 with a bang in a brutally honest essay for Details magazine, thrusting him into the spotlight as an unofficial mentor to gay men across the country.

Twelve years later in this edgy memoir, Nutter chronicles his journey from closeted Southern boy to gay New York bartender and party boy, sharing everything he's learned about how gay men are taught to see themselves in a fundamentally destructive way. Assaulted with programming from the "gay" and "straight" worlds alike, gay men are left to ask themselves, Am I the coolest, sexiest, trendiest thing ever, or an illegitimate cancer on society?

Nutter contests that gay men are neither, but rather conscious beings on the path to realizing that they have the power to create their lives according to their own will rather than the will of the world, or the illusion of their fears. Part memoir, part philosophy, The Way Out gives tools tailored to the reality of gay men's daily existence-whether it's in the boardroom, the bedroom or the steam room- so that they can connect to this power, and in the process, discover the love, freedom and happiness they long for and deserve.

Customer Reviews:

Great!.......2006-07-31

I read this book five times and I learned something new every time. Give this book to someone you love.

Should be read by every gay man.......2006-06-20

The Way Out is a superb guide for gay men who want to achieve true freedom and peace of mind in their sexuality and relationships, and ultimately, the liberation promised by the greatest spiritual teachers of past and present. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I sincerely believe that nearly every gay man would profit tremendously by reading it and taking its recommendations seriously.

Nutter doesn't attempt to impose a new paradigm onto what it means to be gay, but rather helps us realize the importance of breaking out of ALL limiting paradigms so that we can be truly free. And yes, this is possible! Like the author, I've tasted it myself. As Nutter points out, it's only our unexamined beliefs that cause us pain and apparent limitation. Anybody who doesn't understand this has not yet taken the time to look at and critically examine his or her beliefs. And if the idea of doing this makes you uncomfortable, which it might, it's probably because you're just holding onto a belief about what it might mean.

The Way Out is NOT just another "coming out" guidebook. While it treats coming out with great depth and clarity, it the only book I know of that takes the idea of "coming out" ALL the way -- right through complete self-acceptance into self-liberation. This is the only true liberation possible for anyone, straight or gay.

Nutter has obviously navigated a challenging life road, and he candidly shares his fascinating stories with humility, honesty, humor and the clarity born of the willingness to follow one's own truth. Doing so has brought him enormous wisdom for a man still in his 30's. At 41, I've been following my own path of freedom for many years, but Nutter's book has offered me insights that I crucially needed. I completely agree with the subtitle to the book which suggests that any gay, bi or questioning man can profit from reading it, no matter how in or out of the closet he is.

In fact, if this book becomes the hit it deserves to be, the dominant gay culture, which as Nutter suggests can be as oppressive as straight culture, might change overnight. Buy this book, read it, be inspired by it, dive into your depths, find what is true before and beyond all the garbage in your mind (garbage imposed by straight culture and gay culture, but particularly our own minds), and realize freedom. Then give this book to others so that they can find freedom as well.

In closing, the only limitation I will ascribe to The Way Out is that the author does not explicitly recommend additional readings on the subject of spiritual freedom (although I realize this may have been an editorial decision). Interested readers of this book may want to consult Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" (the biggest-selling spiritual book of the century so far, and one which Nutter quotes in the text), and also Byron Katie's "Loving What Is," which would be an extremely helpful companion to the type of liberating inquiry into one's pain-inducing beliefs that Nutter recommends. The teachings of these two authors will complement perfectly Nutter's inspiring teachings on freedom in the final part of his marvelous book.

The Easy Way Out.......2006-06-09

I am a gay man but not a "book reader" (although I read a bunch of classics for school...). When I picked up this book, something told me this was not an ordinary book.. And after reading it twice I can attest that the rare combination Nutter created betrween personal journal and advice is truly magical and very easy to read. Although my own personal experiences were different than his, the way he writes allows you to apply the Wisdom he offers to your own life. It helped me a great deal.

Inspirational.......2006-05-18

Christopher Nutter's book is truly inspirational. I am not a gay man. In fact, I am a straight woman. But the information contained in Mr. Nutter's real life stories, and his journey toward self realization is brilliant and thought provoking for everyone. I recommend this book for you to read, or, at the very least, to purchase for a gay friend or family member. You will not be disappointed.

Media Concentration and Democracy: Why Ownership Matters (Communication, Society and Politics)

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Concentrating on Concentration

Media Concentration and Democracy: Why Ownership Matters (Communication, Society and Politics)
C. Edwin Baker
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0521687888

Book Description

Firmly rooting its argument in democratic and economic theory, the book argues that a more democratic distribution of communicative power within the public sphere and a structure that provides safeguards against abuse of media power provide two of three primary arguments for ownership dispersal. It also shows that dispersal is likely to result in more owners who will reasonably pursue socially valuable journalistic or creative objectives rather than a socially dysfunctional focus on the â€~bottom lineâ€™. The middle chapters answer those agents, including the Federal Communication Commission, who favor â€~deregulationâ€™ and who argue that existing or foreseeable ownership concentration is not a problem. The final chapter evaluates the constitutionality and desirability of various policy responses to concentration, including strict limits on media mergers.

Customer Reviews:

Concentrating on Concentration.......2007-05-05

This book is not for beginners, but will provide much more intellectual coverage of media ownership issues for any concerned activist influenced by the works of Ben Bagdikian, Robert McChesney, and the like. This book can also be seen as a more technical, but somewhat less illuminating, sequel to Beker's previous manifesto, the more expansive "Media, Markets, and Democracy." In this latest book, Baker advances a quite unique legal/economic analysis while zeroing in on specific matters of media ownership. Baker agrees with the critical media analysts who see trouble for democracy in the recent concentration of media, and here he goes beyond mere criticism into the deeper matters of law and economics that have caused the problem, and the legal and economic tools that could potentially solve the problem. The first chapter of this book is a fascinating economic analysis of the corporate media and its behavior, and why such trends are having measurable impacts on egalitarian democracy. The subsequent chapters debunk claims that media concentration is not really a problem, or a problem that will be easily corrected by free markets or the Internet. (Baker's analysis of the politicized and uncorroborated faith in mythical free markets is especially insightful.) Baker also provides in-depth coverage of the First Amendment issues of media ownership, and finally advances several fairly plausible policy solutions that are based on real legal precedents and feasible readings of the law.

Unfortunately, this book is not as strongly presented as Baker's previous works. Here the writing style is highly padded and repetitive, with excessive previews of upcoming sections and reviews of previous chapters. Another issue is occasional quantitative analyses that appear forced and awkward. Also, Baker builds much of his arguments by debunking other theorists, most notably Benjamin Compaine and to a lesser extent Bruce Owen, in a fashion that will probably lead to a ruinous intellectual arms race. This book will be most useful as a research supplement for those who have been influenced by Baker's established theoretical work on media patterns and the health of American democracy, especially the matters covered in this book's stronger predecessor. [~doomsdayer520~]

Quantum Many Particle Systems (Advanced Book Classics)

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Clear, precise, and modern
An important book for beginner cond-mat physicists and more.

Quantum Many Particle Systems (Advanced Book Classics)
John W. Negele , and Henri Orland
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Waves & Wave Mechanics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0738200522

Book Description

This volume explains the fundamental concepts and theoretical techniques used to understand the properties of quantum systems used to understand the properties of quantum systems having large numbers of degrees of freedom. A number of complimentary approaches are developed, including perturbation theory; nonpurturbative approximations based on functional integrals; general arguments based on order parameters; symmetry, and Fermi liquid theory; and stochastic methods. Each approach provides its own insights and quantitative capabilities, and in conjunction provide a powerful framework for understanding a wide variety of physical systems. Written at a level for graduate students with no prior background in manybody theory, this classic text is intended for physicists in solid state physics, field theory, atomic physics, condensed matter physics, quantum chemistry, and nuclear physics.

Customer Reviews:

Clear, precise, and modern.......2002-09-11

A great physics book for field theory applied to condensed
matter and sometimes nuclear physics problems. The authors
are EXTREMELY careful mathematically and really don't skip
any steps or shove stuff under the rug; in fact, the first
chapter is just all math about how to do integrals and path
integrals and field integrals and deal with Grassman numbers.
A bit unusual for a physics book, but that's their style.

The rest of the book deals with the usual and other material:

zero-temperature Green's functions and perturbation theory
(for energy, Green's function, etc.) The treatment is detailed
and relatively exhaustive. Then there is the same for finite-
temperature. The earlier sections on linear response are
concise and one of the best treatments of the subject I have
seen leading directly to the fluctuation dissipation expression
(after this book I realized this vaunted "fluctuation-dissipation" that no one can explain is just
a straightforward thing about commutators and pert. theory).

The book also has other good stuff: a chapter on mean field theory, Landau-Ginzburg theory, order parameters, and a nice
discussion about spontaneous symmetry breaking that helps
clarify a bunch of stuff. Then there is a whole chapter on
further aspects of one-particle Green's functions (Dyson
equation, solving for poles, quasiparticles, satellites, etc.)
that is pretty good and gets the physical point across. There
is also a chapter on statistical (monte carlo, numerical, etc.)
methods for doing quantum many body problems. While some of
the methods are not the most up to date or modern, the basics
are all there (Monte Carlo, Hubbard-Strataonvich (spelling?),
inverting matrices via Monte Carlo, some stuff about lattice
systems, Langevin equation simulation for Monte Carlo, updating
problems, etc.) There is also a chapter on more advanced
functional integration stuff. Also there is a nice description
of the loop expansion and whatnot.

The book is very well written, has no errors as far as I can
tell, and is exhaustive on what it treats. The problems at
the end of the first few chapters deal with physics problems
and help build intuition whereas the texts in these chapters
are more formal. The book could use some more physical insights
sprinkled throughout, but that is not too much of a drawback.

The book is based on functional integration (Feynman integral)
methods for field theory: this is the modern way folks do it
and it is a powerful way of doing field theory both to
derive results, connect results, do expansions and what not,
and also for certain kinds of monte carl computations. So
having read this, the reader is up to date on a pretty modern
view of field theory in condensed matter (and somewhat on
nuclear physics).

Highly recommended unless you can't stand precise and long
mathematical treatments. My only misgiving is that sometimes
I wish the authors provided more physical insights for certain
concepts and gave some examples rather than "just the math";
but they do this in other parts of the book, so perhaps
my complaint, which is not that serious, is more about the
uneven way this is done. Nevertheless, this is 5/5 and a book
you will read many times and learn from many times.

An important book for beginner cond-mat physicists and more........2000-04-10

A very good introduction to the many particle systems, includes all from the basics of coherent states to very complex parts of theory.

This War Really Matters: Inside the Fight for Defense Dollars

Average customer rating:

The Future of an Illusion
A literate, lucid masterpiece

This War Really Matters: Inside the Fight for Defense Dollars
George C. Wilson
Manufacturer: CQ Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1568024606

Book Description

Drawing on nearly 40 years of news writing focused on military issues, George C. Wilson takes the reader through a fascinating, but little understood, process: how the Pentagon and Congress spend $500,000 a minute on guns and soldiers. Interweaving personal stories and insights from the major players throughout a fast-paced narrative, Wilson provides an inside look at how the 105th Congress and the Pentagon battled for a 250 billion dollar defense budget.

Wilson demystifies the "realpolitik" among the individual armed forces and highly partisan members of Congress, as well as civilian and military leaders, thus giving a sense of the trade-offs involved on all sides. Exclusive interviews with major players--including Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, Rep. David R. Obey, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hugh H. Shelton--relate their distinctive perspectives on how Congress allocates and the Pentagon spends defense dollars.

Wilson takes a look ahead--with a critical eye--to the wars of the next century and asks tough questions: Are we ready for future wars or are we still preparing for the last war, the Cold War? Does the Pentagon need more money? Or can it really do its job with less?

Customer Reviews:

The Future of an Illusion.......2000-04-24

Try reading this book. It incites the desire in me to shrink it down to something else, like any psychiatrist would approach a case of psychotic multiplicity. There are a number of individuals with credible positions presented in this book, and the summaries of those positions express matters that are highly important. The problem with the story is that, instead of hinging on the things that are important, the whole picture is in danger of becoming unhinged whenever a decision approaches the bottom line. This is like great art which has no conception that the whole world might see this picture and consider it absolutely nukers. As crazy as all the other nukers in the world might seem to us, it takes a lot of effort to keep from applying the same judgment to the system which inflicts the costs mainly on ourselves. There are things in this book, like William Greider's comment about "payoffs for layoffs" on page 200, which make it too obvious which bottom line matters. His personal suggestion to "turn out the lights rather than waste all this money waiting for world war three" (p. 201) is coupled with his knowledge of officers who "question this choice of toys over boys" (p. 202) because of what's happening: "they're being rolled by the industry." (p. 202) Even Wilson has to report that "There are too many fiefdoms." (p. 202) That might be the main conclusion here, except that it is followed by some comment about a president who would rather "chat by the side of the road until a compromise route is agreed upon." (p. 203) The index doesn't have an entry for "depleted uranium" weapons, but we are still planning for some part of the world to become a dumping ground for our bombs, and it is highly unlikely that there will be much of a chat by the side of the road before the choice of mistakes on where we can hurt our enemies the most is made. The story of how "the American military's fighting edge was being lost for lack of money" (p. 90) hardly makes sense in a world that keeps complaining when we do destroy things.

A literate, lucid masterpiece.......1999-12-06

George C. Wilson is simply the best reporter alive writing about the American military. THIS WAR REALLY MATTERS brings into the cold light of day the federal budgetary process and its effect on national defense issues. The book is relatively short--just twelve chapters--and is written in the clear, easy-to-understand style of the professional reporter Wilson certainly is. He tackles the tough questions: Why is the military orgainzed the way it is? Does it have the weapons it needs to fight now and in the future? Why and how are new weapons systems procured? As you might suspect, Wilson confirms, It's the money, Stupid! THIS WAR REALLY MATTERS is a literate, lucid masterpiece that should be read by every military officer and candidate for federal office. It should also be read and re-read by every student interested in the way decisions are made in a major democracy.

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