Customer Reviews:
Appeasement is not a new policy .......2006-08-02
Brzezinski and Gates seem to think that Iran is some Middle Eastern version of the Girl Scouts. i.e If one talks nicely and politely to them they will respond by providing nice goodies in return. But the fact , which Brezinski and Gates underplay is that Iran is a radical Muslim regime which is driven by Ideology. It is not a ' realpolitik player' in some chessboard game of international relations. It is rather a fanatically committed regime whose aim is overthrow of the United States, culturally as well as politically.
Brezinski and Gates show no sign of urgency in regard to impending Iranian nuclear weapons. And this when it is clear that a nuclear Iran not only threatens domination of the Gulf, and world oil resources, but has vast new potentialities for achieving its major aims, including destruction of Israel and eventually the United States. A nuclear Iran means a nuclear- arms - race throughout the world, and the end to non- proliferation.
There are works that make us see deeper into the military and political realities- and those which hide the severity of the real problems by opting for non- realistic , and simplistic solutions. This book gives much evidence of belonging to the
latter category.
Book Description
Frederick Douglass, born a slave, educated himself, escaped, and made himself one of the greatest leaders in American history. His brilliant anti-slavery speeches were so fiercely intelligent, and so startlingly eloquent, that many people didn't believe he had been a slave. To prove them wrong, Douglass decided to write his own story. His autobiographical narratives stunned the world, and have shocked, moved, and inspired readers ever since. Here, complete for the first time in one authoritative volume, are the three powerful and gripping stories, now recognized as classics of American writing. Fascinating firsthand accounts of slavery and abolitionism, John Brown and Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Reconstruction, and the emerging struggle for civil rights, they are above all the inspiring story of a self-made American: a slave who became adviser to the President, minister to Haiti, and the most influential black American of the nineteenth century.
Customer Reviews:
One of my relatives.......2005-04-07
- As an author myself, I recommend that you purchase this book for personal study. "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" is a fascinating book and video that helped me understand one of my relatives.
Author. "Knowledge For Tomorrow" Quinton Douglass Crawford
The Life of a Free Man.......2002-09-05
Frederick Douglass (1818?-1895) was the greatest African American leader of the Nineteenth Century. He was born a slave on the Eastern Shore in Maryland and grew up on plantations on the Eastern Shore with several years in Baltimore. He was a physically powerful, highly intelligent, and spirited youth and developed quickly a hatred of the slave system. As a slave, he taught himself to read and write, and learned the art of public speaking from the church and from a book of orations popular at the time that feel into his hands. He escaped from slavery at the age of 20 and moved to New Bedford,Massachusetts. He became part of the Abolitionist Movement and achieved fame as a public speaker. He became a newspaper editor and writer. During the Civil War, he assisted in the recuritment of black troops. He met President Lincoln on several occasions and became a great admirer. In later years, Douglass was aligned with the conservative "stalwart" wing of the Republican party and continued to speak out for the rights of African-Americans, to oppose (somewhat belatedly) the end of Reconstruction, and to work for the life of the spirit and the mind.
Frederick Douglass wrote three autobiographies which are given in this volume. The first, shortest, and best was written in 1845, seven years after Douglass had escaped from slavery. It tells in graphic and unforgettable terms the story of Douglass' life as a slave, the growth of the spirit of freedom in himself. and the early part of his life as a free man in New Bedford.
The second autobiography was written in 1855. It repeats much of the earlier story and describes Douglass's visit to Great Britain. A higlight of this volume is the Appendix in which Douglass gives the reader excerpts from several of his speeches, including his perhaps most famous speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July."
Douglass wrote his third autobiography in 1888 and edited it substantially in 1893. It describes Douglass's relationship with Abraham Lincoln and John Brown. I also enjoyed the section of the book in which Douglass describes his trip to England, Italy, and Egypt near the end of his life. It is highly intelligent, perceptive and reflective travel writing. There are also excerpts in this final autobiography from Douglass's speeches and letters.
The most striking incident in all three volumes is Douglass's story of how he stood up for himself and became in his own eyes a man of dignity and courage. Douglass had been sent for a year to live with a small farmer named Covey who had a reputation for breaking the sprit of strong-willed slaves. Covey whipped Douglass unmercifully for the first six months. Then, after a whipping which left Douglass scared and weak for several days (he ran back to his old master who ordered him back to Covey) Douglass fought back. Covey attempted to whip Douglass and Douglass resisted. The two men fought hand-to-hand for hours. Douglass could not assume the offensive in the fight (it was enough to resist at all) but more than held his ground and had the better of it. Covey at last walked off and never whipped Douglass again. This incident is strikingly told in each autobiography and marks the moment when Douglass showed he could stand up for himself and not have the spirit of a slave. It is inspiring and it grounded his actions for the rest of his life.
There is much in these books that transcends the resistance against American slavery, utterly important as that is. We have, as I have tried to explain, in this book the voice of personal freedom and self-determination which is something every person must learn and undestand for him or herself in deciding how to live. In addition,I get the impression that as Douglass aged he became increasingly committed to the life of the mind and the spirit. This is apparent from his writing and from his interest in travel, in European high culture, art, literature, and music. Douglass learned the meaning for freedom. He tried to devote himself to matters of the spirit in addition to his lifelong quest to improve the lot of the former slave. I think there is still a great deal to be learned here.
Douglass had much to say about the nature of American freedom and democracy. He loved and had faith in them, in spite of the horrible stain of slavery. Here is a wonderful observation from the third autobiography in which Douglass' describes his activities during the Presidential campaign of 1888.
"I left the discussion of the tariff to my young friend Morris, while I spoke for justice and humanity....I took it to be the vital and animating principle of the Republican party. I found the people more courageous than their party leaders. What the leaders were afraid to teach, the people were brave enough and glad enough to learn. I held that the soul of the nation was in this question, and that the gain of all the gold in the world would not compensate for the loss of the nation's soul. National honor is the soul of the nation, and when this is lost all is lost. ... As with an individual, so too with a nation, there is a time when it may properly be asked "What doth it profit to gain the whole world and therby lose one's soul?"
There is a spirit and a wisdom in Douglass that still has much to teach.
As a man of the Nineteenth Century, Douglass tells us little in his autobiographies of his personal life. Upon his escape from slavery, Douglass married a free, uneducated black woman. Upon her death, Douglass married a white woman, which (as we see briefly in the book) caused shock among American whites and blacks alike. We also see little of Douglass' relationship to his children. The reader who would like to learn more about Douglass' personal life needs to read a biography, such as William McFeeley's "Frederick Douglass" (1891)
Douglass' autobiographies are are precious work of American literature and a testimony to the free human spirit.
one of the founding American novels.......2000-05-30
Once you read Douglass's narrative, you will be surprised that Douglass learned enough to be able to write the first narrative written by an uneducated slave. This is one of the most moving narratives you can read -- I challenge any reader to read this and not understand the irony of the white people supressing black people's accomplishments for hundreds of years. The story of Fredrick Douglas in inspiring on many different levels. Once you read it, any reader will understand why this is mandatory reading in any American literature course. It is impossible to understand life after the Civil War without reading this moving, touching novel about how a slave learned how to read and write. Douglass's autobiography is a great literary achievement which should be savored by all who read it both as a historical and literary document.
Excellence in Achievement through the Human Spirit.......1997-09-17
This account of Frederick Douglass'
life and time by Henry Louis Gates
is the personifaction of Excellence
in Achievement through the Human Spirit.
In spite of the hardships of slavery, Frederick Douglass continued his fight for freedom. His dynamic oratory and leadership helped him to move barriers for all people. This self educated man rose to great prominence to serve as a testament to the world that if you have courage, persistence and faith in God, you can achieve anything that you set your mind to. He knew the power of education and the spoken and written word, which is manifested in his creating the NorthStar newspaper to communicate to others. Of course you have to have mortal men who believe in you and your abilities.
I believe that Mr. Gates captures this strength, this conviction and the essence of Mr. Douglass' spirit and his commitment to make a better life for himself and others like him. His dynamic use of the language allows you to feel conviction and essence of Mr. Douglass' concern. It was like listening to Mr. Douglass speak to me through those pages.
I found this book very intriguing and educational. It has something for the world to learn from.
Thanks to Mr. Gates and others for bringing this great American (World) hero to the forefront. We need to know and share in the histor and spiriti of this great man. By the way I was named after Frederick Douglass. I strive to be like him as much as I can. I am still working on my oratory!
Hard work and a positive attitude prevail.......1997-03-09
Frederick Douglass is a role model for all mankind. He showed us how we can do anything we want in life if we are persistant and have the right attitude. Having nothing in life, not even a chance to become educated, he used every situation as an advantage for himself. He remained positive in adverse situations, had a good work ethic and is a person all races should take lessons from and succeed
Amazon.com
Gates, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993, began in an entry level position and rose to the top. His insider's account of the Cold War, CIA operations and the unraveling of the Soviet Union is sprinkled with revelations including the fact that 1983 was the most dangerous year in U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations and that both the CIA and KGB sponsored countless "black operations" designed to embarrass and discredit the other side. Gates also reveals that he secretly met with KGB foreign operations chief Vladimir Kryuchkov on two separate occasions and how the CIA often acted in contempt of Congress. While none of this may come as a huge surprise, it never fails to shock when it's laid out in black and white by someone who was on the inside.
Customer Reviews:
"From the Shadows" by Robert M. Gates.......2007-10-01
Absolutely fascinating! Mr. Gates is an excellent writer and is able to make complicated information easy to follow. And what an insight he gave to the Presidents he worked for; he didn't have an axe to grind with any of them, even though they represented both political parties.
This is a book I enjoyed so completely that I hated to reach the end of it. It will be on my personal "re-read" list. No wonder Mr. Gates was selected to become Secretary of Defense in our nation's hour of need.
Engages the eyes and mind.......2006-11-17
Rarely do you run across a historical book that is so chocked full of names, dates and acronyms that engages your mind as you push to reader faster. Gates delivers great insight wrapped in words that are illustrative of the push and pull of power players - within and between government bodies - domestic and global. If you are curious about the claims of one party or the other concerning the end of the Cold War, then this book will prove to be enlightening. All contributed to the demise, but perhaps none more than the Soviets themselves. Great read. Engaging. Insightful. Illuminating. Perhaps now more than ever before this a read that helps look at the challenges we, as a global community, face today. Buy it. Read it. Gain perspective.
View from the inside.......2006-10-01
The CIA is probably the one institution that the US President controls the most; or so this book argues. Robert M. Gates spent over two decades working at the CIA, and is one of the few career officials who came in near the bottom and rose all the way to the top. This book is his memoir, and recollection of how the CIA served 5 consecutive presidents in the Cold War. Starting with Richard Nixon, and ending with the first George Bush, Gates shows how each president used, and sometimes abused, the CIA to further their policies with regard to the USSR and communist parties around the world.
The major points one gets from this book are as follows. First, Carter was no wimp with regard to the USSR. Second, the most dangerous years of the Cold War did not end with Vietnam; they included some years in the 1980's. Third, the CIA consistently disregards the laws of the US. Fourth, the CIA often gets suckered into doing thing at the whim of the president that it later regrets. Last, the first George Bush was probably one of the best diplomats the US has seen in recent times. Over all, this was a very good book and I am glad I read it.
Intense Reading - great enjoyment.......2002-09-18
Excellent account of what really goes on from the inside of the govt. They say that truth is better than fiction. This is true in a big way in this book. You will recall many of the events in not too distant history. They come alive in this book and history makes more sense. Intense reading - be sure to underline the names to keep track of the huge cast of characters. A big Aggie thumb's up for this one!
Informative but dry.......2002-07-23
Gates had access to some of the most fascinating characters in the history of the Cold War. His observations are incisive and revealing about many of these personalities; however, his book often reads like one might imagine a CIA memo reads, rather dry. The book provides feedback on several important historical instances but it does not go into much depth on any. I do not recommend it as a book used to learn the history of that era. Instead I would read it to gain a further understanding of what went on behind the scenes.
In general, I find Gates to be an interesting character himself. He has some hilarious anecdotes about life in the CIA. Such as when he is walking up the steps of Air Force One and turns to flip off several of the top officials (I think it was) in Romania after they botch his passport. In addition to a often dry sense of humor he also seems to have a great deal of character and integrity.
Book Description
With the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Chinese laborers became the first group in American history to be excluded from the United States on the basis of their race and class. This landmark law changed the course of U.S. immigration history, but we know little about its consequences for the Chinese in America or for the United States as a nation of immigrants.
At America's Gates is the first book devoted entirely to both Chinese immigrants and the American immigration officials who sought to keep them out. Erika Lee explores how Chinese exclusion laws not only transformed Chinese American lives, immigration patterns, identities, and families but also recast the United States into a "gatekeeping nation." Immigrant identification, border enforcement, surveillance, and deportation policies were extended far beyond any controls that had existed in the United States before.
Drawing on a rich trove of historical sources--including recently released immigration records, oral histories, interviews, and letters--Lee brings alive the forgotten journeys, secrets, hardships, and triumphs of Chinese immigrants. Her timely book exposes the legacy of Chinese exclusion in current American immigration control and race relations.
Customer Reviews:
diatribe.......2005-12-05
Erika Lee is a very angry woman. Her diatribe on American immigration policy equates anyone who is concerned about porous borders , the enforcement of laws in a nation of laws, and containment of disease as being a racist. It's hardly fair. And it detracts from her history of immigration legislation and enforcement. Yes, the Chinese Exclusion Act was reprehensible. Yes, we were and are a nation filled with racial prejudices and hatreds.
Immigration restrictions on other ethnic groups, according to Lee, were reflections of a racist policy towards Asians. She admits that the numbers of Asian immigrants was historically small and generally confined to the west coast. She then invests California, and San Francisco in particular, with an enormous amount of political power which was used to restrict immigration throughout the country. Lee is not convincing in her contention that the immigration issue was driven purely by an irrational racist beliefs and concerns over invading Asian hordes. She did not fully explain how the United States Congress, 3,000 miles distant, and generally unaffected by Asian immigration would develop a policy arising out of racism towards a group of which they were barely aware.
Exclusion based upon race is wrong. Looking different, having different cultural traditions, and not speaking the dominant language of English were and are roadblocks for all immigrants, not just the Chinese. Lee is a constant apologist for behaving as an outsider while expecting to be treated as an insider. Blaming national policy decisions on racial attitudes is too simplistic. Lee could have made an argument which addressed the nativistic xenophobia that was prevalent in the Gilded Age which was partly due to the arrival of masses of southern and eastern European immigrants. She could have argued that the closing and consequent filling of the frontier caused concerns about immigration in general. She contends that Angel Island was more racist than Ellis Island. She is too quick to condemn.
Chapter Four does provide valuable information on Chinese coming to the United States as sojourners. She explains that the immigrants are not unskilled laborers, but rather people who could improve the nation. She provides a good comparison between unskilled Mexican and Asian immigrants who come to this country in order to provide for their families back in the home country. Although she describes how employers needed these laborers, she doesn't investigate the economic impact of taking earnings out of the country rather than investing them in the country. She also provides a good description of how the Chinese with the help of immigration attorneys sought to and often did circumvent the law. She seems to imply that if some people can find loopholes in laws, then the laws should be repealed, or that people who manage to arrive in this country illegally should be rewarded for their tenacity by receiving amnesty.
Lee has researched her subject thoroughly. Her list of oral and written primary documents is impressive. However, Lee's book graphically demonstrates the difficulty that the United States now has in reforming its immigration policies and enforcing its borders (what Lee refers to as gatekeepers). To paraphrase Robert Frost, good fences make good neighbors. It appears that a concern for national security will generate an automatic response that such concerns are racist rather than a practical solution to security issues.
Book Description
Dorothy Height's "thought-provoking story about what it takes to enact change and embody the spirit of liberation" (Black Issues Book Review)
Dorothy Height marched at civil rights rallies, sat through tense White House meetings, and witnessed every major victory in the struggle for racial equality. In her best-selling memoir, she walks us through her remarkable life of service and leadership. We witness her childhood encounters with racism and thrill at her New York college life during the Harlem Renaissance. We see her march against lynchings, sit with her onstage as Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I have a dream" speech, and watch as she leads the National Council for Negro Women for forty-one years, her diplomatic counsel sought by U.S. Presidents from Eisenhower to Clinton. The result is not just an inspirational account of one woman's fight for civil rights, but also "a poignant short course in a century of African-American history." (The New York Times Book Review)
An Essence Bestseller
A Black Issues Book Review bestseller
A Washington Post bestseller
A Dallas Morning News bestseller
A Boston Globe bestseller
A Denver Post bestseller
Customer Reviews:
A Stellar Role Model for Equal Rights & Social Change.......2006-01-18
Dorothy Height's accounts in this book are nothing short of massive inspiration and how to peacefully create social change and equality during the Civil Rights movement.
Her focus on creating new ways to reach people, pull together and band with others who also want to see equal rights in the most positive manner spans decades of tireless service.
I grew up and personally witnessed the "race riots" happening in public schools in the 1960's and vividly remember the unfair treatment of men and women of color, as well as how difficult it was during this era for people to move forward in the face of massive racial, sexual and gender stereotype.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Height's service. This book would make for excellent reading in schools to serve as an inspiration of what can be done, even when it seems impossible.
Deserves 10 stars as a memoir for leadership, inspiration, determination and the courage to make a lasting difference in America.
Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE and Know Yourself: A Woman's Guide to Wholeness, Radiance & Supreme Confidence
An african-american woman civil rights text book........2006-01-04
This book is great for American history buffs interested in reading an account of the civil rights struggle. Instead of being a memoir elaborating on her personal experience, Miss Height instead delivers an account of her witness of history. A public experience. I am sorry Miss Height merely "sratches the surface" and fails to elaborate when her tells the reader about her realationship with Martin Luther King, Jr. and other prominent leaders during the civil rights struggle. This book is void of any mention of intimate relationships with family or friends. In the last few pages of the book, Miss Height unsuccessfully attempts to compensate for this lack of forthcoming throughtout book by briefly telling the reader that she was close to her family and she had some friends throughout her life she loved like family.
Dorothy Height seized the day and made a huge difference.......2004-08-10
This book was fascinating, full of events that occurred in a time I lived through but never was aware of. It is like Dorothy Height was there behind the scenes connecting the dots of events and interweaving the people who were in the headlines. She has the gift of knowing the importance of bringing people of all kinds together and the skill to accomplish it. She never gave up when she was told not to do something because that is not how things have always been done or it is too risky.
I learned the term "Cotton Curtain"and about the bravery of a group of black and white women who conceived of and carried out the Wednesdays in Mississippi Project in 1964. "The specific goals of the project were to establish lines of communication among women of goodwill across regional and racial lines, to observe the COFO student projects and discuss them with local Mississippi women, and to lend a "ministry of presence" as witnesses to encourage compassion and reconciliation."
In talking with Fannie Lou Hamer, and knowing of the Heifer Project, Dorothy Height thought of the idea of setting up a pig bank in Mississippi. That idea was turned into a program with the advice of an Iowa farmer and the assistance of the Prentiss Institute. The National Council of Negro Women purchased 45 pigs. "Participating families were trained to care for pigs, to establish cooperatives, and to work together to improve the community's nutrition and health. Each participating family signed a "pig agreement", promising not to sell the pigs and to bring back two piglets from each litter to deposit in the bank."
Dorothy Height has never stopped working on the problem of racism. "Our young people ask why we have to keep trying to solve the problem of racism. Other people move on to other problems, but if you're black, you don't have that option. Your options are clear and limited:you either give up and go into drugs, or you work on racism for the rest of your life. In our society every setp African Americans take is seen in political terms...."
The recounting of the huge effort to buy the present home of The National Centers for African American Women at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue is inspiring and again speaks to Dorothy Height's tenacity. I am looking forward to visiting that building and the Bethune Museum and Archives to pay respect and honor for a life so well lived.
How Did We Get Here ?.......2004-01-15
If you'd like to gain an appreciation for a female perspective of the civil rights movement, this is a book for you. I was born in 1957 and came of age during a time when the equal rights struggle for all Americans came to the fore---people of color, gays & lesbians, female--were trying to gain a voice in society. Ms. Height speaks plainly of her involvement in projects that brought about fundamental changes in society. She relates her stories about change as it really happens: one person at a time, one family at a time, one small community at a time. Read and learn !
Superb!.......2004-01-03
A leader of profound courage & excellence is explained by her own words and features her lifelong attention to human dignity. You can't miss this window into the Civil Rights struggle of the century.
Book Description
An incisive, prophetic look at our increasing reliance on preemptive action—from profiling to preventive war.
Every so often, a startling book emerges that gives voice to a new or previously unexamined trend that is transforming society. Alan M. Dershowitz's provocative new work, Preemption, is just such a book, chronicling a paradigm shift in our approach to controlling destructive conduct. As he reveals, we are moving—whether in society's manner of fighting crime or in our response to terrorism—toward more preventive and proactive approaches and away from primary reliance on deterrent and reactive responses. Although the events of 9/11 have accelerated this revolutionary shift, Dershowitz compellingly documents that the seeds were planted much earlier. In this thought-provoking account, Dershowitz explores the historical origins of the change as well as its troubling implication for civil liberties, human rights, criminal justice, national security, and foreign policy.
About the series: Issues of Our Time: "Aware of the competition for the attention of readers, W. W. Norton & Company and I have created the "Issues of Our Time" as a lucid series of highly readable books through which some of today's most thoughtful intellectuals seek to challenge the general reader to reexamine received truths and grapple with powerful trends that are shaping the world in which we live. The series launches with Anthony Appiah, Alan Dershowitz, and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen as the first of an illustrious group who will tackle some of the most plangent and central issues defining our society today through books that deal with such issues as sexual and racial identities, the economics of the developing world, and the concept of citizenship in a truly globalized twenty-first-century world culture. Above all else, these books are designed to be read and enjoyed."—Henry Louis Gates Jr., W. E. B. DuBois Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University
Customer Reviews:
Cluck, Cluck - Nobody here but us chickens! .......2007-10-05
This book is informative and interesting but I prefer tough authors who don't chickens-out so much on difficult subjects. He raises a lot of age old difficult & sensitive questions about the morality of certain actions in trying situations- killing innocents to save many more innocents, reciprocal terrorism as deterrence, preemptive strikes, torture, etc - without venturing to give his own argued opinions on the what he would have done in these cases. It's easy & safe writing to mainly point out associated problems, considerations and difficulties but not offer much in the way of one's own opinion, specific solutions or conclusions that would get one yelled at. Just calling for some new jurisprudence is too safe. It's typical; Professors know how to avoid trouble.
sad, sad rationalization.......2007-08-19
I guess preemptive wars are OK after all. Never mind, that the author makes his case for Iraq which did NOT have any ties with Al Quaida (and was downright hostile towards it), did NOT possess any WMDs, and committed all those terrible crimes against humanity while it was allied to the US... The sad thing is that it was known before the invasion. At least if you opened your eyes. But the author justifies any attack on any country that MIGHT pose some danger in the far future. (Does the present warmongering against Iran pop in mind?)
So far the consensus was that preemptive wars are NEVER justified. Never. To turn this around is very-very dangerous. Look at the most prominent example.
After all, those pesky Poles were about to attack Germany, weren't they? Hitler had to protect his people.
I hope there is a hell, and these people will contemplate their ways causing suffering and death all over the world while burning there for eternity.
A must-read for the modern era.......2007-03-02
The tired argument that Israelis target civilans is ridiculous. Who else warns civilians before entering, and faces a cowardly "army" who wears civilian clothes is only a P.R statement by terrorists and not to be believed.
These are difficult times, and if a temporary limiting of personal freedoms is what it will take to rid the world of these new fascists and rerrorists, then it will have to be done. Mr. Dershowitz captures the essence of the problem, and offers concrete solutions. Imagine the "solutions" if and when the Islamists take over. Holocaust, anyone???
Another holow-attempt to justify torture and other attrocities by an Israeli attack-dog.......2007-01-25
This is just another one of his many works intended to justify torture, assasinations, pre-emptive invasions and other immoral activity. Mr. Dershowitz is shameless in his attempt to dress-up what almost any person would consider to be a despicable act into an intellectually justifiable approach.
It's almost a leftist approach to fascim. With enough moral relativism, even toruture children makes sense. I mean, wouldn't you torture an innocent 5 year-old boy if it meant preventing a nuclear attach? I know I wouldn't, but Mr. Dershowitz doesn't seemed to mind, and on the contrary, seems to delight in the endeless possibilities of horrors that one could conduct with a "noble ends" in mind.
We Don't Want to Go There.......2006-07-13
In this recently published book, Harvard law professor and lawyer Alan Dershowitz raises some questions about our fundamental assumptions about preventing harmful behavior from individuals and states. He asserts that in the age of terror traditional assumptions no longer suffice and that new tools of jurisprudence are needed to respond to a new kind of threat.
The traditional assumption has been to rely on the rational person standard of behavior which presupposes that a rational person would be deterred from inflicting harm by the threat of punishment. Under this theory the perpetrator would do a cost/benefit analysis of his or her actions and act accordingly. Now, however, in the age of suicidal terrorists with possible access to weapons of mass destruction this assumption no longer holds.
Given these circumstances, Dershowitz argues that there is now a potential need for profiling, preventative detention, forceful interrogation, restraint on free speech, targeted assasinations of terrorists, and preemptive military action. More importantly, he argues that we need a new jurisprudence to regulate these actions in these areas.
For Dershowitz the old maxim that it is better to release ten guilty than to detain one innocent no longer applies; it is better to detain one innocent then to let ten terrorist attacks occur.
The legal mechanism that Dershowitz proposes to regulate the actions of the state are as follows: "the seriousness of the contemplated harm, discounted by the unlikelihood that it would occur in the absence of preemption, would be greater than the likelihood of the harms caused by successful preemption, discounted by the likelihood (and costs) of failed (and successful) preemption." This cost/benefit analysis is a balancing of the probablities. In this balancing, there is obviously a wide margin for error. I can't really see the White House pondering this formula when considering preemptive action nor can I see them being held accountable to it.
Dershowitz also sees the problems with preemption; it is indeed a knife that cuts both ways. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel acted preemptively toward the gathering threat of the Arab countries when it was clear they were going to invade Israel. However, in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel was then an occupying force and preemption was no longer an option due to probable international condemnation.
In a more recent example, the United States military action in Iraq would have been justified to some extent had there been weapons of mass destruction and the regime's imminent intention to use them. Since none were found the entire project lacked international legitimacy. And the negative byproduct of this preemptive action, is that it has only emboldened Iran and North Korea to produce nuclear weapons while the United States can do nothing. It shows that preemptive action can lead not only to expensive and lengthy military actions, it can and will undermine future preemptive actions.
The problem with Dershowitz' new jurisprudence is that it opens the door to all kinds of abuse - some of which we are seeing already. Applying jurisprudence to the relations of states might work in the Kantian world of the European Union, but it will not work in the Hobbesian world of power politics. In the Hobbesian world we put our trust in the executive branch to carry out policy, and when that trust is betrayed we either vote them out of office or impeach them.
As for a new jurisprudence of preemption, we don't want to go there.
Book Description
Explains how the initiatory practices of the Ninja can be used to achieve self-mastery
• Uses the five human archetypes of lover, seeker, magus, soul warrior, and mystic
• Shows how to access kuji-kiri, the positive energy of the Ninja Godai, to dispel fear, disempowerment, and soul fatigue
The Ninja are a mysterious warrior elite said to be so spiritually advanced they knew the mind and will of God. Regarded with awe as masters of invisibility and “warriors of the shadow-self,” their legendary skills include the ability to command the elements and transform themselves into Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Void--the nothingness from which all things stem. In this book Ross Heaven reveals the training exercises and mental discipline used by the Ninja to develop these extraordinary physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual skills.
Central to Ninja philosophy is the understanding that there is no higher power than the actualized human being. The Ninja believe there are four gates to freedom, and to pass through them we must overcome four initiatory ordeals. Succeeding at these enables us to combat fear, find true power, clarify our vision, and overcome the soul fatigue that is at the root of our personal and social problems in order to embrace our positive energies and realize our talents.
Ross Heaven guides us through these four gateways with exercises and initiations that utilize the energy of the lover, seeker, magus, soul warrior, and mystic as well as dealing with their shadow manifestations that may be causing problems in our lives. We learn how to break the destructive habits of the past and create a bushido, a personal code to live by. Without initiation, we cannot access and channel our energies; they remain uncontrolled or even work against us. Ross Heaven provides the key that allows us to turn these elemental forces into allies.
Customer Reviews:
Extraordinary Initiatory Process to Power.......2007-01-18
This book is an essential for anyone who want to release their power from within, and apply it in real life. This book goes way beyond the mojo 2 buck spirituality. It's the real thing, with in-depth processes to realease fear, confusion,... it's a wonderful book. I have 20 years of spiritual experience in many domains, and soon to become a buddhist Sensei, and this book brought something to me. I give it 6 on 5 rating.
Ehh..............2007-01-06
lets just say i've spent my money better learning about ninja stuff from t.v.
self improvement and what not is good but i want to learn more about mind manipulation and how to really mess with peoples heads. but i mean if ur all meditative and stuff than go ahead get this book
Suckered into buying this book by the bogus reviews.......2006-12-19
This book was a major disapointment, after reading the hyped up reviews. I have learned one thing about the Amazon reviews, that: if the reviewer only has one review when you check their other reviews, Most likely they are friends or the author writing positive reviews on the book. Most of these reviews are hype by the author to sell his book. This book is a lot of airy-fairy new age type philosopy and very little to do with martial arts or Ninja. A lot of references to carlos castanada. Reads like a new age book. I couldnt even finish it. A waste of time/money.
a question.......2006-11-21
Does anyone know if this guy is Bujinkan, or is affiliated with Hatsumi or the Bujinkan, or any XKAN? Or is he some Ashida Kim type who just uses the "ninja" word to sell books?
A tight focus on mental and emotional self-improvement.......2006-10-07
The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja: Mastering The Four Gates Of Freedom by therapist and workshop leader Ross Heaven leads the reader on a journey to the spiritual philosophy of the Ninja, and its core tenet that there is no higher power than the actualized human being. Four initiatory ordeals lead the seeker through the confusion and fatigue of the soul that block the individual from realizing his or her full potential. Primarily a metaphysical self-help guide rather than a martial arts instruction book, The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja nonetheless offers a tight focus on mental and emotional self-improvement that can reap benefits in all walks of life.
Amazon.com
When word got out in 1995 that the U.S. Defense Department and CIA had funded efforts to read people's minds, the news understandably excited all sorts of derision and conspiracy theories. Who would imagine that the story behind the efforts is actually a fascinating tale about the possibilities of human potential? Paul H. Smith tells the story of the U.S. "psychic spying" program in his book Reading the Enemy's Mind. Smith doesn't come across as some flaky new-ager. He was a young U.S. Army intelligence officer and Arab linguist who had no previous interest in extra-sensory perception when he was recruited into the program code-named "Star Gate" in 1983. Over the next seven years, he became one of the army's premier "remote viewers" and the primary author of its training manual on the subject. He also served as a tactical intelligence officer in the 101st Airborne Division in Operation Desert Storm/Shield and got a Master's degree from the Defense Intelligence College.
In Reading the Enemy's Mind, Smith reveals that the military and intelligence communities performed hundreds of experiments and operational intelligence assignments using "remote viewing," the government's term for ESP. The program's first big success came in 1979 when a viewer found a downed Soviet bomber in Africa after other intelligence operatives had failed--a coup praised by President Jimmy Carter. The psychics received target assignments from virtually every U.S. national-security agency, and Smith says they produced numerous positive results. Smith's biggest revelation, however, is that the government research found that almost all people--not merely a gifted few--seem to have the potential of developing ESP skills, with enough practice and a few tips from a pro like Smith. Many readers will no doubt find it hard to know what to make of Reading the Enemy's Mind and whether to believe any of it, but Smith writes with both color and a measured tone that together produce a captivating yarn even for the non-believers out there. --Alex Roslin
Book Description
If you thought The Manchurian Candidate was fiction or John Farris's The Fury, which featured a CIA mind-control program run amok, was the stuff of an overheated imagination, you were sorely mistaken.From behind the cloak of U.S. military secrecy comes the story of Star Gate, the project that for nearly a quarter of a century trained soldiers and civilian spies in extra-sensory perception (ESP). Their objective: To search out the secrets of America's cold war enemies using a skill called "remote viewing." Paul H. Smith, a U.S. Army Major, was one of these viewers. Assigned to the remote viewing unit in 1983 at a pivotal time in its history, Smith served for the rest of the decade, witnessing and taking part in many of the seminal national-security crises of the twentieth century.With the Star Gate secrets declassified and the program mothballed by the Central Intelligence Agency, the story can now be told of the ordinary soldiers drafted onto the battlefield of human consciousness. Using hundreds of interviews with the key players in the Star Gate program, and gathering thousands of pages of documents, Smith opens the records on this remarkable chapter in American military, scientific, and cultural history. He reveals many secrets about how remote viewing works and how it was used against enemy targets. Among these stories are the search for hostages in Lebanon; spying on Soviet directed energy weapons; investigating the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland; tracking foreign testing of weapons of mass destruction; combating narco-trafficking off America's coasts; aiding in the Iranian hostage situation; finding KGB moles in the CIA; pursuing Middle East terrorists; and more.Between the lines in the official records are revelations about unrelenting attempts from within and without to destroy the remote viewing program, and the efforts that kept Star Gate going for more than two decades in spite of its enemies. This is a story for the believer and the skeptic---a rare look at the innards of a top secret program and an eye-opening treatise on the power of the human mind to transcend the limitations of space and time.
Customer Reviews:
Steady, Comprehensive History of Gov't Remote Viewing.......2007-10-07
Reading the Enemy's Mind is a fascinating history of the Star Gate program. I've read accounts of a couple of other former Star Gate participants and they are either sensational and fictionalized (David Morehouse) or short on history (Dale Graff). Paul Smith's account is comprehensive and doesn't make wild claims. His tome is a level-headed treatment of the program. He's very upfront that for every success there are many failures.
Some of my favorite successful remote-viewing stories from Reading the Enemy's Mind include viewing Aldrich Ames - the CIA traitor, the USS Stark attack, and the capture of rogue DEA agent Charles Frank Jordan.
In 1987 Star Gate was tasked with finding the mole in US intelligence. CIA sources in the Soviet Union were disappearing or being executed and people wanted to know who was giving them away. Star Gate came up with a composite of the traitor. Among the details was that he drove a gray European car and was involved with a Columbian woman. While many of the other details were off, Smith wonders what might have happened had the Star Gate information been used:
"The fact of the car alone might have significantly narrowed the field of possible suspects in the CIA. How many CIA employees owned grey European luxury cars in 1987? Certainly some, but percentage-wise not that many. And how many CIA employees had a significant relationship with a Latin American woman, especially a Columbian?" (p. 340)
Smith remote viewed the "accidental" Iraqi missile attack on the US destroyer Stark 50 hours before it occurred. He described the colors of the attacking military ("tan uniforms with black belts and bits of red and green."), the unprofessional nature of the attackers ("they reminded me of a militia as opposed to a professional military"), and the explosion itself ("The structure/vessel shivers, shakes, quivers. 'There were a 'clang,' a 'screech,' and a 'metallic squeal...'").
A final story I'll share is that of the rogue DEA agent, Charles Frank Jordan. This agent had turned bad and escaped custody. The DEA was convinced he was in the Caribbean. A remote viewer thought he was in Wyoming. "This information was so out of line with where Jordan was thought to be, that at first the authorities were inclined to ignore it. Finally, one agent decided that it would do no harm to alert police in that part of Wyoming.(p. 384)" Jordan was apprehended shortly after that - in Wyoming!
I highly recommend Reading the Enemy's Mind.
One of the best histories I have ever read.......2007-09-23
I have read a lot of books and articles about Stargate, but the majority of the material here was a surprize to me. How did this all start? What were the early days like? Why did the CIA pull the plug? What kind of results were they really getting?
The history is exhaustive, with many exact dates names and locations. However, the book is not dry at all. A nice touch is Major Smith's own story woven in. Yes history is about people.
There's a great section in the beginning that calls to task the so-called skeptic James Randi, and how his research is flawed, slanted, inaccurate, and often made-up. The book mentions specific falsehoods and areas where Randi just made stuff up to support his point. This is ironic because the psychic research is strongly controlled here while Randi is guilty of the falsehoods he projects on all things paranormal.
RV works. The book cites a lot of research, some published in per-reviewed journals. There's an amazing comment from a peer-reviewer who didn't want a study to appear in the IEEE journal who said something like, "I don't care if it is real, I don't want to believe it." This gives you an idea of what so-called legit science does with research outside it's accepted box.
Major Smith has written a great history of the psychic spying program. Cold War buffs will find it fascinating. Paranormal researchers should find it fascinating. Anyone who likes a good story will enjoy it.
Finally the truth comes out..........2007-09-21
I have been following the saga of remote viewing since the first media reports and subsequent appearances by Major Ed Doomes, er Dames, and others on the Art Bell show. I have read some great books by those involved like Dale Graff and especially Joe McMoneagle. Dean Radin's books have convinced me that psi functioning is a real phenonemon, no one knows how it works, or why it doesn't sometimes. But when it works it is elegant, accurate, and important to our world view, I believe because of what it says about the collective. We are all part of the same organism, all one, and these bodies are just a temporary vehicle. We can keep killing and hating if you want, but it is pretty pointless.....Anyway this book lays out a credible documentated history of Remote Viewing from a legitimate source and answers a lot of questions, detailing the origins through to its ultimate demise as an intelligence tool. Time will tell, but getting this out of the hands of the bureaucracy should turn out to be the greatest moment in history. Some might say first we have get it away from Ed Dames...but time and Ed's unfulfilled predictions will take care of that. I could never figure out why the most public of RVers in the early days had such little credibility. David Morehouse and Ed Dames are finally outed for good in this book. They are the kind of people that just live in a little different reality with or without remote viewing. You have met the type before, seem to exagerate everything, especially their own importance in something. Turns out both of them were bit players with much less time, training, experience and accuracy than other more level headed RVers that are not so willing to run their mouth about unverifiable possible reality targets. Please, if you are at all interested in this subject matter stick with these authors I have mentioned, and of course Paul Smith. They are giving you the straight skinny on an amazing new idea that will ultimately lead to whole new understanding of the universe. But please be careful about the ones that will try to turn themselves into would-be prophets4profit. It takes a stable middle of the road mind to handle this stuff. The overly enthusiastic are usually over the top on everything. If your conscious mind can barely process what is in reality happening in your own lives, Mr Dames and Moorehouse, what are the chances that you can accurately process messages from your subconscious, especially when you ignore established protocols that keep your imagination in check. Your mission here is not to save the world, you have to save yourself first to be of any use....
Paul's book.......2007-08-28
Wish I had reviewed this book here when I got it, but I seem to have gotten carried away with my read and forgot all about coming back to make my review of it. Better late than never,'eh? :)
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I really enjoyed reading this book by Paul H. Smith. Extremely intriguing to say the least with lots of info on how the US Govt. dealt with this phenomenon. Paul writes so that the average layman can understand his words. Brilliantly done!
Human Potential is staggering.......2007-07-30
This is a very intriguing book--Details the chronology of the government program as well as discussing specific RV events. I liked the way he went into depth about the training Ingo Swann gave him also.
Book Description
Renowned scholar and New York Times bestselling author Henry Louis Gates, Jr., delivers a stirring and authoritative companion to the major new PBS documentary America Behind the Color Line. The evolution of African American society has split into two very distinct and striking communities, according to Henry Louis Gates, Jr.-the privileged and the disenfranchised. Viewed through the lens of four intrinsic elements of the African American experience-Black Hollywood, The Black Elite, The Ghetto, and The New South-Gates examines the legacy of the Civil Rights movement, tracing the fascinating journey of black people since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Customer Reviews:
Color line enlightenment.......2007-01-10
Dr. Gates has done America a great service by helping to pull back the curtain on African American experiences and voices. I would recommend any of his writings.
A Good Portrait of American Life.......2005-02-09
Dr. Gates' book isn't a strict scholastic piece; instead, this is a collage of sketches of African-American life in the U.S. For this reason, this book is a great read. There is no overarching thesis, no trendy sociological analysis. In this book, Dr. Gates is more concerned with how diverse the day to day experiences are in the African-American community and what can be learned from individuals' personal stories, struggles and thoughts. He removes himself from the limelight and allows those he interviews to have center stage. This book is very human and very real. In an academic culture that likes broad, over-generalized theories, this book is a challenge to bring our thoughts back to the individuals who really struggle with societal problems and what life looks like outside the academic bubble. This book has a pulse and should be read by all those looking for the faces and the humanity behind the academic theories.
A good read with several points lacking.......2004-05-19
Despite the title, this book doesn't seem to go very far beyond the color line. Although the venerated author does tackle class, a very important issue, the book doesn't seem to draw the obvious conclusion. Here we see many of the familiar terms like "white money" or "white society" and yet this isn't America in 1950. Today's America is no longer white, in fact society at large is far more Hispanic and Asian then it ever has been. And yet there is still the racist stereotype that anything wealthy is white and that to succeed people must conform to `whiteness'. Such is the lie and such is the sad state of affairs that even the many educated and successful people interviewed in this book seem incapable of getting past.
I was most unhappy not to se Condi Rice interviewed since I think her take on these things would have been most profound. Nevertheless this was a good start, finally admitting that class sometimes trumps race. The problem was that that conclusion didn't seem to draw this factuality out. Poverty is endemic, its not racial, it's a sickness and a culture. The culture of the trailer park mirrors the culture of the ghetto, and although racial lines may be drawn, they have little to do with success. Success is also a culture and it turns out that wealth breeds wealth. Thus the interviewees and this study should have drawn that idea out more, asking people to do what Booker T. asked them to do so long ago, namely, to succeed despite everything. Dr. King asked us to judge people by the `content of their character rather then the color of their skin' but it seems that in some points made here skin color is still paramount. And unless people heed Dr. Kings words, we will still be having `conversations beyond the color line' in 50 more years.
Seth J. Frantzman
A pleasure to read, yet thought provoking too.......2004-04-05
The media often tries to appear balanced and diverse by bringing on somebody to present the "black point of view." As this book of dialogues amply demonstrates, there is no such thing...there are only African Americans with opinions as diverse as the individuals themselves.
Gates wondered "how far have we come since the Civil Rights Movement." To get some sense, he interviewed movers and shakers like Jesse Jackson and Vernon Jordan, but also those the Great Society left behind, like Kalais Chiron Hunt in the Cook County Jail and residents of Chicago's infamous Robert Taylor Homes . Familiar entertainment figures like Bernie Mac, Alicia Keys and Don Cheadle weigh in, with refreshingly candid interviews not commonly found in Hollywood hype. We meet activists on the front lines, like Lenora Fulani who uses theater to teach kids how to succeed in business. And we meet everyday people like Dierdre and Jerald Wolff who joined the new Southern Migration by moving to an affluent, predominantly black community in Atlanta, and Lura and Chris, a biracial couple living in Birmingham..
I'm always impressed with Gate's ability to capture his subject's words without imposing his personality...he shares his own story in the introduction. Each of the 39 stories is told with clarity and fluidity; you read one and can't resist moving right into the next.
A thought provoking book and for many white readers, a glimpse of black America not represented elsewhere.
Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com
Okay, But One Book Can't Cover All the Issues........2004-01-27
I was very delighted to hear that Henry Louis Gates was releasing another book, so as usual I grabbed the first copy at my job. I read this book in two days, and I found it very interesting. I liked the way he divided the community into four sections. The sections that affected me the most were the Ebony Towers and Chicago's South Side. I loved the Ebony Towers section because those are the people that I look up to most in my life and they really inspire me, especially Colin Powell. Chicago's South Side was the saddest thing I have read to this date. It was the magnifying glass into what is wrong with the African-American community today. I have to agree with the previous poster that stated Gates needs to really think about classes being separated as the root of the problem because I disagree also. I have lived in a working class urban area since I was 10. I have never lived next door to a doctor, lawyer, or a corporate executive. That fact has never discouraged me from maintaining high academic standards, or from striving to do my best in all areas of my life. Why? Because I have parents! I have parents that are involved in every aspect of my life. They took time to expose me to things beyond the hood, they nurtured me, and they were hard on me. Because of their determination combined with mines, their daughter will be a college graduate in May 2004. I believe any set of good parents would do that for their child. That is the biggest problem in the community today. Where are all the parents? In the Chicago chapter, I saw nothing but dependency and hopelessness. I can't blame anyone but them, not the black doctor that decided to move to the suburbs. Instead of focusing on why successful African-Americans do not live by less fortunate African-Americans, focus on the ways they do try to give back to the community. I know that many do not, but there are a large number who do. If anyone wants to make it out of the ghetto, they can if they really wanted to. Like my title said, the issues are deeper than this book can ever get. This was a nice effort and I appreciated the honest dialogue. I look forward to seeing the documentary.
P.S. Kudos to John Singleton for giving the NAACP the finger. They are so consumed with Hollywood's artistic endeavours, that they forget about the ordinary citizens that really need them.
Books:
- Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning an M.A. or a Ph.D.
- Great Speeches by African Americans: Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, and Others (Thrift Edition)
- Hardboiled Cthulhu: Two-Fisted Tales of Tentacled Terror
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
- Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve (Magic Tree House, 30)
- History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
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- The IACUC Handbook, Second Edition
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General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
The New American Haggadah: Haggadah Shel Pesah
A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah
The Holistic Haggadah: How Will You Be Different This Passover Night
A Different Night, The Family Participation Haggadah
The Open Door: A Passover Haggadah
