Security Books

I thought that I was a pretty knowledgable investor until I began reading TEI...The Investor's Bill of Rights led me to the path of how to recover my losses...

I don't need a thousand words to say "Read The Empowered Investor or you are on the way to financial [ruin], period".

This expose' has been smeared by stockbrokers and their employers ever since it was published in 1998. Everything that you have only recently read about [recent "Wall Street" issues] is in TEI.

...

TEI is hard to find but it is in most libraries.

When you have read just the first two chapters you will also want to spread the word.

I plan to recover all of my losses with interest and will never trust the securities firms, brokers or their paid for research departments again.

TEI has taught me how to keep my recovered loss.

K. L. Yorlik, Chicago, IL.

WOW! Karoly said it all back in 1998. All about the corruption on Wall Street. The selling of investment research by brokerage firms to any listed company that wanted to move their stock.
He knew that this had been going on for years and that there was no way to stop it...ever.
The faster that investors get to this book the faster they will stop hemmoraging their assets into the financial suicide that the brokerage firms have set up for their customers.
Since the General accounting Office reported that only 0ne percent of all investors know that they can recover their losses, the firms translate that they have a 99% chance of continueing to get away with their fraud.
The Empowered Investor levels the Wall Street playing field for every investor.
Like every other reader I wish that I had read TEI a few years ago when Wall Street had only taken away about one half of my life's savings.
Wall Street has been trashing TEI since its publishing date.
Dearbrn the Publisher caught hell from the securities industry because they provide so many text books and testing material for stockbrokers. TEI is absolutely must reading for the survival of all investors.

I thought that I was a pretty knowledgable investor until I began reading TEI. If I had read TEI only one year ago I would not have lost over $500,000. by thinking that my broker knew more about stocks than I did. His bogus title made me think he was a specially trained securities specialist. What a joke!

The Investor's Bill of Rights led me to the path of how to recover my losses. That's where I am now.

I don't need a thousand words to say "Read The Empowered Investor or you are on the way to financial suicide, period".

This expose' has been smeared by stockbrokers and their employers ever since it was published in 1998. Everything that you have only recently read about Enron, WorldCom and the corruption that is Wall Street, is in TEI.

How I envy those early readers.

TEI is hard to find but it is in most libraries.

When you have read just the first two chapters you will also want to spread the word.

I plan to recover all of my losses with interest and will never trust the securities firms, brokers or their paid for research departments again.

TEI has taught me how to keep my recovered loss.

K. L. Yorlik, Chicago, IL.

December 15, 2000

Robert E. Karoly, Author The Empowered Investor

I purchased The Empowered Investor, in late 1998, just after its initial publication. Unfortunately, I was so busy that my reading time became nonexistent. I continued to follow my broker's advice during the past year and have lost thousands of dollars. That loss made me think about your book again, which I have since read. Without a doubt , had I read The Empowered Investor, when I purchased it, I would not have experienced this serious loss to me and my family. Your book specifically tells investors not to take the actions that I did take and which caused by losses. It is hard for me to tell you this but had I read The Empowered Investor early on, I would not have blindly believed my broker and the firm that he works for. I could have prevented these losses. I want your readers to know how important it is to read your book, before they make their next investment. Every investor, I hope, can benefit from this terrible investment experienced. I now keep your book as a handy reference and use it whenever I hear a broker say one of those "red flag" words or phrases that you warn your readers about. Investors need more books to guard them against the pressures of some unethical stockbrokers. I will not make those mistakes again. Thank you for The Empowered Investor. I now plan to recover my losses through arbitration. Sincerely,

W. Mattek FL

The Empowered Investor candidly reveals every investor's Bill of Rights for the very first time. Investors are shown how to "practice safe investing", how to recognize "rogue" stockbrokers before becoming involved with them. TEI is also a book about how to keep what you have. The mysteries of brokerage firms statements and concealed losses are clearly solved. Investors learn of the attitudes of brokerage firms toward their clients. They will learn the importance of Account Opening Agreements that every investor is required to sign. The research departments myth is unraveled for investors' protection. Just as important, TEI is a guide to self-discovery of accounts which have been abused by stockbrokers. Investors learn how their vulnerability increases in direct proportion to the degree of personal friendship that the broker has achieved with the investor. TEI is a complete guide to recovering losses, also. It is destined to become the ultimate investors' defensive guide to investing.

Our current administration is fond of dismissing its critics by labeling THEM as extremists. The Whitewater investigators are part of a "right-wing conspiracy." Those who criticize the under-the-desk-activities at the Oval Office are simply venting their wrath against people from Arkansas, and those who oppose the failed War on Drugs are "fringe groups."

With each passing day, this tactic becomes harder to get away with, as "fringe" types such as George Schultz, Walter Cronkite and Perez de Cuellar weigh in against the Drug War. The latest of these "fringe" elements to come out against our idiotic drug policy is Dirk Chase Eldredge, a founding bank director, "successful entrepreneur," and former co-chairman of Ronald Reagan's campaign for governor of California.

This conservative Republican has examined our drug policies in considerable detail. He details the failures of the Justice Department, FBI, US Customs Service, and others in their futile quest for a "drug-free America."

He clearly points out the horrendous effects of these policies on our country: the overcrowded prisons, police corruption, violence, spread of AIDS, unjust sentencing, judicial overload, and the tyranny of asset forfeiture.

Some months ago, I was having a drink with Judge Jim Gray, an Orange County, California, Republican running for Congress, and I asked him how he broaches the subject of the Drug War to his conservative constituents. "Easy," he replied. "I just say, `let me tell you about an $18 billion federal program that doesn't work,' and they're all ears." That is just what Eldredge does in "Ending the War on Drugs." He gives us just the facts, Ma'am. Those facts are the key to effective policy, and Eldredge has plenty of them.

There is, however, a human note to his opus, too. Eldredge points out that his father's life was ruined by his addiction to alcohol, and that what he needed was help from medical people, not law enforcement. Eldredge is also quick to point out that the vast majority of drinkers, unlike his dad, do not have a problem with alcohol. Likewise, he says, "Ninety-six percent of people use drugs today, use them recreationally, without harming anyone."

Eldredge also gives lie to the "Try and Die" is another myth promoted by Prohibitionists. In the preface, Eldredge says, "America's War on Drugs is reminiscent of the Russian princess who sat weeping profusely at the death of the hero in a performance at the opera, while, at the curb, her waiting carriage driver froze to death in a Moscow ice storm." He understands the inherently dishonest nature of the Drug War and makes an excellent case for ending it.

If I have a quarrel with anything in this book, it is with his solution, or at least part of it. There are three possible administrators of the multi-billion-dollar drug market in the US - the free-market, the government, and the underworld. Currently, our policy-makers obviously favor giving control to the underworld. Ending the Drug War would leave us two choices; the free-market or the government. Eldredge favors the latter, in the form of state-run stores akin to the alcohol sales system in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other states. While this is an obvious improvement over turning the market over to the Mob, as we do today, I'm surprised that a self-proclaimed conservative Republican would opt for this Socialistic solution. A more effective system of state-regulated but privately owned "drug stores" would seem to be a better way to go. We are still a long way from either of these solutions, and have ample time to debate which one will prevail. Hopefully this book will hasten the time when that decision will have to be made.

Mr. Eldridge presents us with a very well writen critiqe of our nations stance against drugs. The book is full of insight into ways that the war on drugs can be put to better use. anyone interested in drug public policy should read this book.

The most knowledge packed 200 pages on Drug War circumstance I have ever read. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in politics and especially on the War on Drugs. The author is incitive and extraordinarly objective in his discussion. I read the book in one sitting and immediately searched to find more books by Eldredge. Though an ex Reagan man (campaign for CA governor) his views show a fairly liberal view on the topic, far away from any Reagan stereotypes. Too much good to discuss here, just read it!

Dirk Chase Eldredge's "Ending the War on Drugs" is a powerful and persuasive book that argues that America's war on drugs has been an abysmal failure and should be ended as soon as possible. The author's message has a certain edginess in that he is one of a small but albeit growing number of Republicans who are weighing in against the drug war. Of particular note, Eldredge was co-chairman for the California Gubernatorial campaign of Ronald Reagan, who was perhaps the nation's most vocal drug warrior. Yet there wasn't a single word in this book that I could disagree with.

Eldredge is encouraging us to act like grown-ups and provide the caring and compassion that drug abusers need. Through the use of numerous statistics that are supplemented by some interesting anecdotes, the author overwhelmingly shows that interdiction has failed. The bottom line is that illegal drugs remain readilly available to those who seek them. But their illegal status has proven to be a boon to the drug lords, street gangs and other undesirable elements -- including Afghan terrorists, as we have recently learned -- who are attracted to the promise of quick and (usually) easy profits.

Edlredge contends that de-criminalization will swiftly take away the profit motive and bust up the drug gangs, both here at home and in places like Columbia and Mexico. Safer streets will enhance the quality of life for our citizens and no doubt help stablize the governments of countries where drug lords are nearly as powerful as the state. And for the user, government distribution will ensure a safer supply of drugs and, importantly, provide the drug user with a point of contact who could arrange treatment, should it ever be requested.

Eldredge's discussion of the nuances of how the anti-drug laws should be changed and the types of programs that need to be implemented show that he has spent a fair amount of time carefully considering the issue. But Eldredge takes care to critique the drug war in terms familiar to most Conservatives: as an example of wasteful government spending. If criminalizing drugs is not working as a deterrent to behavior patterns, and if it does not suppress the supply, then the government should logically search for alternative solutions where it may be able to get a better return on its investments.

One hopes that the mature message found in this book will be heeded by a growing number of policy makers. I encourage you to read it and to join the growing number of Americans who think that sanity and clarity of purpose should rightly replace the current state of insanity and corruption that unfortunately characterizes our country's current drug war strategy.

In Ending the War on Drugs, Dirk Eldredge provides an insightful and convincing look at the full gambit of issues surrounding our perceptions of drugs in this society. He succeeds masterfully in proving that we must reexamine our "War on Drugs." I believe anyone wishing to make an informed and educated opinion about our public policy toward illicit drugs should read this book. It is my hope that this book will help spark a fresh debate on what we might do to stem the tide of horrors our drug prohibition has brought not only to our society, but also to the global economic and political landscape. While many may disagree about his proposed solution, namely the federally controlled distribution of what would be newly legalized drugs, few could argue his conclusion that our attempted "War on Drugs", has been a absolute failure.

WOW. This is hands down the most informative and well written book on this subject ever. If you are going to read anything on this topic begin with Eyes Wide Open. I have given this book to every woman in my life. I also use much of this book when teaching basic safety and self defense and I urge all my students to get a copy. Ms. Kilgore's style is such that once I began, I couldnt put this book down. Outstanding.

There are very few people of any gender that are really able to seperate Martial Arts Fantacy from REAL WORLD Safety. There are even fewer female Martial Artists that can seperate idealistic feminism from pragmatic female survival.

Kristie Kilgore is one of the few who CAN.

In short, if there is a Woman of Girl that you love..... Read this book, then give it to them!...

WOW! What a great book. Extremely informative. I do not have to be a karate expert to save my life. Ms. Kilgore does a great job at providing techniques that anyone can use. I was very impressed with the real life stories that people were willing to share with the readers on things that happen everyday, that I take for granted "this won't happen to me" well,they do. I also was amazed at the things people actually do to your personal identity, on vacation, at home, at school etc...... Thank you for all of the great information that you have provided me!

This is an amazing book. Author Kristie Kilgore has carefully examined the causes of violence in our society, and offers advice on how to avoid being a victim of violence. I recommend it for every young person between 12 and 25 years old, because those are the times in our lives when we make the most foolish mistakes and lapses in judgement. However, this book has great techniques for ANYONE to tighten up their "personal security plan." I especially like the stories that Kristie included in this book--it brings a human perspective to cold statistics. All in all, a GREAT book!

"Kristie Kilgore has performed a great community service to every woman in America. This should be required reading and I am giving a copy to my teenage daughter as a present. As a former bodyguard, father, manager and soccer coach, I can honestly say that her message is right on the mark! Good job!"

Juan Gonzalez was the first journalist to grasp the impact of the environmental disaster of 9/11. His article on October 26, 2001 said what some of us already sensed: Contrary to the 'good news' being sold like sugarcoated poison by government officials who wanted Wall Street back up and running, the air was dense with astronomical levels of asbestos, lead, dioxin, mercury and hundreds of unpronouncable contaminants including some that had never previously existed.

Fallout is in this tradition of groundbreaking journalism.

Unfortunately Gonzalez is so ahead of the pack that when I showed his article to my son and exhusband, whom I was trying to convince that our son should not remain at Stuyvesant High School, four blocks north of the World Trade Center, they dismissed it as a red herring.

Fallout is a compelling account of this environmental disaster which may ultimately claim more lives than the attacks themselves.

Jenna Orkin
World Trade Center Environmental Organization

Finally someone has the guts to print the truth about the toxic air at Ground Zero. For those of us who were there and who are experiencing the medical consequences of having been exposed to these toxic chemicals, Gonzalez's book explains in understandable language why we are sick and what we are likely to experience in the future. Americans need to know the truth, especially the thousands of men and women from around the country who volunteered their time at Ground Zero and are likely to suffer the medical consequences of having done so, either now or in the future. Fallout is a must read for all Americans.

This is an extremely disturbing book. Perhaps because along with the well-documented facts concerning the unprecedented toxic environmental fallout from 9/11, it is the shocking realization that it's not just the NYC and federal goverment cover-up of this story -- it is the citizens themselves collectively turning away from the horrible reality of this disaster.

The national media has not pursued the obvious leads -- the common sense questions -- but Mr. Gonzales has. And the logical conclusion of this story, in the not-too-distant future, is a public health nightmare that will have the media self-righteously condeming Giuliani and Whitman in hindsight as bearing responsibility for perhaps thousands more deaths.

The story from 9/11 that the media immediately created was of the heroes and victims. We remember them, and try to forget the horror of the collapsing towers. But if we are a truely a courageous nation, we will look clearly and not turn away from the terrible reality that ground zero represents. That is what I think this book is really about -- there are facts and consequences of 9/11 that have not yet been dealt with. And closing our eyes and wishing them away simply won't work.

Americans are being deceived. In this stunning piece of investigative reporting which should be awarded a Pulitzer Prize, Juan Gonzalez reveals the horrible truths about the environmental impacts of the 9-11 disaster. Asbestos abounded. The many heroes who helped to clean and console may face excruciating deaths thanks to suppressed and inaccurate information.

Our sacred institutions are rotten. Every American citizen should read this brief but incendiary work which speaks truth to power unflinchingly. If we do not quickly institute major changes which make our leaders and representatives truly responsible for telling the truth to the American public, however unpleasant, we may be facing the end of American democracy as we have known it and believed in it.

Where are the Thomas Paines and Thomas Jeffersons of the twenty-first century? We desperately need your voices and leadership!

I live 5 blocks north of Ground Zero and have attended hearings and forums and read hundreds of articles, studies memos and reports about the post 9/11 environmental issues in Lower Manhattan. But my jaw dropped when I read Juan Gonzalez' book - here are the missing pieces, the things I'd heard but was never able to find in print - and lots of insider information that only someone as dedicated to this story as he was could have. It is a clear, readable summary of the case against the EPA, OSHA, NYC DEP - and, de facto, an indictment of all those newspapers whose reportage consistently minimized the issue. Not since the Vietnam War has there been so much media "disinformation."

If you live or work in lower Manhattan and/or have any interest in the true story of how our government knowingly and intentionally jepordized the lives and health of the rescue workers, residents and workers downtown after 9/11 while ensuring that their own health was well protected, this book is a "must read."

Juan Gonzalez is to be commended for his courage in bucking his editors to continue to cover this story.

I agree with the former Speaker, this is a very important history of the Army in the "'tween years" of the 20's and 30's. The Wehrmacht was way ahead in their understanding of the tanks and tactics. The funniest story in the book is where Patton decides to join the Cavalry so that he can play polo after he is censured for his apostasy on tank warfare as independent of the infantry. We were lucky.

When this book first came out in 1998 it addressed arguably the top priority in national defense planning - how can we ensure that this "peace dividend" is used to develop truly innovative military technology and doctrine? With the events of September 11th and the ushering in of the War on Terror the issue of technology innovation - often covered by the umbrella term "Revolution in Military Affairs" - has certainly slipped down the priority scale, but it would be unwise to suggest that it has lost any of its core relevance.

RAND analyst David Johnson hammers home on a few themes in "Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers." First, he stresses that the primary lesson learned coming out of WWI, at least from the perspective of the top Army brass, was the central importance of mass mobilization of personnel and efficient, large-scale production of supplies and machinery, which to, among other things, the establishment of the Army Industrial College in 1924. Technology was viewed as important, but clearly auxiliary to men and manpower. In the 1920s a deep sense of isolationism and then in the 1930s the economic impact of the Depression kept Army budgets low. The Army chose to allocate its limited resources to maintaining their manpower, which was less than 50% of the limits set by the 1920 National Defense Act. As Army budgets dropped 20%, personnel never slipped more than 5%. Johnson's central argument is that the Army slipped behind in tank technology and doctrine primarily because the Army leadership made a conscious decision to not invest resources in those areas. In the end, it was wrong of them to point a finger at a stingy Congress or an ungrateful American public. They could have invested more in technology and experimentation; they just chose not to.

Second, the tank and the bomber were developed under starkly different organizational and cultural conditions. The tank was developed in parallel in the 1930s by the infantry and cavalry. Each sub-service saw the tank as an instrument to aid in their strategic mission, not as a fundamentally new way to fight. The cavalry likely missed the greatest opportunity with the tank. It is shocking to read to what lengths many went to defend the horse cavalry, first holding up Poland as an example of a great modern cavalry force and then arguing that German armored success in Poland in 1939 and France in 1940 didn't prove anything. Johnson's book is populated with a number of well-meaning senior Army officers that come off as real boobs in hindsight, but none more so than Major General John Herr, the chief of cavalry in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The armor doctrine created in this environment, where radical ideas were shunned if not outright prohibited, thus reflected traditional missions and tactics. As last as 1938, Johnson notes, there were more hours in the Command and General Staff College curriculum dedicated to horseback riding than to either armor warfare or air power.

The bomber, on the other hand, developed under a much more permissive intellectual environment and one that put a premium on technology over manpower. The story of US airpower during the interwar period is one of a small, elite renegade cadre of officers fighting for independence. In many ways, it was the example of the air corps that prevented a separate armor force from emerging in the infantry. The end result was a dedicated and highly professional core of officers with top technology and a coherent strategy and doctrine for their service, albeit not without serious shortcomings.

Third, despite great differences in organization and culture, both the armor and air forces made similarly disastrous assumptions about how their weapons would be engaged in the next war. The US tanks - greatly inferior to the German tanks, which were designed to fight other tanks - were in fact precisely what the US military asked for. One of the crucial differences in US armor doctrine was the view that the Armor Force (only created in July 1940) was to exploit gaps in the enemies line, not create the gaps themselves. In this sense, US tanks were seen as rather akin to the traditional horse cavalry - a lightly armed and highly mobile force used to harass rear areas and reconnoiter the battle space. The US focused on tanks of high speed, relative light-weight (to allow the crossing of temporary pontoon bridges) and great reliability; firepower and armor were readily sacrificed to achieve these design objectives. The result when going head-to-head with the Panzer Corps - an eventuality the US Army did not see as the prime role for armor units - was slaughter. The key message is that the US Army was NOT supplied with inferior machines, but rather they did not appreciate the looming nature of modern armored warfare and thus entered the war with the "wrong weapons" but they were the weapons they asked for. Moreover, the US Army was convinced that the best way to fight an armored attack was with anti-tank guns. Tank-on-tank battles were seen as wasteful and never really wargamed.

For their part, the Air Corps doctrine and strategy rested on several key assumptions that turned out to be false in practice. First, it was believed that the B-17 and B-24 could defend themselves from fighter attacks because of their rich complement of .50 caliber machine guns. At first this proved to be the case. However, the German Luftwaffe quickly developed new standoff weapons, such as a .37mm cannon that could hit bomber formations outside the range of the bombers' .50 calibers, and the effective use of dive-bombing tactics on unescorted bombing formations. By late 1943, the odds of a US air corps bomber crewmember surviving a 25 run tour were about 35%. Second, it was presumed that the bombers would be able to accurately bomb their targets in daylight hours. By and large, that was not the case. Finally, the strategic air power theory posited that massive bomber formations could cripple a country's ability to make war by knocking out key industrial nodes, such as the production of ball bearings. Again, that thesis turned out to be far from accurate.

In the end, Johnson makes a convincing case that the failures of tank and bomber technology and doctrine in the Second World War were not a product of limited resources or support, but rather the unwillingness of the Army to invest scarce resources into those technologies and reluctance to engage in spirited and realistic experimentation. Thus Johnston concludes: "The Army, in short, was responsible for its own unprepared ness."

Words cannot do this book justice. This is one of the finest studies of military bureaucracies rejecting change and protecting the old order that has ever been written. Anyone who wants to know how big Rumsfeld's challenge is in trying to transform the Pentagon must read this book.

Johnson was a career soldier before going to RAND. He has a deep sense of how military cultures operate. His portrait of the cavalry wing rejecting modernity is humorous and tragic simultaneously. It is a case study in how large bureaucracies protect themselves and their caste system from being threatened by new developments.

Equally, if not more fascinating, is his conclusion that the Air Corps was equally one sided in favoring its theory of big bombers. While the cavalry drove out officers who believed the time of the horse was past, the Air Corps drove out officers who believed fighter planes were powerful opponents for bombers. In some ways the Air Corps self-blindness was as dangerous as the cavalry's total identification with an obsolete past. The refusal to recognize the vulnerability of the bomber meant that bomber crews in Europe would have the greatest risk of dying of any elements of the American military.

Johnson also reports on the tankers fixation with lighter, less powerful "fast tanks" rather than the heavier, more powerfully armed versions the Germans settled on. The American fixation was on a fast tank that could break through and run amok behind enemy lines but was incapable of standing up to German tanks in one on one fights. The result was a tank that led to many more American casualties than necessary. Interestingly, all post World War II American tank designs have been based on the German model of heavy armor and heavy guns.

This is a very thoughtful book filled with quotes from sincere, serious professional military men who were dead wrong but determined to protect their views and to use their position in the hierarchy to get the job done.

It is a sobering story for anyone who would modernize a large, complex military bureaucracy.

This book provides a compelling and well researched account of how the U.S. Army interpreted its experiences in WWI and how it attempted to transform itself from an internal security force into a modern army ready for an other world war. The author does so by reviewing how the Army reacted to the new weapons systems that emerged from World War I (WWI) and were to dominate military operations for the rest of in the 20th Century. He wisely concentrates on two specific weapons systems: armored fighting vehicles (tanks and armored cars), and by extension mechanization in general; and military aircraft (bombers, fighters and reconnaissance aircraft). The author discusses how U.S. Army attempted to further develop these systems and integrate them into its force structure and force planning. It quickly becomes clear that the unprepared state of the U.S. Army at the start of World War II was the direct result of misunderstanding the implications of these weapon systems for modern warfare and the faulty tactical doctrines that resulted form this misunderstanding. The author demonstrates that the extreme austerity imposed on the Army between the wars exacerbated this unprepared condition, but it was not the sole cause of it. In the end, lack of well thought out doctrines impeded not only the Army's efforts to prepare for modern war, but the development of the weapon systems with which to fight it.

This reviewer would suggest that anyone interested in this book would be well advised to also read a second book, "Beyond the Trenches" by General William E. Odom (ret). In it Odom traces the development of U.S. Army doctrine between the wars and the factors preventing the emergence of a really sound set of doctrines and plans.

This absorbing history of the U.S. Army between the world wars and on into the Second World War illuminates not only the past but the present and future. As his title indicates, author David Johnson traces two main themes: the Army's responses to the challenges and opportunities presented by the airplane and tank. He shows that these responses, although very different, were both seriously inadequate in ways that proved very costly in the test of war -- and he shows why and how these inadequacies developed. Johnson, a former professional Army officer and National War College instructor, is not dedicated to any theoretical framework. He tells the story very clearly and directly, relying on deep research in primary sources, and draws his lessons from the events as they occurred. He understands the people and the institutions and organizations within which they acted, and he views them sympathetically but dispassionately and objectively.

The story Johnson tells is not one of inevitable historical forces but of human decisions. The decisions were made under the influence of institutions and events, but were not determined by them. They were not catastrophic, but they were well short of optimum. Many Americans died as a result of deficiencies that could well have been avoided.

Because it does not tie the story up in a neat theoretical package, Johnson's book offers no canned recipe for success in responding to present and future challenges and opportunities. Instead, it provides a rich source of inspiration and caution, and a stimulus to thought.

There are a few disappointments, although minor in comparison to the book's strengths: (1) I would have liked to have seen a deeper analysis of the part played by technological factors. While we are too often treated to on-dimensional purely technological approaches to such questions, I feel Johnson goes a bit too far in the other direction. (2) Johnson's citation system for sources, while adequate for a brief article, becomes frustratingly cumbersome at book length. It is too often a real struggle to unearth exactly what his source for a given point is.

Another book that can profitably be read as a complement to this one is William O. Odom's _After the Trenches: The Tranformation of U.S. Army Doctrine, 1918-1939_ (Texas A&M U. Press, 1999).

Will O'Neil

From a lawyers perspective, fascinating. Five out of five, Duncan.

englishsilk1967@aol.com

I have to admit, I am not persuaded by written word unless it targets my passion. Let's face it, we have seen and read plenty of "crime and drug drama" in our American cinematic and literary culture. How much do we really know about this subject abroad? What REALLY goes on in the European culture? Scotland Yard has always been a fascinating topic, since our knowledge of the crime/drug scene is determined by what we have seen and read in, and on the American screen. British crime drama has been Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Morse, (played by John Thaw) Inspector Dalgliesh, written by P.D. James (played by Roy Marsden), Agatha Christie, (played by several wonderful actresses including my favorite, Margaret Rutherford) However, when it comes to Mr. MacLaughlin's VERY REAL portrayal of Scotland Yard, I have to tell you, I was mesmerized and fascinated.

Duncan MacLaughlin gives an enduring portrayal of his introduction and desire for his vocation in this book. His father (bless his soul) gave his life for the cause, and little Duncan was drawn into this "life" early on.

As a police constable (PC) Duncan began this life. He was indoctrinated with his first of many cases, the first of several funny, but very dark situations he later writes about.

The first that came to my mind from the book was from the "First Body" chapter...can you imagine? A poor bloke just trying to take a "piss" on a live train rail, his life going up in flames, his own body flamed and ashed -- when young PC MacLaughlin and his superior got there, the poor bloke was a heap of cinders. Seems his natural bodily functions, which needed to urinate (on the live rails), burned him into the finest of ashes......hence his funeral.

That is only the beginning of the many stories, albeit TRUE stories of how this man went from Police Constable to a member of the "Filth." There are many fascinating encounters of how Mr. MacLaughlin became a higher rank official of the Filth, told with such riveting detail that you are glued to this book from beginning to end.

I won't go into detail about the "Carpet Sweeper" or being trained in determining what the "Pothole" ensued.....(oh, excuse me while I take a moment to BREATHE deeply...oh, all right..I am better now (I think!)...I will be able to read on now.

All in all, Mr. MacLaughlin's book is a fascinating detail of Scotland Yard's beginning to end of how the department works and how you become a member of the "Filth."

Well done!!

But those are fictional retellings -- And from page one it's very clear that this is not fiction.

It is a rare person who can understand the unfolding of their own life with clarity and objectivity, even in hindsight. Rarer still is someone who can relate the saga to others in a way that sweeps them up into the tale and makes them feel they've been part of it. Duncan MacLaughlin has both those gifts.

By devoting the first 50 pages of The Filth to his childhood, the author enables us to grow with him in conviction and understanding. That background, together with a style of storytelling that blends irrepressible wit, complete lack of self aggrandizement, step-by-step build up, and gritty detail, makes it seem perfectly natural to have progressed from childhood camping trips to camouflaged hide outs nearly under the feet of Sunday picnickers.

The second fifty pages take us through the author's early days as a 'bobby on the beat' and the rigorous training program that makes London's police force into a world renowned entity. In those pages we discover that everything we suspect about our local police force is probably true...And that truth can provide more humor than fiction. However we're also acquainted with the facts of police life and work that make us all grateful to have them right where they are: Standing between the criminal element and the rest of us; Handling the problems we'd rather not have to see; and -- eternally -- There when we need them most.

The final 3/5ths of the book is dedicated to MacLaughlin's work with Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigative Division, "The Filth" of the title. From the numerous moments when his life was on the line, to details of training programs even many of the 'best of the best' couldn't stay the course for, to the deep camaraderie that goes hand in glove with living in those situations, once again we are privileged with a true glimpse inside a world most of us can only guess at.

Beyond the heart-stopping drama and unprecedented inside information, the thing that impressed me most about The Filth was Detective MacLaughlin's feeling for the people involved in each facet of his work: The human tragedy of the victims and their families; The understanding for how the backgrounds of those who became his sources led them to the positions in which he found them; The unfailing commitment to protecting those sources; and, overall, The dedication to keeping the world as safe as possible for the rest of us. He makes no bones about the fact that corners are cut and that neither he, nor the force, were squeaky clean. However The Filth also makes it clear that there are some corners that will never be cut.

The author's adherence to his own code of honor and priorities with regard to the people he values were dramatically underscored in an on-air publicity appearance for The Filth on the BBC last year. MacLaughlin's answer when asked the best thing about having had a book published, reflects the inimitable style that grounds this saga. The author responded, "Quite honestly, it's allowed me to be in contact via a third party with the guy responsible for my father's death. I was able to put him on notice that his days are numbered; That I intended killing the person who shot my father and what's more, that I'm smart and would never be caught."

The elder MacLaughlin, a Royal Marine Commando and medical doctor, was shot in Northern Ireland during one of the first major skirmishes of that conflict. One of the most poignant passages in The Filth relates a conversation in which MacLaughlin and his father discuss what happened the day a sniper targeted the author's father over and over as he drove an ambulance through the embattled streets in an effort to save wounded civilians. He saw the gunman firing at him, but his inability to positively identify the weapon that had been used (and unwillingness to lie about the fact when asked) allowed the man charged with the sniper attack to walk free -- and to spit at his victim's feet as he passed.

In the quoted exchange, MacLaughlin Sr asks his son what he would have done in similar circumstances. As true to his own code when being put on the spot by his lifelong hero as he was throughout his career, the author responded that he'd have said whatever was necessary to ensure the guilty party went to prison. That answer led his father to question the state of his son's conscience...A question he might well reiterate if he'd been alive to hear the BBC interview. But after reading The Filth, one thing is abundantly clear: Duncan MacLaughlin will deal with life on his own terms, according to his own deeply held ethics.

As several other reviewers have noted, the ending makes it clear that another book will be forthcoming. The next one is sure to be an even more suspense-packed read focusing wholly on his days with the elite squads, as well as the internal politics and grudges only briefly mentioned here, that led MacLaughlin to leave the force.

I wrote to the author before submitting this review and was delighted to find that we have a third book to look forward to as well. It seems that, true to the international sleuth image we've been introduced to here, the former detective has dedicated the past year to cracking one of the world's great unsolved mysteries. It will be no surprise to his readers that the case of the missing earl was no match for his skills. There's now at least one person in the world who knows exactly what happened to Britain's infamous Lord Lucan after he disappeared the night his wife was attacked and his children's nanny murdered a quarter century ago.

The rest of us will have to wait for the book.

"The Englishman is at his best the moment another man starts throwing a ball at him," wrote German novelist and poetess Vita Sackville-West in 1947. "He is then neither spiteful, nor vindictive, nor mean, nor querulous, nor desirous of taking unfair advantage; he is law-abiding, and respects the regulations which he or his ancestors have generally made; he assumes that his adversary will respect them likewise; and he would be profoundly shocked by any attempt to cheat." Believe me, such a statement does not apply to Scotland Yard detectives - well at least not to one!

Using The Filth as a guide-stick, I'd hazard a guess London detectives lack all of the 'oh so English' traits an American would expect from an Englishman, as described by Ms. Sackville-West.

When the British Airlines flight attendant showed me to my seat aboard the aircraft at London Heathrow, I confess, the unkempt casual appearance of my neighboring passenger ('The Filth' author Duncan MacLaughlin) slumped in the gray leather upholstery beside me made me think, "Is this really Concorde, or am I flying coach on a US carrier?" By the time we landed at NY, I was infatuated by the unassuming, shy, but charming ex-undercover cop, and unsuccessfully attempted to purchase 'The Filth' at JFK before catching my connecting flight home. I have since bought the book via Amazon (and Duncan, it remains unsigned!).

'The Filth' takes the reader on MacLaughlin's journey as a London detective, tackling serious crime in both the UK and further afield, touching briefly upon his adventures here in California and elsewhere in the US.

In short, it's an eye opener and if ever made into a movie, I demand the right to play the part of his American distraction.

"The Englishman is at his best the moment another man starts throwing a ball at him," wrote German novelist and poetess Vita Sackville-West in 1947. "He is then neither spiteful, nor vindictive, nor mean, nor querulous, nor desirous of taking unfair advantage; he is law-abiding, and respects the regulations which he or his ancestors have generally made; he assumes that his adversary will respect them likewise; and he would be profoundly shocked by any attempt to cheat." Believe me, such a statement does not apply to Scotland Yard detectives - well at least not to one!

Using The Filth as a guide-stick, I'd hazard a guess London detectives lack all of the 'oh so English' traits an American would expect from an Englishman, as described by Ms. Sackville-West.

When the British Airlines flight attendant showed me to my seat aboard the aircraft at London Heathrow, I confess, the unkempt casual appearance of my neighboring passenger ('The Filth' author Duncan MacLaughlin) slumped in the gray leather upholstery beside me made me think, "Is this really Concorde, or am I flying coach on a US carrier?" By the time we landed at NY, I was infatuated by the unassuming, shy, but charming ex-undercover cop, and unsuccessfully attempted to purchase 'The Filth' at JFK before catching my connecting flight home. I have since bought the book via Amazon (and Duncan, it remains unsigned!).

'The Filth' takes the reader on MacLaughlin's journey as a London detective, tackling serious crime in both the UK and further afield, touching briefly upon his adventures here in California and elsewhere in the US.

In short, it's an eye opener and if ever made into a movie, I demand the right to play the part of his American distraction.

at first i was not impressed with the overly ornate, plushy cover. i'd already seen the similar books on the military service branches...and figured THESE were just more books (aimed at pumped up seekers of pseudo-heroism) that were cashing in on the post-911 tragedy (nothing more transparent or disgusting than reactionary, one-dimensional flag-waving 'patriotism'...<>)

BUT this is a totally honorable, excellent volume. it is correctly focused on the breadth and depths of this profession. from fires to rescues, this book paints as good a picture as can be had!

my grandfather, a wilmington DE firefighter, would've loved this book.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A great book about a great calling by a group of great authors and photographers. You're sure to enjoy it for years.

For everyone who has ever heard the siren's song of being a fireman, Firefighters from Hugh Lauter Levin, is a cavalcade of every facet, faucet, fact and artifact of firefighting; from the horse-drawn to the horse-power; the total picture of a valiant profession.

"Firefighters" is by far the most interesting narrative and visual accounting of fire service history that I have ever seen. It is perfect for anyone with an interest in the fire service. Each author does a great job with their chapter...including just the right amount of text complemented by many visuals that bring their words to life. Considering the quality of the book, and that every sale benefits the families of firefighters who have died in the line of duty, I couldn't have made a better choice than to buy "Firefighters" as addition to my living room coffee table. You should buy the book...I'm glad I did...and you will be too.

I had no idea of the scope of this book when I was ask to make my contribution on the History of Black Fire Fighters. This is a great book. The photographs are sharp and clear and the text very informative. I am amazed.

One for the IT Depts shelf and multiple copies please as it will be sure to vanish. Excellent disection of Firewalls in general with many good working examples. Needs updating to take account of new products but many found in here are still the mainstay of companies day in and out today. Recommended 5 Stars.

This book is awsome. I use at work and in Internet Security Cert Class (160 Hrs). I has enough info to cover all aspects of Firewall Admin & Implementation. I highly recommend this book!

In this day and age, no book can really be a "complete reference", however, it does go into great detail in describing various firewalls and firewall technology, therefore, its a great tool in assessing your own installation to determine how you can improve it. It's a little disappointing it doesn't come with a companion CD-ROM.

This reference manual provides a clear and easy to use comprehensive guide to the various products on the market, and the advantages of each with respect to the platforms on which we operate our systems. Since heading up my company's IT department I have been looking for a resource like this to answer all of my questions regarding the installation and structure of firewalls.

This is the most complete collection of all the major firewalls that I have ever seen. The book is a must have on any system administrators desk. It covers Checkpoint, Symantec Raptor, Pix, IP Chain, NetScreen, and many more. Along with useful scenarios in an easy to follow format. As well as a great section on hacking and how to prevent it.

Best [money]I have spent in a long time.

I really enjoyed this book, although more illustrations and the addition of photos would have greatly enhanced it. It is an excellent English companion to Y. Mary's four volume series in French. There is a great deal of information cramed into 200 pages covering everything from the military mobilization plans to the fortification on the Northeast and Southeast Front known as the Maginot Line and the coastal defenses of France in World War II with additional information on the Mareth Line in Tunisia and the coastal defenses there.

This 200 page book is a useful introduction to the history and technical details of the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line is not only described, but it is placed into context within the overall French strategy of defense in the 1920's and 1930's. French strategic plans that the French had developed before the outbreak of WWII, and at the attempt to modernize and rearm the French Army, Navy and Air Force during this time period are covered. The chapters include: Marching to the Wrong Tune that describe post World War I policy, strategy, and more; The Maginot Line covering its development, construction and components; Closing the Gaps showing how the French extended their defenses along the frontier, modernized and economized on the fortifications; Sea and Air Defense examines another aspect of the French defensive system; March to Defeat shows what the Germans knew and public expectations as war approached; and the French at War covers the campaign and the role and use of the fortified systems.
The book also includes many amazing drawings, maps and numerous useful tables of data excellent drawings of the Maginot Line, tanks, ships, aircraft etc. Why there are no photos in this remarkable book seems strange, despite the excuses given in some of the other Amazon reviews. This is a book I strongly recommend especially because of the useful drawings and charts that, with the text, help the reader understand French strategy and the role of French fortifications in World War II.

A fine introduction to French defensive systems of World War II. In six chapters this book covers the inter-war period through World War II. The challenge of the French military after the Great War in deciding on doctrine and dealing with a basic demobilization of their forces is the theme of the first chapter. The next chapter covers the creation of the Maginot Line and how it was built and organized. The third chapter describes how the gaps in the French front between the Maginot Line and sea were covered including the Maginot Extension of the New Fronts and also the little known Mareth Line in Tunisia. Chapter 4 describes the naval and air defenses of the French nation. Chapter 5 and 6 deal with the events leading to the 1940 campaign, German intelligence on the French fortifications, and a summary of the events of the campaign showing the relationship of the fortifications to French strategy and some of the positive aspects the high command failed to take advantage of. There are many drawings in the book of more than just the Maginot Line. They include maps of the defenses, drawings of aircraft, ships and tanks and even perspectives of not just the Maginot line positions, but even a 340-mm gun turret block of the coastal defenses at Toulon! The book is a little pricey at almost $50, but the $10 CD supplement that I ordered from Merriam Press has many more illustrations including photos (there are no photos in the book)and copies of pre-war German plans although I do not know why this CD was not included with the book. This is about the best general work covering all aspects of the French defenses that I have seen in English.

I received this book with the Osprey Maginot Line book this week. After reading both, I find that it would have been nice to have similar colorful illustrations like those in the Osprey book included here. Unlike, the reviewer "Jackie", I do not think the book is seriously lacking in text, but maybe in illustrations. I have also noticed a number of typos and what appear to be editing errors. Still the work provides a good detailed description of the Maginot Line and also information on the Mareth Line of Tunisa and other French defenses. There is an amazing amount of information packed in this 200 page book. I am not aware of the CD mentioned by the other reviewers (maybe someone will add details), but this is a great book for those interested in what was going on on the "other side of the hill." I would give it a solid "4 Stars" but have made it "5 Stars" to compensate for "Jackies" distortions.

This small book is a wonderful introduction to the history and technical details of the Maginot Line. The author, not only describes the Maginot Line, but he also places the Maginot Line into context within the overall French strategy of defense in the 1920's and 1930's. He looks at the strategic plans that the French had developed before the outbreak of WWII, and at the attempt to modernize and rearm the French Army, Navy and Air Force during this time period. The author has included many wonderful drawings, maps and numerous useful tables of data about the Maginot Line, tanks, ships, aircraft etc.
One unfortunate choice that the publisher made about the book was the decision not to use the many photos that the author had gathered, many from his own photo collection. The publisher wanted to limit the overall size and cost of the book. Therefore the author has compiled a CD-ROM to accompany the book that contains many photos and additional maps and interesting material taken from German Pre-1940 intelligence documents. The CD adds to the overall strength of this book. (...)
I highly recommend this title to anyone interested in the Maginot Line and French Defense in 1940.

Threats to civil liberties are greater than ever since September 11, 2001. Due process rights are the most obvious casualties, but privacy, church-state separation, and other civil rights are being eroded, particularly for groups outside the mainstream.

Wendy Kaminer's latest book, "Free For All: Defending Liberty in America Today", is therefore extremely timely and relevant. Kaminer is a lawyer, author, and social critic, whose previous books include "Sleeping With Extraterrestrials: The Rise of Irrationalism and the Perils of Piety", and "I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional: The Recovery Movement and Other Self-Help Fashions". "Free For All" is a collection of her essays on civil liberties from the past several years, both before and after 9/11. Most of the pieces appeared in "The American Prospect", though a few are included from other publications such as "Free Inquiry" and "Dissent".

The topics she addresses include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to privacy, defendant's rights, women's rights, and many related issues. A number of themes crop up repeatedly, including the following: When people favor giving up rights, they usually have in mind other people's rights. Civil libertarianism requires applying the Golden Rule to people you dislike. Civil liberties (freedom to X) often conflict with civil rights (freedom from X). Threats to civil liberties tend to come from those who want people to "be good," whether according to Christian morality on the right, or political correctness on the left. We should be especially wary of expansions of government power, especially prosecutorial power, which are likely to lead to erosion of individual freedom. And sadly, Americans tend to pay only lip service to liberties that are supposedly inalienable.

Kaminer is politically liberal, but she does not shy away from positions that make liberals queasy, because they are required by a strict civil libertarian interpretation of the Constitution. Some of her possibly controversial positions include:

* Free speech rights of abortion protesters must be protected. Furthermore, trying to shield abortion patients from protest undermines the feminist position that women can and should make autonomous decisions about abortion.

* Groups such as the Boy Scouts do have the right to discriminate against gays and atheists (and face the social consequences of doing so). Their rights to free speech and free association trump the desire to enforce equal treatment by non-government groups.

* Evangelism in schools (that is not endorsed by the school) should not be prohibited in the name of protecting children. "Sectarian religious groups that seek access to public schools are unlikely to compare themselves to pornographers, but they do rely on First Amendment rights." (p. 101) In both situations, it is the job of parents, not the state, to protect children.

These essays are necessarily snapshots in time. Most of the pre-9/11 pieces have been rewritten in the past tense, to reflect the changing face of civil liberties since that date. Two pre-9/11 essays are left in the present tense, to underscore the fact that civil libertarians were already alarmed well before the terrorist attacks. Many of the restrictions currently being used by the Bush/Ashcroft regime were enabled by the Counter-Terrorism Act of 1996. The attacks of 9/11 simply provided the first opportunity to apply them on a wide and well-publicized scale. The "USA PATRIOT" Act is merely icing on the cake.

"Free For All" is well worth reading if you interested in civil liberties in general. It provides a wide-ranging, thorough, and entertaining exploration of current issues. If eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, then Wendy Kaminer is standing guard, and letting us know that all is not well.

Thank goodness for Wendy Kaminer. A consistent thinker in the midst of our culture of conflict between fabricated absolutist alternatives.

This book is a collection of short essays on the state of American liberties which previously appeared in the "The American Prospect" over the past two years. They have been updated with additional material to confront the issues in civil liberty which have appeared after 9/11.

Censorship, religious freedom, women's rights, and homeland security are just some of the topics covered in these bite-size essays. The author's pen spares no sacred cows of either the Right or the Left. The feminist movement's campaign against pornography is vilified with as much fervor as is the conservative effort to criminalize flag burning. Both efforts are attempts at limiting unpopular speech. Kaminer shows them both to be the silly shibboleths of sanctimonious speech suppressors.

I don't agree with the author's opinions on every issue covered in the book. Her take on the criminal justice system, immigration, and social equality are a bit too left of center for my tastes. However, I am proud of her right to her opinions and her courage to care about the rights of others with whom she disagrees. If only we could all care with this much eloquence.

In this book, Wendy Kaminer, lawyer and civil libertarian, compiles many of her essays from her column in the American Prospect about censorship, religious freedom, women's rights, anti-individualism, rights of the accused, and post 9-11 curtailings of civil liberties in the United States. Kaminer makes a clear distinction between civil liberties, which are the laws protecting citizens from unjust government power and control, and civil rights, in which government power is used to protect the rights of a marginalized or minority population from other citizen groups. Kaminer criticizes both the right and the left in her attempts to find an appropriate balance, and she leans strongly toward individual freedoms except where clear, unambiguous discrimination is taking place.

This thoughtful and articulate book is particularly easy to read in chunks because each concise essay is only a few pages long. Kaminer's discussions of patriotic descent are strong and well-stated: "When you force children to salute the flag and recite the 'Pledge of Allegiance' you don't teach then to exercise freedom so much as you accustom them to the imposition of political orthodoxies." It is clear that she believes it is important not to violate fundamental principles of freedom, such as those defined in the Bill of Rights, even if doing so may result in short-term political gains: "...right and left, people who find themselves in possessions of power tend to resist restraints upon its use. ...What distinguishes a civil libertarian is a focus on preserving fair process rather than obtaining particular results." Kaminer takes to heart Voltaire's words: "I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," and I'm sure she would support the ACLU's 1978 court case protecting the free speech of a new-Nazi group and Noam Chomsky's defense of Faurisson's right to question or deny the Holocaust.

While Kaminer's criticisms all are well-stated and have merit, her lack of analysis or outright dismissal of the role of power, agency, and systematic biases is at times unsatisfying. For example, while she supports reproductive rights, she criticizes the Hill vs. Colorado ruling establishing "buffer-zones" around abortion clinics where "even peaceful antiabortion protests are prohibited." While her arguments about "silencing political speech" and valuing the "imagined right not to be offended over a right to give offense" are legitimatize, women seeking abortion information face far more than offensive language, often facing threats of physical violence, vigilante retribution, and public exposure, resulting in essentially restricted access. To give her due credit, Kaminer does write that "an unregulated marketplace inevitably exploits the most powerless members of society and produces gross inequalities of wealth that effectively prevent many people from enjoying the rights to which they're entitled," and it would be difficult to provide an appropriate depth of discussion about these dynamics while maintaining brevity, focus and accessibility in her essays.

http://www.theonion.com/onion3211/acludefends.html

Social conservatives, Stalinist feminists, and political correct Democrats (not to mention the Christian soldiers of the Bush administration) will find no comfort here. Wendy Kaminer is going to come down on the side of individual freedom against governmental power whatever the issue at hand.

In this collection of essays, mostly from her column in The American Prospect, Kaminer looks at issues ranging from anti-terrorist encroachments on civil liberties to anti-abortion protests, and invariably comes down on the side of individual liberty, even when she has to share close quarters with the likes of NAMBLA or "pro-fetal life" abortion clinic demonstrators. Her justification is a fine restatement of the civil libertarian position: "If the First Amendment only protected sensible speech, we'd inhabit a very quiet nation indeed." (p. 80)

Because she writes with passion and wit, and because now more than at any recent period in our nation's history, there is the danger of "An Imperial Presidency" (p. 13), we need her and others like her--whether we agree completely with them or not--as a counter to the anti-civil libertarian designs of Ashcroft, Rumsfeld and Bush. Kaminer represents in these pages the loyal opposition that largely went into hiding after September 11th.

Her main concern is for the health of the Bill of Rights, which suffered from cardiac arrest as the Twin Towers fell. Kaminer sees the resulting struggle between the Bush administration's desire to increase its power, and the individual's desire for privacy and due process, as a struggle between our collective need for security and our desire for freedom. When people are in fear they will let go of some of their liberties in order to feel secure. Consequently today is a time of particular danger because many Americans are understandably afraid.

Kaminer also addresses free speech on high school campuses, media censorship, abortion rights, victim's and defendant's rights, gay rights, Bush's faith-based program, and other cutting edge issues. Her style is readable, thoughtful and penetrating. She comes from a position of considerable authority as a social critic, a lawyer, and best-seller author (e.g., I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional). She knows the facts and she knows the law, but more than anything she knows how to express what she feels in an engaging manner. Consider how she makes this very delicate, but true, observation: "I don't imagine that he welcomed it, but September 11 was not a bad day politically for George Bush."

Or, note her observation that we don't need a first Amendment to protect popular, inoffensive speech. We need it to protect speech that a "Lynn Cheney or Joe Lieberman" might consider demeaning and degrading. She adds, "Censorship campaigns often begin with a drive to protect children (or women), but rarely end there." (p. 40) My only nitpick is that Kaminer didn't devote some space to the farcical, hypocritical, and disastrous "war on drugs" that is also eroding our liberties. Maybe that will be the subject of her next book.

"Freedom" and "liberty" seem like two of the most over-used and under-appreciated words in our contemporary political vocabulary. Left-wingers might champion the freedom of dissenting speech (or freedom to abort a fetus), while opining about the necessity of hate speech legislation and railing against the right to own a firearm. Right-wingers might champion association rights and freedom of contract, but might rail to the death to regulate 'indecency' and stand opposed to the freedom of gays to marry. As Wendy Kaminer notes several times in this beautiful book, we tend to treat liberty as we do tax loopholes: we only champion the ones we use; to hell with the others.

Mrs. Kaminer's book, constructed from essays she has written mainly for The American Spectator magazine, shows that she, unlike most, is not that fickle. The antithesis of the partisan zeolot, Kaminer nobly defends civil liberties and freedoms WHEREVER they need defending. Whether it be defending liberty against the vicious assults they've encountered via the war on terror, or defending the rights of private conservative groups to discriminate against homosexuals if they choose, Mrs. Kaminer consistently champions liberty - everyone's liberty.

This book will most probably appeal to two groups - liberals and libertarians. While Mrs. Kaminer certainly approaches issues non-ideologically, she is much harder on right wing attacks liberty (regulating indecency on the internet, opposition to gay marriage and abortion rights, forcing the pledge, etc.) than on left-wing ones (speech codes, push for reparations, etc.) What's more, as a true civil libertarian, Mrs. Kaminer, as often as not, finds herself defending unsavory characters like pornographers, NAMBLA, criminal defendants denied due process rights, and the like - groups that tend to give conservatives more disease than liberals. But far be it from me to generalize; buy the book if you are concerned about liberty, no matter what side you stand on.

The only two complaints I have tend to do with the format as a collection of essays. First, most essays here are ridiculously short - averaging about three pages. While this is good if you are a casual reader that might read one or two essays at a time, the more serious reader will find the lack of depth that 3 page essays afford frustrating. Second, as these are essays there is a significant overlap of information from one essay to the next. For instance, the chapter of essays on post-Sept. 11 liberty are well written, but after the first few, the repitition of information gets cumbersome and, to be honest, I started questioning whether i needed to read all of them.

All in all, though, this book is a sorely needed, non-partisan, defense of liberty and freedom (and its peicemeal encroachment) in contemporary America. If we ever hope to reverse the trend, journalists like Wendy Kaminer becoems absolutely necessary.