Military Law Books

My local visiting crier of Armegeddon tells me that if Jesus had not departed and was still with us, he would tell us Americans that all practicing Christians should withdraw their support from the military and eliminate the income tax that funds their mayhem and bombing. Those who wish to make war should do so at their own cost and risk of God's wrath ("Thou shalt not kill" is recorded in the Pentateuch as one of God's Ten Commandments).

However, many Americans and many Christians included believe that an army is necessary to defend us from attack. For example, Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is for a strong defense while he recognizes that the Tory warmongers in Washington, District of Criminals, are on a global offensive since partnering with the British for WW II. We Yanks have been providing the brawn to British empire ever since. Our troops are being sacrificed in every political hotspot created by the British prior to WW II including Afghanistan and Iraq.

Worse, ever since the Bush Crime Family blew up the Twin Towers and blamed it on the Arabs, Americans have been as war-frenzied as their forefathers were after FDR allowed the Japs to hit Pearl Harbor (see "The New Pearl Harbor" by David Ray Griffin). Have you heard of Marvin Bush? He was in charge of security of the Twin Towers when the power went off the day before for one hour the day before the planes hit. Disturbing questions like these are not considered by the Tories that have infiltrated the conservative movement in America. And their Toryism has led to the resurgence of WW III on behalf of American-powered British empire.

It is in this context that this book addresses what it is like for the recruit, the kid being lied to by the paid military recruiter, to join the military and risk his or her life on behalf of Darth Vader Bush and the British Emperors. Not only will the recruit not know that he or she will be morally bankrupt killing and fighting civilians rather than armies, they will get the shaft as well.

In Tod Ensign's chapter "Filling the Ranks", you see what the recruiters stoop to do to shake out the garbage and enlist whatever falls out. Many of your military buddies should never be enlisted but belong behind bars already. When you get to Iraq or Afghanistan and watch them kill kids in cold-blood, you'll wonder why you're in an army that Adolf Hitler would've loved. You learn about the backdoor draft where an enlistee can not separate when his or her time is up. Your backside belongs to the State!

And in another chapter "Military Justice", you learn that "military needs come first" - all that stuff the recruiter promised you about a job, pay, conditions, college, etc, etc, was sheer buffalo pucky! You get whatever your commanders and their bosses agree to give you IN THEIR DISCRETION. You play their game by their rules, do not get killed while killing people trying to defend themselves from your invasion of their towns and villages, THEN you can get out (if they do not extend your term of service) and maybe go to college - if you can keep yourself out of the night clubs while you try to drown out the statist screwing you just suffered.

In short, this is an important and accurate expose of how badly our troops are treated while being ordered to invade people who have never done anything to us. Every high school social studies teacher should have 150 copies of this book - you just might save a kid's life. www.ImpeachBlair.org

"America's Splendid Little Wars: A Short History of U.S. Engagements from the Fall of Saigon to Baghdad," by Peter Huchthausen, is a fascinating guide to a quarter century of American military actions. Starting with the S.S. _Mayaguez_ incident off the coast of Cambodia in 1975, Huchthausen tells the story of many missions: the failed 1980 attempt to rescue hostages in Iran, intervention in Lebanon in the 1980s, the 1983 Grenada invasion, the 1986 attack on Libya, activities in the Persian Gulf in the late 1980s, intervention in Panama in 1989, Operation Desert Shield (1990-91) and the 1991 Gulf War, the 1991 relief effort on behalf of the Kurds of northern Iraq, actions in Somalia in the early 1990s, intervention in Bosnia in the 1990s, and the 1999 Kosovo campaign.

The book is full of good features: logical organization, more than a dozen clear and informative maps, several pages of black-and-white photographs, a comprehensive nine-page bibliography, and an index. Huchthausen's prose style is clear and to-the-point. A paragraph about the author notes that he is a retired U.S. Navy captain, and that he served as an analyst of the Soviet navy, a submarine expert, and a naval attache. In his introduction Huchthausen notes that the phrase "splendid little war" was used in 1898, by a U.S. ambassador, to describe the Spanish-American War (incidentally, Theodore Roosevelt's classic memoir of that war, "The Rough Riders," would make a great companion text for this book). Huchthausen notes the irony of his book's title: "The U.S. military encounters from 1975 to 1999 were neither splendid nor small."

Huchthausen offers gripping descriptions of the unfolding events, both political and military, of each "little war." He gives historical backgrounds for the conflicts and also provides interesting analyses of the U.S. actions. Significant recurring themes include relations between the press and the military, the combination of assets from different branches of the U.S. military, and the use of unconventional forces such as Navy SEALs and the Army's Delta Force. We get glimpses of some fascinating personalities: U.S. Admiral William J. Crowe, Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, Somali warlord Muhammad Farah Aideed, Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, and more. In an afterword (to the 2004 edition), Huchthausen reflects on more recent U.S. wars in Afghanistan (since 2001) and Iraq (since 2003).

Yes, one can only fit so much information into the relatively short space allotted to each "little war," and at times I felt that the book didn't give a full enough story. Still, as a general overview of this era the book is very useful, and the excellent bibliography offers interested readers plenty more places to go if he or she wants to learn more. For additional companion texts that cover some of the same material from other valuable perspectives, I recommend "Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL," by Chuck Pfarrer, and "Inside Delta Force," by Eric Haney. Overall, I consider "America's Splendid Little Wars" a well-written and valuable book--in particular, essential reading for contemporary military professionals.

I had the pleasure to be taught by Professor Sullivan himself. We read this book in class, and it taught me so much about American constant interventions throughout history. Sullivan's extensive knowledge of history and politics shines through this book- and any reader can learn something about American interventions. His book is full of interesting little facts that you won't find usually find. I highly recommend it!

How history repeats itself! Being born and raised in the North, and in the government schools, there is so much that I do not know, but I do love digging into the past and learning the actual events that took place, which have been either glossed over, or completely eliminated from government approved textbooks. Grab this rare volume and devour it. Read about the midnight arrests of journalists, and of pastors who dared to stand up for the truth. Open your heart and mind and learn the seeds that the country planted, so many years ago, that grew into the loss of freedoms we are currently under. Boldly go and read and hear the testimony of those who lost their freedom under this war. Black and white, and people of all races will appreciate this work. I am thankful for those who took the time and expense to reprint this, and many other jewels like it.

This is the first of Professor Lurie's 2 volume treatise on the history of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, formerly, the U.S. Court of Military Appeals. Any attorney who has any issue pertaining to the evolution of military justice in the United States, who does not consult this book, has committed malpractice. Meticulously researched and thoroughly annotated, the author lucidly and cogently teaches the reader how both the UCMJ and the CMA came into being. More importantly for the practitioner, Prof. Lurie's work provides the "why." As he notes, "Never before had Congress created a civilian appellate court for the military."[p. 258]. This book traces the Legislative history, why Congress overhauled the military justice system, why they created the UCMJ, and why they created the CMA to be the federal court that would balance the tensions between military justice and discipline. These two books should be on every JAG's reading list.

Collection of opinions on the treaty by contemporary authors as well additional assessments that is more modern.

It's a great law book for contractors, civil engineers and civil engineering student.

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (2/07)

How many times do we take our safety for granted? How often do we think about those who put their lives on the line to maintain our safety? Often when we hear about those who have chosen the mission of a police officer they are described as "the officer" in some crime story or another. Dorothy Pedersen has taken the focus away from the crime and into the lives of "the officer" that has gone "Beyond the Call of Duty" in her book describing "Canadian Police Heroes" from the Amazing Stories series.

"Canadian Police Heroes" consists of ten chapters, ten stories from across Canada of officers who have crossed the line from duty to heroics. The success of these stories lies in Pedersen's ability to take the story of "the officer" and turn it into the story of Peter Snell, Phil Huckins, Kevin Scott and the seven other officers with stories contained within the book. It is about their lives leading up to the event(s), the impact of the event(s) on them and others, and how it continues to affect their lives. To truly appreciate the event, we must truly appreciate the officer, and Pederson has truly succeeded in this regard!

Beyond the duty of fighting crime, our officers are faced with many opportunities to impact and often save lives. While we hear most often of their role in crime, it can be the less told story that has the biggest impact. The stories of officers risking their lives to save another, putting in countless hours to help those in need, the stories are endless, the dedication is heroic.

"Canadian Police Heroes" is a tribute to those officers that have gone above and beyond the line of duty. Its greatest impact, however, is in uncovering the passionate human behind "the officer."

There are many books available on shipping law and carriage of goods by sea, but this one explains the international treaties, causes of dispute, conflict of laws, and essential shipping documents and contracts in a way that would make it an ideal text book. The writer runs a college course in the UK and clearly has had time to develop his methodology for clear explanations.

Outstanding basic textbook on Admiralty Law. Excellent review of what the law is, as well as a statement of what the trends have been. Materials, including Editor footnotes, also provide interesting background information, which gives a flavor for the law and for the history of shipping. For example, the book discusses the role of the international maritime organizations and the international conventions in the development of the law, as well as how U.S. courts treat these developments. Some of the areas covered are fairly straight forward, others are quite complex and may require careful study to absorb. However, this complexity is a reflection of the subject matter, not the author's ability to cover it. If you are looking for a good basic reference, this is it.