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Category Archives: Politics and Civic Interest
The First Congress
The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government© 2016 Fergus Bordewich416 pages The first attempt at creating an American confederation resulted in a chronically bankrupt and impotent organization which no one … Continue reading
Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews
Tagged Early American Republic, history, law, politics, Politics-CivicInterest, US Constitution
1 Comment
The Cult of the Presidency
The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power © 2008 Gene Healy 264 pages Every four years, men and women with permanently-fixed smiles assure us that they will end corruption in D.C, get the economy moving, and … Continue reading
Unstoppable
Unstoppable: the Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State© 2014 Ralph Nader224 pages George Carlin groused that when he heard the word bipartisanship, he knew a larger than usual deception was in the works. Ralph Nader’s Unstoppable offers a different … Continue reading
Ain’t My America
Ain’t My America: The Long and Noble History of Antiwar Conservatism and Middle Class Antimperialism © 2008 Bill Kauffman 304 pages “You can have your hometown, or you can have the empire. You can’t have both.” You don’t have to … Continue reading
Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews
Tagged anti-war, Bill Kauffman, Front Porch Reading, history, localism, politics, Politics-CivicInterest
10 Comments
The Grid
The Grid: A Journey Through the Heart of Our Electrified World© 2007 Phillip Schewe310 pages In every room there sits a caged beast waiting to cause mischief, but which most of the time is put to honest work, instead. When … Continue reading
We Who Dared Say No to War
We Who Dared Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now© 2008 Murray Polner, Tom Woods368 pages The image of anti-war protesters in America is of the left, especially the student left, haranguing the government for overseas … Continue reading
Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews
Tagged anti-war, politics, Politics-CivicInterest, Tom Woods
2 Comments
The Quartet
The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783 – 1789 © 2015 Joseph Ellis 320 pages How many men does it take to make a revolution? The American Revolution is usually taken to include the rising animus against the political … Continue reading
American Cicero
American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll © 2010 Bradley Birzer 230 pages When Charles Carroll of Carrollton signed the Declaration of Independence, he was risking the biggest fortune on the American mainland. But Carroll had yearned for independence for … Continue reading
Recarving Rushmore
Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty© 2009 Ivan Eland527 pages Presidential rankings tend to favor those who were most active, reigning during a crisis or creating expansive new programs that alter the nation’s fortunes. What of … Continue reading
Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews
Tagged Hail to the Chief, history, libertarianism, politics, Politics-CivicInterest
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The Terrorist Next Door
The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right © 2004 Daniel Levitas544 pages How does the grandson of Jewish immigrants become a leading voice in anti-Semitic movements? The Terrorist Next Door reviews domestic militancy in the United … Continue reading
