The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer on a recommendation from a friend. Being that the author also wrote Twilight, which I regularly mock, I wasn’t too sure.

I must repent.

Not only did I thoroughly enjoy this book, I am actually jealous for those who will read it in the future. I wish I could read it for the first time, again!

This science fiction novel takes place in some unspecified future in which alien life forces are using humans as hosts. The aliens themselves have no real bodies, only what they call a “soul”. The only way for them to live any kind of meaningful life is to inhabit the body of another. Unfortunately, a body can have only one soul at a time, and thus the rightful owner must be pushed aside for the new parasite. 

The conceit of the book involves a girl who refuses to relinquish her body to the new soul. This sets up an unprecedented situation, fabulously fleshed out by a very insightful author. I kept asking myself, how is this going to end?

It ended with me bawling!

Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly

This riveting book about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln kept me on the edge of my seat. Well researched and dramatically told, every detail makes the story come alive! I cannot recommend it highly enough!

O’Reilly tells the story as a gripping thriller. He details moment by moment of the last days before the assassination of LIncoln. The truly maddening part is watching so many things go wrong, allowing the other intended victims to survive, and yet everything goes exactly right for the killer of the president. 

This book is just as good as any quality fiction novel.

Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer

The title says it all: Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer. This book traces the absolute corruption which embroils our elected officials. Whether it is insider trading on stocks, miraculous land deals, access to IPOs, or laws passed to benefit political donors, our congressmen and women engage in some of the most egregious forms of corruption. AND it's all legal! Why? They police themselves. Ever notice how regular middle-class people go to Washington and leave millionaires? That's our money they are taking and our economy they are harming for their own benefit. I couldn't agree more... throw them all out!

Peter Schweizer names names and documents every claim.

He begins with the stock trading that health care laws generate. When our elected officials know what sector will be harmed or helped, they make calls to their brokers, before it becomes public knowledge. John Kerry, with the millions he already had access to, was able to make millions more. Other players, like Jim Webb, had a smaller pot to start with but still ended up ahead due to the insider trading knowledge he had. They also cash in by trading stocks based on crisis’ they know are coming before the public catches wind. 

Many times, politicians will have access to IPO’s the rest of us can only watch. Nancy Pelosi made a killing getting into a VISA IPO and then sitting on legislation that would have harmed her new partner’s interests. Pure corruption! Boxer got rich the same way. 

As the federal government has enormous power when it comes to land valuation, some, like Harry Reid and Dennis Hastert, will find a way to benefit. Sometimes it involves moving a federal project near land they own in order to raise the property value. Harry Reid asked for a bridge to be built over the Colorado River that would then hike the value of a piece of property he owned nearby. How nice.  Or in the case of Pelosi, she made sure a light rail project built a stop conveniently located near an office building she owns, effective sending the value up. 

Crony capitalism, wherein government officials direct loans, subsidies, and projects to their donors, has famously enriched many a politician. Obama’s stimulus in 2009, as well as other programs, funnelled literally billions of our dollars to his political supporters. For example, of the $20.5 billion in loans made by the Dept. of Energy, $16.4 billion went to companies with an Obama connection. Schweizer gives too many examples to list of Obama donors who went on receive very lucrative benefits from the administration. For a man who wants to tax millionaires and billionaires, he certainly is giving them a lot of taxpayer money. Why doesn’t he just keep it in the first place and call it a draw. Oh yeah, how would that help him get elected?

He writes a whole chapter on Warren Buffet. Largely seen as a grandfatherly type, dispensing economic wisdom, Buffet is not beyond lobbying and capitalizing on government largess. He lent a “helping hand” to Goldman Sachs when the financial crisis hit, knowing full well, with insider political knowledge, a bailout was in the offing. Consequently, the stocks he received when investing in Goldman went through the roof! He earned $2.5 billion on that one. Nice work if you can get it. We are giving billionaires like Buffet billions of dollars through government policies he has the ability to influence. Pure corruption!

Many Wall Street organization hire retired politicians sole for the connections they bring. Studies have shown that a hedge fund with a politician on the payroll significantly outperforms those that don’t. Afterall their bought and paid for access to current lawmakers comes in handy when deciding where to invest. 

Conflict-of-interest laws apply in many business and within governmental functions. But they do not apply to members of Congress. In fact, since Congress has the job of policing itself, why would it ever limit its members’ ability to make financially advantageous deals? Members of Congress are routinely exempt from the laws the rest of us must abide by! Where is the outrage? Congress also uses its vast amount of power to engage in what is essentially extortion! Donate to my campaign or I may have to raise your taxes. And it’s LEGAL!! It will not change, because for them, business is good. 

Their arrogance is stupifying. We are supposed to be a nation under the rule of law. They have turned us into a banana republic. This absolute destroys the free market. When special favors must be bought, when only the politically connected can succeed, when rules and regulation are changed or bent in order to benefit a supporter, the economy crashes. Is it any wonder that this recession has dragged on and on. Business simply cannot function in an environment of such pervasive corruption. Since the Obama administration came into office, the corruption has moved from small, bi-partisan, back-room, million-dollar deals, to gigantic policies running into billions and billions of dollars.

Elizabeth Warren stated repeated at the DNC, “If you feel like the system is rigged against you, that’s because it is.” She advocated voting for Obama to change that. But not only is he a major contributor to the rigged system, they all are!

THROW THEM ALL OUT! I love it!

Still the Best Hope by Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager, a radio talk show host, lays out the arguments he has been making for 30 years on radio in one cohesive book, Still the Best Hope. He believes the world has three worldviews from which to choose: Leftism, Islamism, and Americanism. Writing in three sections in order to focus on each worldview separately, he dissects and dismantles both Leftism and Islamism. His critique of the Left is particularly insightful. But his promotion of American Values is where his originality is so needed. 

He defines Leftism as a secular religion with its own creeds and dogma. All humans need something to believe in and when you reject God, Leftism has to make do. Being a very materialistically focused worldview, material equality is its highest goal. They believe the government can lead us to their view of nirvana in which all experience equality of outcome. They reject facts they don’t like for wishful thinking and desire to will into being their own form of reality. Too often, truth can make people feel bad, and the left is wholly feelings-based. The left succeeds because it appeals to feelings and promises the impossible. Many people would rather believe in a beautiful lie than confront hard and unfair truth. Unfortunately, basing one’s worldview on falsities has led to the most barbaric outcomes as reality has the unfortunate ability to keep making itself known. Only totalitarianism can keep hard facts at bay and only for a limited time. 

The other worldview competing for the hearts and minds of the planet today is Islamism.   Prager states, “There are a number of serious  moral problems within the Muslim world: the lack of liberty, the treatment of women the imposition of Sharia on Muslims and non-Muslims, the use of violent punishments for non-violent offenses, and an abandonment or reason, among others.” For these reasons, Islamism is obviously not the path of more liberty and freedom. 

Finally, he defends Americanism. He elaborates on all three elements of what he calls, The American Trinity: E Pluribus Unum, Liberty, and In God We Trust. All are found on every American coin, which makes it a helpful reminder. It is these values we are in danger of losing and in the process we will lose what makes America great and ... exceptional!

Having listened to Dennis Prager for years, I didn’t find much new in the book, but I did enjoy getting all his thoughts in one place. This is a great resource for anyone wanting to concisely explain Americanism vs. Leftism or Islamism. He documents each claim with one or more examples. For anyone not immersed already in Dennis Prager’s thoughts, this book would be a real eye-opener.

Screwed by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann

In the book, Screwed, Dick Morris and his wife Eileen McGann lay out situation after situation in which the United States is losing its sovereignty or being threatened by powers abroad. Many of the chapters deal with treaties and deals being made at the international level. While it is all scary, I'm hoping it's hyperbole. First of all, if his predictions are true, America is in big trouble. Second, because so much of it is at the international level, it feels as if there is nothing we can do.

The first issue brought addressed is our economy and the world’s attempts to control it. We already give large amounts of power to an unaccountable and unelected Fed. We are also allowing the G-20 and IMF to make policies that would impact us negatively.

Next they describe international treaties being pushed by various nations that would abrogate our sovereignty. These include the International Criminal Court, Law of Sea Treaty, United Nations Small Arms Treaty, European code of Conduct in Outer Space, Conventions on the Child, and Agenda 21. Each one of these treaties would affect everyday Americans and the freedoms we experience.

We also face serious threats from China. They manipulate their currency to our detriment. They hack into our technologies and steal our secrets. They have hacked into our electrical grid. We could use the leverage we have over them in respect to trade to demand they stop doing all of these things. 

Although we financially prop up Pakistan, they make it a habit to betray us. We must use the money and our relationship with India to pressure them to work with us in our fight against terrorism. We could also refocus our efforts and so rely on them less.

Afghanistan - Get out! We are there, propping up a corrupt regime. Only keep enough forces to hunt down terrorists and forget the nation-building.

With Saudi Arabia, we’ve made a deal with the devil. This barbaric regime commands our respect because we need their oil, but no longer! Open up America to fracking and more natural gas drilling and finally we will be able to achieve true energy independence. We must rid ourselves of alliances with these purveyors of evil.

The United Nations is corrupt. Since we pay 22% of the budget of the UN, we must use this leverage to force them to clean up.

Another institution with threatens the world is the World Bank. They give and give and give to corrupt regimes in the name of compassion and only end up making the problem worse. We must stop funding them.

Foreign aid is just as devastating. We prop us corrupt regimes as well with our dollars, and for thanks, we get nations that hate us. We must instead go the route of trade and investment by private corporations in order to truly help the struggling nations.

Here in our own backyard, we have the alliance of Iran and Venezuela. Like Saudi Arabia, we must stop buying Chavez’ oil and become energy independent. This would bankrupt Chavez and end his Iranian alliance and end the threat of an Iranian toehold in our hemisphere.

Finally, domestically, we have the very real problem of our own corrupt politicians using the revolving door of politics to make friends and then sell that influence to the highest bidder after retirement. They actually lobby on behalf of some of our enemies! We must ban this kind of influence peddling.

Hopefully, the next election will give us a president who truly fights for America!

One Year Off by David Elliot Cohen

One Year Off by David Elliot Cohen tells the story of a family that left everything behind in San Francisco and traveled around the world for a year. He details their adventures in a format that lets the reader feel as if he is along for the ride. They travel to 40 locations, some very exotic, and 5 continents. Along the way, their family learns not only geography and history, but gains a sense of what is important and what matters.

The journey began by selling their house and possessions and spending 6 months planning for such an adventurous trip. The first leg took them to Costa Rica. Their children had a hard time adjusting to the new non-schedule and familiarity and the first three weeks were pretty tough. But once they settled in to the nomadic lifestyle, they developed a rhythm. 

Next, they headed to Europe and the city of Lights. After begging the children, ages 9,7, and 3, to attend museum after museum and church after church, they journeyed to Greece to visit family. The welcome, food, and sights of Sardinia tempted them to just stay and call it home, but they had more destinations to conquer. Istanbul presented a magical scene and renting a houseboat to cruise around the Burgandy canals of France gave them a much needed time of relaxation. The classical ruins of Ephesus taught ancient history in a way no textbook could match.

Africa called next. After the endless cultural expeditions of Europe, the kids thrilled to the opportunities presented by a continent in which any type of animal may turn up around the next corner. They saw 30,000 elephants in Botswana, rafted the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, and came closer to the wildlife than they cared to while camping in the Hwange National Park.

The next major leg took them to India and more family connections. The kids lit up to see thousands of camels at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India. And although it’s a typical tourist destination, the Taj Mahal enchanted just the same. Here the children were able to experience some of their Jain religious heritage at an ancient temple.

Wanting to get off the beaten path, they traveled next to the west side of Australia where no one goes! Although they found it enchanting, spending 3 weeks over Christmas and New Years with good friends, they pressed onto the drive through the Nullarbor to Sydney. The long hypnotic drive through no where, with nothing to look at felt perilously close to danger and they imagined breaking down in the middle of the desert. Finally settling in Sydney for an extended period to put the kids in school for a few months, they  experienced one of the the most harrowing adventures. While taking his daughter out to boogie board at the deserted Surfers Point, David caught a wave without realizing his daughter was not behind him. When he glanced back at her, he discovered she had been caught in a current and was being whisked away from him at a dizzying speed. Using every swimmers’ skill he possessed, he caught up to her and brought her safely in. 

After a good long time of living a civilized life, the next stop took them to a most dangerous part of the world, Indochina. Desperately wanting to see the Angkor ruins in Cambodia, they planned a trip to land of “stifling heat, bad accommodations, and the imminent threat of land mines, revolution, and bandits.” Not recognizing exactly the danger they were in, they were stunned to see news of a coup merely a week after leaving. Laos and its remaining charm and mystery of the old world enticed them as well.

Finally they experienced the British handover of Hong Kong, headed to Hawaii, then home.

In a “Was it worth it?” epilogue Cohen believes it was in fact worth it. He would have changed some things (reconsider bringing a 3-year-old), not sell the house, and avoid really dangerous countries. But for the new perspective and opportunity to discover more about life, he believes it was absolutely worth it.

Men in Black by Mark Levin

Men in Black by Mark Levin is one of those books that really makes one hopeless!

Mark Levin traces the history of the Supreme Court and describes case after case which has enriched their power at the expense of the people. They have become, in fact, tyrants as they dive deeper and deeper into all aspects of our lives. He says, "The Supreme Court is abusing and subverting its constitutional role. It has chosen to become the unelected, unassailable social engineer of American society." We must, as Americans, defy tyranny and return our country to its Constitutional roots.

We learn as Americans at an early age that the Supreme Court was established to decide the Constitutionality of laws passed by the Congress. However this idea of “judicial review” was considered and rejected by the founders. They knew that to allow the judiciary to overturn laws would necessarily introduce a partisan component into what they designed to be an independent branch. Even so, the federal judiciary as created by the Constitution posed an enormous problem. The anti-Federalists recognized the court would have the ability to ultimately subsume all power to itself, with no one to restrain it. How prescient!

It didn’t take long for the Supreme Court to use the ambiguity of the Constitution to usurp the power to decide the Constitutionality of laws. In Marbury vs. Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall, intending to protect the supremacy of the Constitution, gave his court the authority to nullify unconstitutional laws. Thomas Jefferson immediately recognized the egregious breach of power. “To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions [is] a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.” He recognized 200 years ago what we have seen come to fruition since, the tyranny of unelected and unaccountable judges.

Of course the moral philosopher-king as envisioned by Plato could judge rightly and with wisdom. Unfortunately we are not a nation run by moral philosophers. We are a nation of fallen men, governed by fallen men. As such, the Supreme Court has used its unlimited powers in many deleterious ways.

On such case of judicial overreach involves the striking down of prayer in schools. Although this nation was explicitly founded on religious principles and beliefs, the court decided that freedom of religion meant freedom from religion. Our nation has been in legal turmoil regarding what is Constitutional and what is not ever since. The problem goes back to the original sin of the misinterpretation of the “establishment” clause. The court interpreted far too broadly what constituted “establishing” a religion to include state sanctions of anything of a religious nature. Now we exist in a Wonderland where “holiday” trees are O.K., but Christmas trees are not, where Santa is acceptable, but baby Jesus is verbotten, where “God bless you” after a sneeze may or may not incite legal action, where our own Declaration of Independence with its four references to God may be unconstitutional, or even the Constitution with the “year of our Lord” reference may make reading the Constitution in schools... UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

Another area into which the court intruded was the issue of privacy. Activists on the court, determined to make abortion legal, found the right buried in the “penumbras, formed by emanations” of actual rights. It’s actually embarrassing for its ephemeralness of reasoning. However, not only did the Supreme Court dare to go where no founder would have ever intended, into the very womb of a woman, but they intentionally laid the groundwork for future cases involving birth control, homosexuality, and gay marriage. 

On another hot button issue, race relations, the court began inserting itself with disastrous results as early as the 1860s with Dredd Scott. Only a civil war and a 100,000 dead could right that particular wrong. The Supreme Court’s track record on racial issues since then has been equally disastrous. “At various times in our history, the Court has promoted slavery, segregation, and internment based on race and ethnicity. Today it promotes reverse discrimination.” The do-gooders on the Court have not only not made race relations better, they have laid the foundation for never-ending animosity.

The Court has actively championed anti-American ideals. Illegal immigrants are granted the rights of citizens by an activist court. Terrorists are similarly welcomed into the fold. Socialist policies are mandated from the bench or are given the green light. Rather than protecting the 10th Amendment and states’ rights to protect their authority, the Court has run rough shod over our liberties and allowed the all-powerful Federal government to intrude into our lives. Free speech has been silenced when the Court finds it distasteful to its liberal values. Campaign “reform” which limits our most basic and important mode of speech has been repeatedly upheld. Being unaccountable to ordinary Americans has made the courts ignorant of the values of ordinary Americans.

The left, more than the right, has recognized and used the power of the courts to its advantage. While appointing very leftist judges, they have “borked” or threatened to “bork” conservative judges appointed by conservatives. They have filibustered appointments to the bench for years at the behest of liberal activist groups. What they cannot pass legislatively, they pass by judicial fiat. By not allowing the people to work through controversial issues at the ballot box and in open conversation, the left has created an increasingly polarized nation full of politically correct opinions foisted upon the dissenters.

So how to return to the Constitutional judiciary our founders intended? Policing themselves through the impeachment process hasn’t worked. We need to change the way judges operate. Maybe fixed terms with a renomination and confirmation process at the end of the term would help limit judicial fantasies. Create a “legislative veto” in which 2/3 of the legislature can limit or nullify a court ruling would return some authority back to the people. Use recess appointments to avoid filibusters. The judges can serve until the end of the second session of the current congress before having to face the confirmation process. These reforms may help lead the way to a more Constitutional court system.

“[L]ook at where we are today. It’s difficult to find any aspect of society where the federal government doesn’t have some role or influence. And the Supreme Court,  more than any other branch or entity of government, is the most radical and aggressive practitioner of unrestrained power... We must oppose tyranny, whatever its form.”