What Are You Reading?

I was only joking. You might try branching out a little, though. Especially since the Socialist Movement has moved on to it's museum phase. Colleges and Universities are still awash in it, but nobody else thinks its relevant. Try reading Witness by Whittaker Chambers. A great read and it offers a slightly different perspective.
Yeah I know exactly what you're talking about with the Socialist Movement being extermely prevalent in the college scene. I am not a Socialist, but I am a history major and while Karl Marx and Che Guevara may be outdated I still find them to be two of the most interesting people in recent histroy.

I follow politics extremely closely and I don't remember Bill Clinton proposing any limits on abortion. In fact he vetoed the ban on the D and X and D and E procedures twice.

He vetoed them because the bills pushed through by the Republicans didn't include exceptions for the health and life of the mother. So, while I'm not sure I'd use The Goat's phrasing of Clinton "proposing" the Arkansas law, he (I assume The Goat is a dude?) was correct about Clinton's position.

Regarding books, The Master and Margarita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita) is a great read.

He vetoed them because the bills pushed through by the Republicans didn't include exceptions for the health and life of the mother. So, while I'm not sure I'd use The Goat's phrasing of Clinton "proposing" the Arkansas law, he (I assume The Goat is a dude?) was correct about Clinton's position.

Regarding books, The Master and Margarita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita) is a great read.

Thanks for clarifying the exception point i'd forgotten.

The women who helped sponsor Clinton's legislation was a pro-lifer and she said it would reduce the number of abortions more than any other piece of legislation - i remember reading an op-ed piece that either quoted her or she wrote herself. It was the same law Clinton had put into place when he was governor and one of the most restrictive at the time. I never understood why people thought he was pro-abortion because his record showed different.

Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East.

Wow. I've almost bought this book about 4 times. I keep putting it down in the bookstore though. Looks very interesting.

As soon as I'm finished with David McCollough's "John Adams", I'm going to delve into the World War I era. I bought "Churchill's Folly", about the creation of Iraq, and "The Rise of the Third Reich" by Richard Evans. It's amazing how almost all of our current troubles in the middle east today were born with just two bullets fired at the Archduke Ferdinand and his wife. Then again, trouble was brewing there since about the beginning of time.

How do you like "Power, Faith, and Fantasy" so far?

He vetoed them because the bills pushed through by the Republicans didn't include exceptions for the health and life of the mother. So, while I'm not sure I'd use The Goat's phrasing of Clinton "proposing" the Arkansas law, he (I assume The Goat is a dude?) was correct about Clinton's position.

Regarding books, The Master and Margarita (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita) is a great read.

The "health" exception is a loophole one could drive a zamboni through. The Supreme Court had always interpreted it to include "mental health" and "mental health" was interpeted to mean basically "If I have this baby, I'm really going to be bummed!" So, any so called ban that included these outs represented no change in the law at all. Clinton wanted to be seen as a moderate on abortion, but he never really tried to change the status quo. That'why he vetoed the common sense partial birth abortion ban twice. To suggest otherwise is to turn history on its head.

Right now im reading "Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA" by Tim Weiner. It's a great book if your interested in reading about the complete history of the CIA, their missions, and their utter incompetence.

Also recommended:
"Parallel Worlds" by Michio Kaku, "1984" by George Orwell, "The Age of Reason" by Thomas Paine, "Fingerprints of the Gods" by Graham Hancock, "The Cosmic Trigger" by Robert Anton Wilson, "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life" by John Lee Anderson, "I am a Strange Loop" by Douglas Hofstadter, "Undiscovered Self" by Carl Jung, "Sirius Mystery" by Robert Temple, "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx, "The Second World" by Parag Khanna, "Supernatural" by Graham Hancock, "Dinner with a Cannibal" by Carole Travis-Henikoff.

Excellent list. I just bought a "Legacy of Ashes," but haven't delved yet. Judging by your list you may like "A Man in Full," by Tom Wolfe. About 800 pages, but well worth it.

Beemnseven: Can't wait to read John Adams.

Yeah I know exactly what you're talking about with the Socialist Movement being extermely prevalent in the college scene. I am not a Socialist, but I am a history major and while Karl Marx and Che Guevara may be outdated I still find them to be two of the most interesting people in recent histroy.

I was History major at one time. Please read Witness. Whittaker Chambers is at least as intersting as Che, and probably a better Communist, for a while.

Booknotes (http://www.booknotes.org/Program/?ProgramID=1350)

Excellent list. I just bought a "Legacy of Ashes," but haven't delved yet. Judging by your list you may like "A Man in Full," by Tom Wolfe. About 800 pages, but well worth it.

Beemnseven: Can't wait to read John Adams.


Tom Wolfe is a singular talent. Everyone should read Everything he's ever wtitten:

Tom Wolfe Top Ten:

10. Bonfire of the Vanities
9. Mauve Gloves MadMen Clutter & Vine
8. The Pumphouse Gang
7. A Man in Full
6. Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
5. From Bauhaus to Our House
4. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
3. The Tangerine Flake Streamlined Baby
2. The Painted Word
1. The Right Stuff

gate of fire
killing rommel
some xenophon translations

I've been toying with the idea of getting one of these. But I don't travel as much as I used to so it may not be as practical

The Gadgeteer - Amazon Kindle (http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/amazon_kindle)

Amazon just dropped the price by $40:
Amazon.com: Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device: Kindle Store (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/)