Book Review - Homeland Insecurity by Steven Fox

It was a period of American history when the most cherished and basic human rights of our society were trampled, suspended, or ignored altogether --- a time of profiling, FBI bungling, military commissions, secret arrests, suspension of due process and habeas corpus, deportation, extraordinary rendition, second class citizenship and other forms of harassment --- all in the name of homeland security during a war being fought overseas. Sounds very familiar doesn't it? Surely "Homeland Insecurity
," by award winning author Stephen Fox, was written to further expose the sometimes draconic and often illegal activities of the Bush administration to protect our citizens after the bombing of the World Trade Center. But in fact, the setting of this well written and carefully documented book is World War II where families of German and Italian ancestry were systematically relocated, interned, or in some cases, repatriated to a homeland they did not remember or had never visited.

The cast of characters in"Homeland Insecurity
y" run the gamut from historically famous people to anonymous families who endured the ruin of their reputations, assaults on their well being and in some cases loss of lives. Notable among the former group are Franklin Roosevelt and J. Edgar Hoover. As it turns out, both of these men harbored insecurities and prejudices that when acted out, resulted in a tragic assault on the Bill of Rights.

Without question "Homeland Insecurity" is a scholarly work. In particular, Fox's thematic analysis of the impact of the government's actions on the lives of German immigrants appears to be based on an in depth review of FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service documents, the results of which are meticulously footnoted and documented. But the thing I like best about the book are the narratives provided by the immigrants themselves. They make for a compelling enjoyable read. Some of the immigrants were unabashed Nazi supporters and it is not hard to understand why they were dealt with swiftly and harshly. Most of them, however, were good and decent citizens who considered themselves Americans and who found themselves caught up in a system they could not comprehend or defend against.

"Homeland Insecurity" begins with a quote by Jon Carroll which is worth repeating here, "It is said that those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it. I suspect that those who do remember history are doomed to repeat it too. Human nature is human nature, and is an even deeper driving force than memory." Was human nature the driving force behind the actions taken by our government to secure our borders during World War II or for that matter, was it the face behind the mask of overzealous prosecutions after the bombing of the World Trade Center? This book is a must read for all Americans concerned about their freedom.

Written for Reader Views (November 2009)

Ron Standerfer is a novelist, freelance writer, book reviewer, and journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous news publications including online editions of the Chicago Tribune, USA Today,and the Honolulu Star Advertiser. To receive more information about this writer please visit his website at http://www.ronstanderfer.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_Standerfer http://www.pippoproducts.com

Merry Christmas

I wish you, my friends and family, all the same faith, hope, joy and love as was the Queen of Heaven's when she gave birth to Our Lord and Savior in that humble manger some 2000 years ago.

Thank-you for visitinghttp://www.pippoproducts.comand supporting me in all I do.

Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.

Merry Christmas

Joe Conigliaro

Barack Obama Nobel Peace Prize Speech Was a Sublime Moment of Wisdom

Every now and again a speech is made which somehow manages to elevate the issues to which it refers to a higher plane. Barack Obama's words of acceptance in Oslo following his award of the Nobel Peace Prize was just such a speech. Some people think that if Barack Obama recited the phone book it would move his audience to tears, but the fact is, beneath that ultra smooth delivery, he made some salient points too.

He speaks as if moved by a higher purpose, guided by a divine light. His vision far exceeds the vision of most other politicians on the world stage today. He spoke about a world tolerant of other races, other beliefs, about politicians who have the courage to break the mould by inviting their enemies to enter into dialogue. Above all he made it clear that, although wars are inevitable, the route to peace does not always have to be military. He did not start the two wars America is presently involved in, but he is committed to seeing them through. For the future, he envisions more stringent pressures being applied by a global marketplace, where each country depends economically on every other, with effective, honed, fiscal incentives and punishments in place to deter rogue states from misbehaving. Not a single life need be lost.

As always with Obama, there is the moral undercurrent, which tentatively suggests we ought to take responsibility for our own actions before throwing stones at someone else's glass house. The political cliche is "get your own house in order first" before you can be a model for the rest of the world. Some may interpret this softer, more inward looking approach as indicative of a crisis of confidence for the once supreme superpower, but although this is a break from the jingoism of America's imperial past, macho posturing these days is not cool, and nowhere near as important as it once was. In some ways the financial crisis has done us all a favour by opening up our minds to new possibilities. What people want now from government is concern not coercion; concern for the environment, concern for the impoverished, concern for each other. Americans have always been good Christians; perhaps it's time for a little Christian tolerance. Nation states, no less than individuals, have a duty to forgive and repent, in other words to let go of the past and dream of a better future.

Obama gives the impression that he fully understands that, which is what makes him the perfect recipient of this award in the first place. And who knows, once the "enemy" realises that the threat of nuclear obliteration at the hands of "greedy Americans" has at last gone away, the rallying cry from terrorists will go away too. This is foreign policy based on wisdom not aggression, and a beacon for the rest of the world to follow.

Milton Johanides is a retired businessman, church elder, writer and artist. He has been featured on BBC TVs Songs of Praise, owned numerous art galleries and once ran an award winning picture framing business in Scotland. The views expressed in these articles are his own. email: miltonjohanides@yahoo.co.uk http://www.helium.com/users/510112/show_articles Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milton_Johanides http://politicalfirestorm.blogspot.com/

The Political Campaign of James K Polk For President

During the Democratic political campaign convention of 1844, it took several ballots before a front runner for the presidential nominee emerged. That front runner was a man who had come to the convention hoping to be nominated as vice president instead.

James K. Polk had served as Speaker of the House of Representatives and governor of Tennessee, yet he was essentially a little-known candidate--so little known, in fact, that the Whig campaign repeatedly posed the question "Who is James K. Polk?"

Polk, though, sensing that most Americans wanted to see their country expand, spoke out during the political campaign in favor of annexing Texas and Oregon, and he had the support of the aging Andrew Jackson. Expansion became his campaign issue, and this emphasis was popular in the South and West.

Slavery existed in the background of this political campaign issue: Texas's entry into the United States would tip the balance in favor of slave-holding states. Polk's tough stance against Mexico (which claimed Texas) and Great Britain (which claimed portions of Oregon) was also popular. He won the election and, shortly after his victory, Congress voted to annex Texas.

Polk kept his political campaign promise of expanding the country. He signed a treaty with the British that brought Oregon in as American territory. Disputes over territory were followed by war with Mexico, but American forces were successful. In the end, Polk added not only Texas but also New Mexico and California to American territory. With this new territory, however, came the question that had haunted each American effort to expand: would slavery be allowed in these new territories?

Visit Killer Campaigning to learn more about political campaign training. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_R_Turner http://www.pippoproducts.com/products

President Obama and Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society

"This nation, this generation, in this hour has man's first chance to build a Great Society, a place where the meaning of a man's life matches the marvels of a man's labor." -- Address, accepting the presidential nomination [August 1964] from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. With this speech Lyndon B. Johnson began his quest to expand Franklin D. Roosevelt New Deal. During his presidency, Johnson gave us:

1. Medicare - (Medical care for the elderly)

2. Medicaid - (Medical care for the impoverished)

3. Federal Aid to Elementary and Secondary Schools

4. The National Endowment of the Arts

5. Liberal Immigration Law

After President Lyndon B. Johnson signed these bills they proved to be much more expensive than originally estimated. Johnson then was also in the middle of the war in Vietnam which he was escalating.

Today President Obama is attempting another expansion of the New Deal with the passage of a new health care bill and as with President Johnson he is in the middle of a war, which he is about to expand. There is one big difference though, Johnson's work was done on the heals of a President Kennedy tax cut, which was expanding the economy. President Obama is attempting to expand government programs while in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the great depression. Whether President Obama will be able to bring us to the realization of Johnson's great society is still at question. What is not at question is that Johnson's vision is still a driving force in this country and the people of America have some hard choices to make.

Joseph Conigliaro

http://www.pippoproducts.com

Democrat, What's That?

At no time, at no place, in solemn conventions assembled, through no chosen agents, had the American people officially proclaimed the United States to be a democracy. The Constitution did not contain the word or any word lending countenance to it, except possibly the mention of "We, the people," in the preamble ... When the Constitution was framed no respectable person called himself or herself a democrat. - America in Midpassage [1939], ch. 17 - Mary Ritter Beard [1876-1958] also from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations

http://www.pippoproducts.com/products3.html