Average customer rating:
- A Guru for the 21st Century
- Something that will keep us pondering for a long time
- Harris dares to imagine no religion
- About the same as fellow atheists Dawkins and Hitchens but a tad more reasonable
- The End of Bad Arguments? Unfortunately Not
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The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
Sam Harris
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ASIN: 0393327655 |
Amazon.com
Sam Harris cranks out blunt, hard-hitting chapters to make his case for why faith itself is the most dangerous element of modern life. And if the devil's in the details, then you'll find Satan waiting at the back of the book in the very substantial notes section where Harris saves his more esoteric discussions to avoid sidetracking the urgency of his message.
Interestingly, Harris is not just focused on debunking religious faith, though he makes his compelling arguments with verve and intellectual clarity. The End of Faith is also a bit of a philosophical Swiss Army knife. Once he has presented his arguments on why, in an age of Weapons of Mass Destruction, belief is now a hazard of great proportions, he focuses on proposing alternate approaches to the mysteries of life. Harris recognizes the truth of the human condition, that we fear death, and we often crave "something more" we cannot easily define, and which is not met by accumulating more material possessions. But by attempting to provide the cure for the ills it defines, the book bites off a bit more than it can comfortably chew in its modest page count (however the rich Bibliography provides more than enough background for an intrigued reader to follow up for months on any particular strand of the author' musings.)
Harris' heart is not as much in the latter chapters, though, but in presenting his main premise. Simply stated, any belief system that speaks with assurance about the hereafter has the potential to place far less value on the here and now. And thus the corollary -- when death is simply a door translating us from one existence to another, it loses its sting and finality. Harris pointedly asks us to consider that those who do not fear death for themselves, and who also revere ancient scriptures instructing them to mete it out generously to others, may soon have these weapons in their own hands. If thoughts along the same line haunt you, this is your book.--Ed Dobeas
Book Description
An impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith.
This important and timely book delivers a startling analysis of the clash of faith and reason in today's world. Harris offers a vivid historical tour of mankind's willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful behavior and sometimes-heinous crimes. He asserts that in the shadow of weapons of mass destruction, we can no longer tolerate views that pit one true god against another. Most controversially, he argues that we cannot afford moderate lip service to religion—an accommodation that only blinds us to the real perils of fundamentalism. While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris also draws on new evidence from neuroscience and insights from philosophy to explore spirituality as a biological, brain-based need. He calls on us to invoke that need in taking a secular humanistic approach to solving the problems of this world.
Natalie Angier wrote in the New York Times: "The End of Faith articulates the dangers and absurdities of organized religion so fiercely and so fearlessly that I felt relieved as I read it, vindicated….Harris writes what a sizable number of us think, but few are willing to say."
Customer Reviews:
A Guru for the 21st Century.......2007-10-08
Morally speaking, are Bronze-Age myths as good as it gets?
Sam Harris doesn't think so and he argues brilliantly for a
new religious paradigm to shepherd us through the 21st Century.
Like a Spanish Inquisitor Harris ruthlessly examines the shaky philosophical justification for Abrahamic theism and finds it wanting.
But Harris doesn't just convince us that there really is no Santa Claus, he offers us a new way forward. He proves conclusively that science and reason do not necessarily have to be divorced from spiritual inquiry and revelation.
Some of his detractors have said that Harris is angry at God, but
that of course assumes a fact not in evidence (the existence of God).
After hearing him speak at Aspen Colorado,
'angry' is not quite the adjective that comes to mind.
http://svayam8.blogspot.com/2007/07/sam-harris-at-aspen-ideas-festival.html
As hard as it may be for theists to accept, many disbelievers really are being intellectually honest.
Sam Harris is one of those. He isn't angry, he's just right.
Thank you Sam for being a beacon of reason in a dangerously
darkened world.
Letter to a Christian Nation
Something that will keep us pondering for a long time.......2007-10-07
Well, this book is one of those that you come across with an argument so solid that you cannot stop pondering about its ideas. Mr. Harris has laid down a set of ideas that for a long time will haunt us, and the generations to come. Mr. Harris exposition of his thesis is simply monumental. His lurid writing style and his exquisite manners have brought forth a fundamental issue.
Mr. Harris as in the moving The Kingdom have presented us a sordid reality. Either we continue with religions and destroy humanity or we dispose of religion and avoid genocide. Muslims wants us dead and we do not want Islamic doctrines in our life. Further, more 9-11 have presented us with the issue of Abrahamic Religions and their stupidity. Because of them we lost 500 years, The Dark Ages and because of them we are losing our freedom and technological progress.
Some rabble-rouser long ago hid truth from us. [...] God created man. [...] men create God. That is the way it is in the world - men make gods and worship their creation. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men! Gospel of Philip 71:34; 72:1-4 Nag Hammadi Texts
Fanaticism and Fundamentalism of the religious realm have ruin freedom and life itself! Both should be eliminated and replaced by logical processes, which will warrant freedom, progress, technological development, world peace and happiness to every single human being. Religious moral varies from religion to religion. Logical morality does not need to vary! 1+1=2 in USA and in China too! Morals should be in the same manner.
Mr. Harris has begun a movement that will be here long after he parts. It is a movement of personal right to live a life as one please and not as a few wants you to live. It is also a movement toward World Peace!
I do recommend this book to everyone!
Harris dares to imagine no religion.......2007-09-26
This book is so much fun to read I read it twice. Harris writes with passion, erudition, and razor-sharp wit. His book has forced so-called religious moderates to begin taking responsibility for the zealots they unintentionally shelter, and he has demonstrated that a world with powerfully destructive technologies, such as ours, can no longer afford the luxury of basing policy on tribal superstitions and on supernatural claims that cannot possibly be substantiated with evidence. Highly recommended.
About the same as fellow atheists Dawkins and Hitchens but a tad more reasonable.......2007-09-22
Sam Harris like Hitchens and Dawkins is a master at setting up religious straw-men and then knocking them down. It is more fun and sells more books than taking on the real thing. Then it becomes balanced and boring. The author looks at the great evils in the world, the cause of which many others have attributed to nationalism, capitalism, lack of "lebensraum" etc. and claims that religion was the real cause. "Knowingly or not Nazis were agents of religion."... "Stalin and Mao killed millions because "communism was little more than a political religion." Why are the millions killed by Paul Pot not mentioned was he not trying to please God like Stalin, Mao and Hitler? Looking at Webster's definition of religion it is clear that these three ruthless dictators were not great religious leaders.
The author is using words incorrectly to make false accusations. A "political religion" is not religion if it does not profess a belief in an after life and God. But the author ignores that fact, because he is out to pin as many bad things on the word "religion" as possible..
Unlike Hitchens Sam Harris is an atheist who does see bigger differences among religions. He thinks Islam, for example, is especially bad ("cult of death").
I did not know that Noam Chomsky was any kind of religious thinker but the author takes a swipe at Noam by stating that Chomsky's view of moral equivalence is a big mistake." It is not clear how that fits in with his attacks on religion, but he gets the third star for that anyway.
The End of Bad Arguments? Unfortunately Not.......2007-09-19
Sam Harris's "The End of Faith" is an assault upon religion, blind faith, and fundamentalist violence. However, clear thinking Christians have little to fear from Harris's social critique.
The majority of the book is an exposition of the evils, real or imagined, produced by religion. Harris discusses current atrocities, including September 11 and suicide bombings in Israel, as well as past atrocities, including the Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials. This leads to the natural question- if Harris (an atheist) is so critical of religious horrors, how can he explain the atheistic regimes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot, which collectively were responsible for millions of deaths? Harris claims that, while they may not have been explicitly religious, these evil regimes were the result of poor thinking. He states in his afterword-
"While some of the most despicable political movements in human history have been explicitly irreligious, they were not especially rational. The public pronouncements of these regimes have been mere litanies of delusion- about race, economics, national identity, the march of history, or the moral dangers of intellectualism." [231]
Thus, we see that The End of Faith does not really support atheism or oppose religion, it simply supports reason and opposes blind faith. Otherwise, his critique of religion is completely arbitrary, as he admits in this quoted passage that the real enemy is not simply religious faith, but irrationality itself. Thus, Harris needs to demonstrate that Christianity inherently necessitates irrational faith if he wishes to demonstrate that it should be rejected. Throughout the book, Harris merely assumes that so-called "fundamentalist" Christians can only exist through blind faith, but his assumption is both unproven and incorrect. Despite railing on about the supposed irrationality of religion, Harris never once deals with any of the arguments offered by Christians either historically or in the present day. There is no critique of the Cosmological Argument, no consideration of the evidence for the empty tomb, no critique of biblical passages or doctrines. Harris simply assumes that Christianity requires blind faith, argues that blind faith is both stupid and dangerous, and declares victory. The problem is that he has never shown that Christianity requires blind faith.
The other problem with Harris's approach is a common one- he assumes that the misdeeds of religious followers invalidates the religion itself.
Thus, the majority of Harris's book is simply not relevant for intelligent Christians. Surprisingly, however, there is some value in The End of Faith. For example, he discusses morality and makes a good case for charitable giving, and discusses politics and law, and makes a good case for the legalization of (some) drugs as a matter of public policy. However, as a critique of religion in general, and Christianity in particular, "The End of Faith" fails quite miserably.
Book Description
The attacks of September 11, 2001 were accomplished through an amazing orchestration of logistics and personnel. Crossing the Rubicon discovers and identifies key suspects - finding some of them in the highest echelons of American government - by showing how they acted in concert to guarantee that the attacks produced the desired result.
Crossing the Rubicon is unique not only for its case-breaking examination of 9/11, but for the breadth and depth of its world picture - an interdisciplinary analysis of petroleum, geopolitics, narco-traffic, intelligence and militarism - without which 9/11 cannot be understood.
The US manufacturing sector has been mostly replaced by speculation on financial data whose underlying economic reality is a dark secret. Hundreds of billions of dollars in laundered drug money flow through Wall Street each year from opium and coca fields maintained by CIA-sponsored warlords and US-backed covert paramilitary violence. America's global dominance depends on a continually turning mill of guns, drugs, oil and money. Oil and natural gas - the fuels that make economic growth possible - are subsidized by American military force and foreign lending.
In reality, 9/11 and the resulting "War on Terror" are parts of a massive authoritarian response to an emerging economic crisis of unprecedented scale. Peak Oil - the beginning of the end for our industrial civilization - is driving the elites of American power to implement unthinkably draconian measures of repression, warfare and population control. Crossing the Rubicon is more than a story. It is a map of the perilous terrain through which, together and alone, we are all now making our way.
Customer Reviews:
A must read!.......2007-08-05
A timely revelation of facts and events that the lamestream media has conveniently omitted. Much of what we hear in the news makes no sense in the backdrop of what we see from the misleading perpectives of the "right " or left" , but this book explains the process behind much of what is going on. Being aware of the government's role in 9/11as described by Ruppert and watching the constant consolidation of power by the administration enables one to predict with some certainty the future: decreasing oil supplies not meeting population demands, resource wars (the imminent Iranian attack) to maintain our lifestyle, massive population declines as oil-based food production drops dramatically, and the imposition of martial law over an increasingly pacified Congress and "terror-conditioned" population.
Good, yet I'm not totally convinced.......2007-06-28
There is an overwhelming amount of more than just circumstantial evidence here that our goverment aided the 9-11 attacks. As for peak oil being the prime motive, I don't know, if that were the case, wouldn't the world have unraveled even more by now? In any case, it was also entertaining, not your father's conspiracy theory. If Thomas Malthus, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, and Oliver Stone got together to write a book, this would be the result.
Wake up - be alert - question.......2007-06-19
Riveting, provoking and disturbing are the three adjectives for Crossing the Rubicon. It is a page turner, filled with fascinating details about 9/11, the CIA and our government. Surely, for the truth seeker, this book is captivating.
Be alert, sober and a critical thinker. Be willing to question all that you learned...for things are not as they appear...or what we have been indoctrinated to believe.
Read the book.
Also, take a look at Catherine Austin Fitts' website solari dot com
Excellent analysis of the evidence available .......2007-06-12
This is a well done researched book that taps into the Official 9/11 Commission Report myth. Who was behind 9/11, what prompted it, and what was the purpose and consequences for the US political process. The books delineates in detail the CIA's involvement with the drug trade and arming foreign guerillas to meet their own needs and their involvement with events leading up to 9/11 along with the FBI, Military Industrial Complex, and Wall St. This detective journalism at its best. If you ever wanted to know what and who was REALLY behind 9/11, I highly recommend this book. It is quite extensive with lots of hard factual information. If you are looking for stats like the guy below, this is not for you. Instead, the book acts like a "connect the dots puzzle" that flows consistently throughout the book. I think this will seriously change how you view the US political and governmental system.
There should be a million more books like this on the shelves........2007-06-12
This books absolutely blew me away. I don't even know what else to say.
Ruppert argues his case in the book as if presenting to jury. The only defense to the book's logical conclusion is that Cheney and Co. weren't cross examined; but since the Administration refused at all cost the 9/11 Commission's establishment and their own sworn testimony before it, that's about all the proof we need of their treason.
READ THE BOOK. Read the 9/11 commission report, and then Whiteout (by Cockburn and St. Clair) and every other expose of CIA drug dealing and covert terrorism in alliance with Nazis and neo-Nazis...I mean, neo-conservatives. You'll be convinced, if you can handle it that is.
Book Description
"For my money, John Robb, a former Air Force officer and tech guru, is the futurists' futurist."
—Slate
War in the twenty-first century will be very different from what we've come to expect. Terrorism and guerrilla warfare are rapidly evolving to allow nonstate networks to challenge the structure and order of nation-states. It is a change on par with the rise of the Internet and China, and will dramatically change how you and your kids will view security.
In Brave New War, the counterterrorism expert John Robb reveals how the same technology that has enabled globalization also allows terrorists and criminals to join forces against larger adversaries with relative ease and to carry out small, inexpensive actions—like sabotaging an oil pipeline—that will generate a huge return. He shows how taking steps to combat the shutdown of the world's oil, high-tech, and financial markets could cost us the thing we've come to value the most—worldwide economic and cultural integration—and the crucial steps we must take now to safeguard our systems and ourselves against this new method of warfare.
Customer Reviews:
A parsimonious Examination.......2007-10-15
I purchased Brave New War expecting a fresh view, or at least an adequate review, of the contemporary security issues challenging states within the world. Unfortunately, Robb's book adds nothing that cannot be gleaming from current events and occasional sessions reading the newspaper. His argument is outlined within the preface, that globalisation has empower non-state actors by allowing them to gain technological symmetry with modern states and that their attacks require minimal financial resources for spectacular financial impacts upon national and global economies. Unfortunately, this argument is repeated verbatim on nearly every page. The book also makes sweeping generalisations and claims, which include the assertion that traditional interstate warfare is over. There are better sources of information available for both the seasoned and occasional reader elsewhere.
Some good points but I wonder about the prescience.......2007-09-18
Futurist John Robb sees us going through a period in which increasingly things will get very local with people and organizations hiring private security companies to protect them. He sees a breakdown in global trade because of terrorist activities (both oil and security will become so expensive that a lot of trade will lose its value). Nation states will lose much of their power and legitimacy because of defective centralized command organizations (much the way communist economic systems failed) and because their great armies will be ineffective, even irrelevant, in combating the decentralized "swarm intelligence" of the Internet-like terrorist structures.
We can see in the fiascos of the Bush administration with the great George W. as "I'm the Decider" and Dick Cheney and his neocon cronies as Designers, that the view from the top, when it becomes superimposed upon the real world, can lead to disaster. Quite simply the "intelligence" at the top is no match for the independent intelligence spread out among the populace. There is more wisdom in the Internet than in the all the heads in Washington.
However I have departures from Robb's text that I would like to present. First of all he keeps talking about how the terrorists are winning. What are they winning? They kill people and destroy wealth, but what do they gain? Bin Laden may be a hero in the many parts of the Muslim world, but he has gained nothing but that celebrity. The terrorists are creating no wealth. They get their finances through donations, illegal activities, such as dope smuggling, and kidnappings for ransom and the like. Legalize street drugs and stop paying ransoms and where will the bulk of their financing come from? Counterfeiting designer jeans? Stipends from Saudi princes? Currently they are enjoying international notoriety and support partly because of the overreaction of the US. A lot of money goes into homeland security. Little if any of it goes to Al Qaeda. Bush has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the Iraqi sand, and some of that no doubt is benefitting Al Qaeda, but wiser leaders will come to power in the Western democracies in the future and will not aid the growth of Al Qaeda as Bush and Tony Blair have done.
Robb sees the nation state as at a disadvantage vis-a-vis guerilla organizations. He relies on ideas from Israeli military strategist Martin van Creveld to come to this conclusion (see especially page 28). But guerilla organizations only have an advantage in their homeland against outsiders. Imagine the Vietcong or Al Qaeda conducting a guerilla war while hiding out in the United States. They would not have the support of the populace and without that support a guerilla army is lost.
Robb states that the Bush administration invaded Iraq "to transform the political landscape of the Middle East." (p. 34) This is an after-the-fact justification since the stated reason (WMDs and Al Qaeda connections) was revealed as a lie, and the underlying reason (control of oil--remember Iraqi oil was going to pay for all this) was found not to work. Bush actually invaded Iraq in order to run for a second term as an "at war" president. Being at war also allowed him to greatly increase the power of the executive branch of government. As Commander-in-Chief he pretty much had his way with Congress and the American press, which is the reason he is still strutting around like a peacock.
Robb sees Baloch tribesmen as gaining "returns on investment (ROIs) of at least 1,000 to 1" in their "systems sabotage" attacks in Pakistan. (p. 84) But to use such terminology is a bit silly and is part of where I think Robb goes wrong in his overall analysis. The "return on investment" that the Baloch terrorists or any terrorist organization gets from blowing things up is little or nothing. However, by showing that they can and will sabotage structures and kill people, they may get financial support from those who want the Pakistani government overthrown. That's the way the economics of terrorism work. You don't--to repeat myself--create wealth by destroying wealth, unless you get the contract for rebuilding! Take away the financial support that terrorists are getting and squelch their criminal enterprises and they are out of business.
On page 100 Robb makes a similar point using the term "rates of return" instead of ROI. He's talking about Nigerian guerillas blowing up Shell Oil facilities and finds that "the rates of return on these attacks are phenomenal." The only return they are going to get is if somebody pays them to stop or they are able to take over the government or the facilities. The (inadvertent, I presume) glorification of terrorists by the Bush administration and the press no doubt gains them some support from somewhere (Iran and Saudi Arabia?).
Despite what I see as errors in Robb's conception and conclusions, I still think this is a very good book that makes some important points. For example Robb predicts that "the knee-jerk solution [to terrorist attacks] will be to centralize security in the hands of the nation-state." But he sees this as "a wrong-headed approach. It will bring us to the brink of a police state for very little benefit." (p. 156) Another good point is from page 158 where Robb states that "preemptive war followed by aggressive nation-building" as a reaction to terrorism and extremism is "wrong." He calls this "the Bush doctrine" which has obviously failed, as he points out on page 160. He notes that Iraq and Afghanistan since the invasions by the United States have "become havens and sources of even more instability than they were before we invaded."
An important title.......2007-09-12
For those interested in where the world will most likely be heading in the next twenty years, this book is a must read. Robb paints a compelling portrait of what he terms "global guerrillas," those motivated, for whatever reason, to wear down the state by targeting its critical infrastructure. Learning how these groups operate and how globalization is empowering them is enough to make this book well worth your time. Robb puts forward a solid study of these non-state actors, which, for me at least, elucidated a large portion of the current chaos in Iraq.
Where this book stumbles is in the latter portions, when Robb is iterating what must be done to effectively counter global guerrilla groups. His ideas are indeed challenging, and ultimately my critique is more with his articulation of these ideas. However, while it does not seem that he specifically set out to draw up a blueprint, I still think more examples and stronger analogies would have helped his case.
In summation, I enjoyed this book immensely. It brought new ideas forward that got me thinking about recent world events in a new light. It challenges the reader to rethink current strategy and how the world can best counter the threats being posed to it from increasingly powerful non-state actors.
OK, but not great.......2007-07-18
Robb's done some excellent analysis on his blog, which I am a frequent visitor. I looked forward to this book in which expands on many of the points previous hit upon in the blog.
He did a good job of describing some of the tactical changes in warfare and how small loosely linked groups are all working towards a common outcome; that of creating an on-going state of chaos which eventually weakens and undermines the state. While his prose is good in this regard, he did not make the case that this is some type of 'Brave New War'. Rather it smells like typical guerrilla warfare with better tools (telecommunications).
Ultimately, it is on this point that the book loses its energy. After putting forth a framework for open source insurgency, Robb takes scenario after scenario and forces his explanation into this narrow framework. In several cases it is apparent he is fitting square pegs into round holes. The book loses some credibility in these cases.
I liked it though, and found it well worth the money. However, Brave New War does not go into the category of grand strategic thinking. Rather, it is a solid look at some of the emerging tactics of what others have called World War IV.
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Great Read - Highly Recommend........2007-07-16
John Robb presents us with an excellent synthesis of future security trends in a highly readable book. When I finished I felt compelled to wrestle with the ideas myself. I wanted to read more, jot down ideas and engage in the conversation. To me, that is what a great book can do.
Readers of John Robb's Global Guerrillas blog will recognize many of the themes that here he weaves into a more thoughtful and polished presentation. I would have liked to have seen more of his thinking on what structures will emerge on the 'blue force' side in reaction to the rise of the global guerrilla. However, the picture of the trends he presents is an excellent start.
Some claim Robb's vision is dark. His ideas are absolutely unflinching and in an era where change is accelerating an unflinching look is what we need. If you follow current security trends Robb's work is invaluable to gaining perspective on where things are headed. I recommend the book.
Book Description
The collective belief in Armageddon has become more powerful and widespread in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. Edward Edinger looks at the chaos predicted by the Book of Revelation and relates it to current trends including global violence, AIDS, and apocalyptic cults.
Customer Reviews:
Open Your Eyes and See the World for the First Time..........2002-07-29
I grew up pentacostal and the Apocalypse (as described in Revelations) was a very real event, about to happen at any moment. As a child I never really expected to see my adulthood, "knowing" that the world would end. Now of course, I see things slightly differently. This book by Edinger is why I really enjoy Jungian psychology. Edinger puts into perspective the beliefs of millions of conservative Christian Americans and helps you see it through psychological eyes. I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing a bit more about the apocalypse but still a little aprehensive knowing that many unconscious "believers" may create a self fulfilling prophesy by their own projections!
Amazon.com
Some observers see the global political landscape as a complex amalgam of divergent worldviews, shades of gray that usually move in harmony but sometimes collide with violent results. David Frum and Richard Perle, authors of An End to Evil think it's a great deal simpler than that: the United States is good, those who pose a threat, current or future, are evil and must be neutralized or destroyed. Frum, the former speechwriter for George W. Bush credited with coining the term "axis of evil," and Perle, a former assistant Secretary of Defense who was still serving on the Defense Policy Board at the time this book was published, advocate an aggressive, activist approach to stomping out terrorism both within America's borders and in other countries as well. Their plan, described with forceful and urgent language, calls for the United States to overthrow the government of Iran, abandon support of a Palestinian state, blockade North Korea, use strong-arm tactics with Syria and China, disregard much of Europe as allies, and sever ties with Saudi Arabia. Domestically, the authors say, several federal agencies need to be overhauled, a national ID card system needs to be put in place, and the government and its citizens need to realize the gravity of the terrorist threat and step up the effort, as the title indicates, to end evil. Frum and Perle place blame for American ineffectiveness in the fight against terrorism on some political targets one would expect (Congressional Democrats, Bill Clinton) but also point fingers at the present-day intelligence community and even the State Department. It's a broad-ranging political opinion book--one might even use the words "screed" or "manifesto." Perhaps because it tries to cover so much ground, the individually compelling arguments don't hold together as coherently as one might hope. Still, for those who believe that the threat of terrorism is immense and that not nearly enough is being done about it, Frum and Perle offer a stirring call to arms. --Charlie Williams
Book Description
An End to Evil charts the agenda for what’s next in the war on terrorism, as articulated by David Frum, former presidential speechwriter and bestselling author of The Right Man, and Richard Perle, former assistant secretary of defense and one of the most influential foreign-policy leaders in Washington.
This world is an unsafe place for Americans—and the U.S. government remains unready to defend its people. In An End to Evil, David Frum and Richard Perle sound the alert about the dangers around us: the continuing threat from terrorism, the crisis with North Korea, the aggressive ambitions of China. Frum and Perle provide a detailed, candid account of America’s vulnerabilities: a military whose leaders resist change, intelligence agencies mired in bureaucracy, diplomats who put friendly relations with their foreign colleagues ahead of the nation’s interests. Perle and Frum lay out a bold program to defend America—and to win the war on terror.
Among the topics this book addresses:
• why the United States risks its security if it submits to the authority of the United Nations
• why France and Saudi Arabia have to be treated as adversaries, not allies, in the war on terror
• why the United States must take decisive action against Iran—now
• what to do in North Korea if negotiations fail
• why everything you read in the newspapers about the Israeli-Arab dispute is wrong
• how our government must be changed if we are to fight the war on terror to victory—not just stalemate
• where the next great terror threat is coming from—and what we can do to protect ourselves
An End to Evil will define the conservative point of view on foreign policy for a new generation—and shape the agenda for the 2004 presidential-election year and beyond. With a keen insiders’ perspective on how our leaders are confronting—or not confronting—the war on terrorism, David Frum and Richard Perle make a convincing argument for why the toughest line is the safest line.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Zionist Fiction.......2007-09-10
Ah, another one of the Podhoretz, Wolfowitz, Feith, Wurmser, Krauthammer, Kristol, Perle clan. The group that asked for a "new Pearl Harbor" for the US so the American people could bomb Iraq prior to 911. These Zionists terrorists wanted to bomb Iraq before the petrodollar and before 911 (which had nothing to do with Iraq). If you enjoy fiction and horror, this is your book.
Just nuts.......2007-07-13
I was going to write a long review, but it boils down to this: David Frum and Richard Perle are nuts. Just nuts. It's as simple as that.
Another Nail in the Coffin of Neoconservatism.......2007-05-29
I have respect for Richard Perle as a foreign policy intellectual so I was quite surprised to see him co-author such an intellectually devoid work as this. Many of the claims made in this book are highly suspect--I wanted to check the sources, but they are rarely listed.
The idea that we could lower terrorism by ending support for the Palestinian state is the most ludicrous claim made in this book. The lack of a Palestinian state is the single greatest cause of Islamic terrorism. Likewise, using force to overthrow Iran's (democratic!) state would only increase global terrorism.
The authors get one thing right: a tougher line is needed on Saudi Arabia. This "ally" in the War on Terror is a monarchy with stronger links to Al Qaeda than any currently existing state. 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Women are not allowed to drive or vote. Our support for Saudi Arabia is the most farcical aspect of the War on Terror and Perle and Frum are right to point it out.
This book will prove to be another nail in the coffin of neoconservatism. Domestically, neocon policies bankrupt governments and increase inequality. Internationally, they increase terrorism while increasing the wealth of a scant few international investors.
Proof that NeoCons are Communists.......2006-12-03
This book alone provides absolute proof that the whole "NeoCon" movement is nothing but a front for Communism. Their goal is an Orwellian 1984 dictatorship for America under the cloak of "Oh this protects you from terror". National I.D. cards? Why not just stamp a bar code on our heads at birth, Frumsky? What's "Conservative" about anything from this warped vision for our future?
The bottomline is that Perle and Frum are nothing but dressup Republicans whose true identities remain completely Trotskyite like so many of the other NeoCons from this disgusting "New Wave Republicanism"
And since when did Israel become the 51st State? I find it hard to believe that Middle Americans want their sons to die in Lebanon or Syria for the benefit of Israeli Imperialism.
An End To Frum & Perle: How To Destroy Your Own Neoconservative Movement.......2006-11-29
David Frum and Richard Perle actually wrote a book that urges the United States to eliminate all of Israel's enemies (Syria, Iran) and abandon support for a Palestinian State. The book reads like a hysterical satire of neoconservatism, their aggressive and fantastical war ideas so absurd and blatantly in the service of Israel that I quite literally convulsed with laughter.
What is most amazing is that two educated people were foolish enough to write such a book while America is currently bogged down in a deadly Vietnamesque war of neoconservative making. You would think these guys would have the good sense to quietly limp off the playing field of ideas and retreat to their air-conditioned offices at the American Enterprise Institute where they could reinvent themselves as experts on healthcare or education and gracefully detach from the failed Israel First movement.
But no, they instead choose to show up on Hardball or the op-ed pages of the The Weekly Standard, stubbornly and improbably pushing for an invasion of Iran and Syria. Two solipsistic eggheads who never served in the military, so determined to protect Israel that they're willing to sacrafice American lives, American values and American money. These Zionists are nothing more than sick and soulless traitors. Nefarious, demonic vampires who lack judgement, wisdom and empathy. What baffles is their pig-headed audacity: thinking they can crank out an Israel First book like this and actually convince the American people that we should attack Iran and Syria (two countries that do not in any way threaten the United States).
The irony in all of this is that Jews around the world want to keep Israel strong and safe partially because if (God forbid) another Holocaust happens there will be safe haven for them. However, nothing creates stronger Anti-Semitic feelings than Americans feeling like Jews are manipulating the levers of American power in the service of Israel. You would think that Frum and Perle know this themselves but their astonishingly ridiculous book proves otherwise.
Oh, well, Neoconservatism is dead. This book provides some laughs before the celebratory funeral. Frum, Perle, Kristol, Abrams, Rhode, Feith and Wolfowtiz -- their place in history is final. They will go down in the Grand Hall of Historical Shame as the Zionists within America who pushed the United States into a pre-emptive war for Israel's benefit. Eggheads without wisdom. Idealogues without judgement. Warmongers without restraint.
And when they're dead and condemned to their own little sinister cells of Hell we can all applaud and breath easy and thank God for one beautiful thing: America without neoconservatives.
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- A Must Read In Todays World
- Stupid Book, no real research, don't bother
- Interesting interpretation of Biblical Prophecy.
- Skolfield wasn't wrong.
- Makes me proud to be ignorant
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Islam in the End Times
Ellis H. Skolfield
Manufacturer: Fish House
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From 9/11 to 666
ASIN: 0962813966 |
Product Description
Much as we would like to ignore it, what happens in the Middle East could destroy us. We have always known that Western civilization would eventually end, but we could not understand the importance of Islam in Bible prophecy until now. If we are to survive as a free nation, we can no longer deny the prophetic and historical facts this book documents. Islam in the End Times accurately identifies: 1. The major combatants in the final war. 2. How close we are to the end. 3.The Mark of the Beast. 4. The exact meaning of 666. End Times prophecies about Islam are not new. The prophetic views of earlier notables like Thieleman van Braght, Sir Isaac Newton and Matthew Henry are proving to be correct, throwing todays end-time views into question. What was impossible to understand a generation ago is now obvious, but what you do with this knowledge is up to you.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read In Todays World.......2006-10-19
Having vigorously studied the Bible for over thirty years I have not found any writing that has so clearly enabled me to understand the Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation as much as Ellis Skolfield's books. The False Prophet is another step in a continuing understanding of the unfolding of God's timeline for the human race. If you can look beyond what you learned in Sunday School or even Seminary and study the evidence presented in this book I promise you you will be rewarded with an awakening in your mind and heart and a new thirst to reach the lost for Christ. What you have here is the work of someone who has dedicated his life to understanding the prophetic portion of God's Word. That single focus will benefit anyone who comes to read with an open heart.
Stupid Book, no real research, don't bother.......2006-09-03
Book is written in Fantasy, no real research done. Absolutely trashy, no academic value. Avoid.
Interesting interpretation of Biblical Prophecy........2003-09-09
Brother Skolfield's interpretation of the figures in Daniel and Revelation is original and thought-provoking, and makes this book well worth buying. However, his calculations rest primarily on his conviction that the Islamic Dome of the Rock on the old Temple site is the Abomination of Desolation - a not unreasonable supposition. His weakest point is the seventieth week of Daniel. As with most other commentators, he accepts that Daniel's seventy weeks are weeks of years, thus making the first 69 weeks 483 Hebrew years, stretching from 444BC to 32AD, converting the Hebrew 30 day months into solar years. However, on graph 18, he has the seventieth week lasting from 536BC to 1948AD,which means the seventieth week begins BEFORE the 69 weeks! By his own conviction that Prophetic time shows an admirable consistancy (or is otherwise quite random), if the first 69 weeks are weeks of years, the seventieth week should also be a week of years. Even so, I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Even if you disagree with the author's conclusions, you will still have much food for thought.
Skolfield wasn't wrong........2002-12-13
Juat a point for clarification:
Skolfield has been teaching (since 1979) that Islamic terrorists and the radical Islamic states of the Middle East would be the final enemies of the Church and Israel. He has never changed his position on that point.
Skolfield wasn't wrong about the USSR or Henry Kissinger. He never taught that they were prophetically significant. Neither did he teach that Russia or an assembly of Northern Communist States would be the major end-time enemies of the Church.
Makes me proud to be ignorant.......2002-11-29
For too long rationalist liberal "Biblical scholars" have tried to tell us fundamentalists that the Book of Revelation is all about the "Roman Empire", and that "666" really means Nero and so on, and that we can't possibly understand a symbolic text from 2,000 years ago without training in all kinds of pointy-headed "academic" things. Well, Bro Skolfield really puts them in their place! And those anthropologists too, who tell us that Muslims are just "people" with another way of life. Now we know they're frogs and leopards, so all those people whineing about bombing so-called people in places like "Iraq" can just shut up!
Bro Skolfield don't know anything about those kinds of things, such is his holy contempt for worldly knowledge. He's proud to be ignorant of Biblical "skoolership", to hate people he's never met, and so am I! Just cos people like Bro Skolfield were wrong about the USSR and Y2K and Henry Kissinger doesn't mean they're not right this time!
God bless us!
Book Description
While the destruction of the World Trade Center and the strike against the Pentagon shocked the world at large, experts on terrorism like Walter Laqueur couldn't feign complete surprise. In No End to War, Laqueur, who has devoted three decades to the study of political violence, answers the most-often raised questions about terrorism in the light of 9/11 and the still unsolved Anthrax letters. First, what constitutes terrorism? What is new about the "new" terrorism? Why is the Muslim world the most potent breeding ground of this new terrorism? To what extent is religion itself a factor? Is there a clash of civilizations between the Muslim world and the largely Christian or post-Christian West? Is America at fault? Israel? Did European nations turn a blind eye to terrorists and their sympathizers in their midst? To what extent are poverty and oppression the causes of terrorism? What is the likelihood that terrorists will obtain weapons of mass destruction-chemical, biological, or nuclear? Why was the United States unprepared for 9/11? Why the intelligence failure? Are Islamic terrorists the only terrorists we need to fear? What about other terrorists from the right of the left, ecoterrorists or anti-globalization terrorists? And finally, what is the best defense against terrorism?
Customer Reviews:
Well written but not very thoughtful.......2004-11-22
The more I thought about this book, the less I liked it.
Oh, there is plenty to like about the book. It discusses roots of terrorism, jihad, suicide missions, intelligence failures by the West, anti-Americanism, and future potential battlefields.
It defines terrorism as "the systematic use of murder, injury, and destruction, or threat of such acts, aimed at achieving political ends." And it mocks those who insist on calling terrorists "activists" as though they were merely devoting some time to a political party or local club. He asks if we then ought to call Jack the Ripper "an amateur abdominal surgeon."
Laqueur explains that the main threat now is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He also discusses the connection between terrorists and the drug trade but points out that these groups are not natural allies: criminals want to preserve the status quo that keeps them in business, while terrorists want to mess things up.
And the author points out that there is no end in sight to terror: the terrorists will go on fighting for a very long time whether we fight back or not. For example, many Islamists believe that it is a sin against nature to allow Jews to exist in Jerusalem or Israel. This is not conducive to peace.
Laqueur also points out cases in which media supporters of terror have gone way out of bounds, including the Guardian, in England.
But there was one thing about this book that got me thinking more than any other. Namely the claim that Israel was foolish not to have surrendered the entire West Bank to the Arabs - any Arabs - immediately after winning the six-day war, even without any truce or peace or anything. Was this just a slip on Laqueur's part, or a symptom of poor thinking about terrorism in general?
I think it is a symptom of a more serious problem in the author's thinking. After all, there are two errors we see here. First, we see the claim that it would have been moral and practical for a land-poor nation to give disputed land to an enemy that holds itself to be superior and holds you to be trash. Second, we see the claim that it would be possible to convince the majority of the people in a democracy to simply roll over and unilaterally surrender their rights to an annihilationist enemy, given the disastrous results they had doing just that in World War 2. And I think this is a symptom of a larger problem of blaming ourselves just a little too much for the sins of the criminals who attack us.
What I think Laqueur needs to do is adopt some moral standards. There is a difference between being just and unjust. One can try to pretend that one does not know who one is, a Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Christian, Chinese, Arab, American, man, woman, adult, child, or whatever. And then try to come up with a just solution, knowing that one would find out who one was only afterwards. That would help clarify blame a little better. Another question Laqueur ought to ask is this: is he refusing to demand rights for his "friends" that he routinely demands for his enemies? I think he fails both questions on this little test. There is no need to make matters worse by alienating people who have the option of supporting terrorism, but I think that outright appeasement is almost always terribly counterproductive, and tends to establish a right of the terrorists to attack and oppress others.
So I'll give this book three stars. I don't recommend it. I think you ought to go out and buy Sharansky's book (The Case for Democracy) instead. Or maybe Paul Berman's (Terror and Liberalism). What we all need is truth and moral clarity. And this book gives us quite a bit of it, but not enough.
a good start.......2004-10-25
This new book on terrorism is quick to be honest in showing that while Islamic terrorism is by no means the only terrorism, it is in fact the greatest threat to the world today. This book builds on other books on the topic of terrorism focusing mostly on the second half of the 20th century. Here we learn also about the `battlefields' of the future where terrorism will certainly bring new conflicts to China and India and Southeast Asia. Already one sees this books predictions proving themselves in Thailand and the Phillipines. A good study and a great edition to the post 9/11 terrorist literature.
An Important Book.......2004-08-08
Like many Americans, I'm searching for some explanation of the terrorism that has befallen us. Although I'm an avid reader of several good daily newspapers, no analysis found in those pages has provided me with any particular insight. What I was looking for, however, I found in Walter Laqueur's No End To War.
Laqueur is a scholar who has devoted much of his career to studying and writing about terrorism. His book provides an historical perspective to today's terrorism, which he demonstrates differs markedly and frighteningly from the terrorism of the past. He debunks many popular myths about today's terrorists, such as that terrorism is caused by poverty, or that the peaceful settlement of disputes, which necessarily involves compromises, will stop the terrorists from further atrocities. Laqueur admits that much is not known about terrorism, and he proposes no particular one course of action on how to stop terrorism, thereby thankfully rendering his book non-political. On the other hand, there is a great deal of knowledge on the subject and much of it is contained in these pages.
I read this book slowly and with a highlighter in hand. I have gained from it some understanding of terrorism, which I had previously lacked. The book is difficult reading in part because it is not elegantly written. However, what it lacks in style and organization, it more than makes up for in information and wisdom. I'm going to read many parts of it a second and third time. The one adjective that best describes my view of this is book is "important."
Great detail but disorganized.......2003-12-19
For facts and details this book is a marvel. You will not only learn about the situation regarding terrorism in different parts of the world but about groups and splinter groups and how they differ on their philosophy toward terror. The author's knowledge of the field is truly encyclopedic. The book is not tightly organized and several times I wondered where the author was going with his line of thought and how, exactly, it tied in to the chapter title. Laqueur doesn't like to leave an issue without a thorough examination and more than once he would pull himself back to the topic after a discourse. I got the impression that this book may have been hurried to publication. However, his thought is so interesting that I was willing to hear him out. Loaded with details, this book might be a bit hard to digest for someone looking for a good, easily readable overview of the field and recent history of terrorism. A better book for that is Jonathan White's "Terrorism: An Introduction". I finished Laqueur's book thinking what a complicated and dangerous political situation exists in so many parts of the world and how "progress" is a fragile thing, mostly a matter of people having money and lots of goodies to spend it on instead of raging at each other. You don't get overly irritated with others if you have enough money to be preoccupied with your own comfort and possessions in a place of your own. Americans such as I are truly clueless about the depth of turmoil and resentment that roils the world. Laqueur lets us see how there are many fanatics that can loosely organize for a cause, and quite a few mentally disturbed individuals who have a cause all their own. Both the groups and the individuals are using more powerful means to terrorize. The future has always been unpredictable, but now it will be more explosive than ever.
A must read for those determining U.S. foreign policy.......2003-07-21
Laqueur's book is an excellent source of background information for those interested in approaching the issue of terrorism as objectively as possible. For those lacking the time to read this work in its entirety, the conclusion is a must-read. It is hoped that Bush, Powell and Rice, and their advisors, have the opportunity to share Laqueur's views as they develop foreign policy for our nation.
Amazon.com
Man Without a Gun is a thrilling memoir of Giandomenico Picco's two decades as a high-level diplomat for the United Nations. Over the course of his career, Picco helped negotiate the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and helped bring an end to the bloody Iran-Iraq war, but he also had several harrowing encounters with Middle Eastern terrorists--whom he met unarmed. In one memorable episode, he walked out of an embassy in Beirut and was grabbed on the street, thrown into a car with his face jammed to the floor, and whisked to a secret location to discuss the release of Western hostages with their masked captors. Other experiences are equally unnerving, such as a trip to Tehran to share unwelcome news with Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: the United States had just refused to reciprocate an act of goodwill (the release of hostage Terry Anderson). Picco wondered whether he would get out of the country alive; he did, but only because Rafsanjani offered this advice: "I think it is best if you leave Tehran very, very quickly."
"History does not kill," Picco writes of what his experiences have taught him. "Religion does not rape women, the purity of blood does not destroy buildings, and institutions do not fail. Only individuals do these things." Man Without a Gun is at turns wise and exciting--a wonderful and revealing account of modern diplomacy. --John J. Miller
Book Description
Can an unarmed man triumph in a land of terror and violence?
Man Without a Gun is the true story of a single UN diplomat's astonishing high-wire struggle for peace in the Middle East. UN secretary-general Javier Pérez de Cuéllar called the author "more of a soldier than a diplomat." And, indeed, his life is the stuff of John le Carré thrillers. But Man Without a Gun is more than a thriller: It is a real-life voyage through the maze of the secretive Middle East, the inside account of the political maneuverings that continue to dominate today's headlines, and the moving story of one man's struggle to bring some hope to a violent land.
In more than two decades, Giandomenico Picco negotiated an end to wars in Afghanistan and between Iran and Iraq with the force of his decency and the strength of the UN. But little could prepare Picco for the danger he would face in resolving the Lebanon hostage crisis. Negotiating with terrorists was not a matter of meeting gray men in gray suits in well-appointed offices. Picco worked on the ground, alone. He was taken to meet the hostage takers themselves many times, shrouded in a black hood, racing through the darkened streets of Lebanon as masked gunmen barked orders.
His life was at risk, but he was well aware that the lives of dozens of hostages, including Terry Anderson and Terry Waite, were at greater risk. And saving them meant negotiating face-to-face--Picco first had to win the trust of the Islamic mili-
tant leader who had taken them, a well-spoken, hooded man known to Picco only by the nom de guerre "Abdullah."
The details of Picco's secret negotiations have never before been revealed; until now, it was barely even known who the kidnappers were. As the chief UN hostage negotiator, Picco often had to make split-second, life-or-death decisions based on the promise of a masked informant or an anonymous official. Yet on the strength of his own word, he managed to forge an unlikely coalition among Iran, Syria, Israel, and the Lebanese groups to win the release of the captives.
"History does not kill," writes Picco. "Religion does not rape women, the purity of blood does not destroy buildings, and institutions do not fail. Only individuals do these things." Man Without a Gun is this remarkable diplomat's powerful testimony to the ability of individuals also to bring some peace to a troubled world.
Customer Reviews:
An inside view of Iran.......2006-04-15
I recently happened on to this book and bought one used from Amazon. I found it to be an interesting and very personal account of dealing with Iran behind the scenes. I think it is helpful and very applicable to the current situation with Iran. I found it to also be a quick and easy read that kept my attention throughout. You will like it - enjoy!
Diplomacy at its Finest.......2002-07-16
In the dangerous post 9/11 world we live in today, Giandomenico Picco's "Man without a Gun" should be a primer for anyone wanting to understand the complex intricacies of Middle East politics. "Man without a Gun" is an unique firsthand account of Mr. Picco's diplomatic experiences at the UN during the 1980s and early 1990s. The setting of "Man without a Gun" takes place in some of the most volatile areas of the world: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel.
It is fascinating to read Mr. Picco's first hand account from someone who successfully negotiated some of the most intractable crisis of the late 20th century including: Afghanistan/ Soviet-Russia war, Iran/ Iraq war and the Lebanon hostage crisis. Very interesting for US readers is that Mr Picco as an Italian and a UN diplomat, provides an important outside the Beltway perspective that Americans need to hear. Too often the US views the world as black and white, this simplistic world view has been the cause of many misguided US policies, not the least was our myopic view of communism. Mr. Picco refers to this US narrow world view when he describes how the US continued to provide arms to the Afghanistan Mujahideen in violation of the peace treaty signed with Soviet Union in 1988. Ultimately, the US arms hasten the fall of the Afghanistan government in 1992 that led to more fighting and ultimately led to the notorious anti Western Taliban regime.
The highlight of the "Man without a Gun" is Mr. Picco's successful efforts to free the Western hostages based in Lebanon. Its a fascinating to learn about the behind the scenes intrigue and the Herculean efforts pursued by Mr Picco in the Middle East and beyond to free the hostages. At a great personal risk, Mr Picco describes how he made secret rendezvous with the hostage takers and gradually over time earned their trust that formed the basis of the successful negotiations to release the hostages.
Unlike so much of the disturbing news coming today from the Middle East tinderbox, during Mr. Picco's tenure at the UN there was a streak of successfully negotiations with this part of the world and there seemed to be genuine hope for deceleration of tension in the Mid East. "Man without a Gun" provides insightful lessons on how the West can co-exist with the Middle East regimes. It is a shame that Mr. Picco's book is currently out of print, "Man without a Gun" should be re-issued so that more readers can have access to Mr. Picco's vast experience and excellent analysis.
Man Without Fear.......2000-10-11
Picco's vivid description of his courageous efforts to win the freedom of all persons (not just the Western hostages) who became involuntary pawns in the politics of Lebanon's civil war is fascinating indeed. The most remarkable aspect of Picco's work was his ability to gain and keep the trust of the kidnappers, despite the actions of the U.S. and Israeli governments which often undermined his efforts.
Picco is to be commended for risking his life on multiple occassions to save the lives of people whom he had never met. He did it because it was the right thing to do. Picco is a remarkable diplomat who simultaneously juggled the conflicting interests of the kidnappers, Iran, Israel, Syria and the United States.
This was definitely a story that needed to be told. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the now largely forgotten hostage crisis in Lebanon.
eye opening.......2000-01-31
I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. I went into it with a limited memory of what I had heard through the news of the time of the hostages and the Iran-Iraq war, but came out with a much deeper understanding - not only of the times, but also of the people, the real players. I have come to appreciate the work of the brave Mr. Picco and those who worked along with him, and I am grateful for their service to those who could not serve themselves.
An outstanding book, an outstanding man.......1999-09-23
Thanks for enriching and inspiring us again with your views on the true art of diplomacy. This book represents the materialization of something we were all waiting for after your unforgettable lessons in Gorizia. Credibility's once again is what will ultimately make us succeed in achieving results, a notion that may go, as it is masterfully explained in this great book, as far as saving human lives. Ancora grazie!
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Just War and Terrorism: The End of the Just War Concept?
Manufacturer: Peeters Publishers
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 9042916974 |
Book Description
With the new wave of terrorism, many questions have been raised by scholars, politicians, members of the military, and even ordinary people, all of whom have been startled by this extreme kind of violence. Questions have been raised about terrorism as a phenomenon, but also about the possibility of defeating it. Not surprisingly terrorism has become the top priority of most governments, security agencies, intelligence services and military establishments. One of the questions that the authors who contribute to this book try to answer is whether just war theory is outdated in this time of terrorism. But they also deal with several other closely related questions such as the acceptability of so-called pre-emptive and preventive strikes, and the role of the UN, NATO, US and Europe in the international fight against terrorism. With its interesting spectrum of viewpoints on some very actual and challenging themes, this book attempts to challenge the personal opinion of scholars and other interested readers.
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- The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Visions of Glory
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