Book Description
New 2002 edition-includes updated list of CFR members! James Perloff exposes the subversive roots and global designs of the CFR. Passed off as a think-tank, this group is a key "power behind the throne," with hundreds of top-appointed government officials drawn from its ranks. Traces activity from the Wilson to Reagan administrations.
Customer Reviews:
Thorough, Accurate & Concise.......2007-01-31
I am most impressed with Perloff's research. If you want just one book to gain an understanding of what is left out in most history books concerning the CFR, this is it. Reviews accusing Perloff of engaging in conspiracy-baiting are inaccurate to say the least. I recently used this book extensively in constructing the lecture notes for a unit in my U.S. Gov't. classes. As a teacher committed to telling the truth, as opposed to pushing textbook propaganda, I find Perloff's book to be an extremely valuable resource.
Also recommended:
"Wall Street, Banks & U.S. Foreign Policy" by Murray N. Rothbard
"America: Freedom to Fascism" (DVD)
Just the facts, ma'm........2006-12-15
This little volume doesn't go into batty conspiracy theories--but it DOES cover the works and ideas of the CFR, since it's founding in 1920. And that's scary enough.
The CFR is the foreign policy establishment of this country, and if you like pointless and deadly wars, designed to benefit American corporations and shareholders at the expense of taxpayers, you'll LOVE the CFR. If you don't, you won't.
More like a conspiracy theory rant than a reasoned argument.......2006-10-30
First I am no believer in the good intentions of our political or social elite. I also don't think the powerful get together and conspire to dominate the world for much other than their own personal gain, be that additional wealth or the seeking of more personal power or influence. And thus organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations are born so that the wealthy and powerful can meet with other like minded people and expand their influence and push their ideas onto others. This argument I can accept. However, the author has picked the CFR as some grand body that rules American policy and has done so for years with the evil intent of creating a one-world government. If you were to believe everything in this book you would assume that all American foreign policy, all Presidents and most parts of American government have been ruled by this organization since it's founding in 1921.
The arguments do not ring true, the author has concluded that membership in this organization has somehow made members brain washed zombies of some grand master plan for one-world government. However the author does not really explain why the membership would have such slavish devotion to this principle nor does he really explain why he feels that such a plan is so evil that is must be opposed. Until of course the last two pages of the book when the author finally writes;
" In essence, history is the story of conflict. Those who view history as a series of accidents, it is interesting to note, also usually believe that the universe itself began as an accident and that man resulted from the random molecular collisions....
There are, however, those of us who accept the causality of God. Many centuries ago, the Hebrew Old Testament and the Christian New Testament prophesied that ultimately a beautiful kingdom will prevail.... But they also warned of an evil, one-world government.....
Many notables of the American Establishment have given themselves over to one side in this conflict, and it is not the side the ancient scriptures recommended. Whether or not they are conspirators, whether they are conscious or not of the ultimate consequences of their actions, their powerful influence has helped move the world towards apocalyptic events."
And thus after 220 pages we see that there is no need to argue why the CFR is evil and what it is up to, this is all self evident by reading the Bible. Which then begs the question why buy and then read this book when the argument has already been made in the Bible.
It would have been nice if the author had started with this paragraph rather than waiting to the last page, it may have made his arguments more coherent. At least I would know that this was not to be a well argued scholarly work but an end of the world rant that assumes you have bought into "The End is Near" world view. If you are not of this mind set then this book shows you that people like to get together when they think alike and form clubs that tend to push their ideas and promote their own members. But then I went to college and experienced fraternities so I get the general idea already. Overall this book was a waste of time, true believers will see it as more of the same evidence and skeptics will not be swayed by the weak arguments and faulty reasoning.
Stop the press! Pick up this book. Then read the press........2006-06-25
A 90 Proof mind bender. Fast foward to a #361 Degree news cycle. The extra degree angle plays well as it sweeps away any establishment fodder. But only if you have any semblence of gray cells left. Or right.
U.S. Decline.......2006-03-14
James Perloff states in black and white the state of the nation.
Those who do not know the past are condemned to repeat it.On page 3 there is the following paragraph.The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government which, like a giant OCTOPUS ,sprawls its slimy length over our city,state and nation.At the head is a small group of banking houses generally refered to as international BANKERS.This little caterie of powerful international BANKERS VIRTUALLY run our government for their SELFISH ENDS.On page 3
Page 4 The real truth of the matter is,as you know,that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson.FEDERAL RESERVE IS UNCONSTITUTION.
CFR school for statemans made up of Dominant class of our society.Also those who have potential to serve their ends,but are not from this class,the american way.
The CFR represent the coporat mind which is without conscious or alligence.This organzation and its representnatives are selling the american people out,and they are the ESTABLISHMENT.There are other organizations that do the same???.
The following is for fools only.The congress is not opposing the CFR.They are part of the government,yet they take an oath to uphold the US CONSTITUTION.Some members may not support TREASON ??????.Violating the security of US is treason.
Hitler,Stalin,Pol pot,or anyone else is okay as long as they do WHAT THEY WANT.NO they ARE not DEMOCRACTIC,but use it as PLOY to overthrow nations.Cut off money supply,have insurgents,etc.WHO MULTI NATIONAL COPORATs.Who is 666.
MR.Perloff gives reference in this book to the following.WWI was PROVOKED by the Lusitani incident.WW11 was provoked by peral harbor which was known about 11 days prior too attact.Korea was cut in half in 1945 with agreement of US and Russia.16000 south koreans with small arms were suppose to hold back the north koreans and chines,a setup to draw us into the police action.Viet NAM.GULF of TONKIN provocation without evidence,there was know attact by VEIT NAM SET up by US to cause WAR.2006 war for Isaral,US. England.WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.FALSE INFORMATION.Spanish american war,WHO blew up the US ship in CUBA that cause that 1898war??????????????????????????...................................
There is no end to the JOKE ON YOU,the living and the dead.THomas Paine was a ture american.What did he say about the US and England 30 years after the war of independence.He said we were back with the englisn.SELL OUT,Where are you now.NWO.
In conclusion the 34 percent support the CFR they are the establishment,elites,the congress is their PUPPET.They are one,both parties.There is no hope without throwing out the elected and putting those who serve america and democracy for the american people.A revolution to save america.TAKE AMERICA BACK,SAVE YOURSELF,YOU ARE SELFISH,I ONLY want to satisfy myself you say,then do it,or die as a nation.
US in decline,GASPROM,RUSSIA,SEVEN SISTERs,what now.South AMERICA going democratic socialist.CHINA in Africa for oil.INDIA,PAKistan,nucleur.IRAN has 10 times more oil than EXXON.IS it third in world in oil.Hegal,synthesis,capilist,soviet communist,facist communist toltalitarian NWO,free trade,open borders,backlash,decentergration.DEregulation,state RIGHTS.
Dubia ports,china ports,give it all to ASIA,allow north america,and western europe to be over run with immigrants.China 1.2 billion,India 1 billion,how can west compete without trade regulations.Only business needs to trade,but it does not serve the people.The US congress alowed this insanity to develope because it is bought and sold along with the 34 pecent that benefit from TREASON.VOTE THEM ALL OUT.YOU ARE a FOOL if you do not.THOSE WHO WILL NOT FIGHT WILL DIE,why should they exist.
A toltalitarian system world wide to be controlled by one KING,but their are 2 factions who want to be KING.They are allies and they both have over 200 nukes,nuclear submarines,chemcial weapons,and biological weapons.They also have satilites in space.Ben Franklin said that faction are the result of the settlement of war,etc.Now the new world order fractionalizing and will not stand,of course we can have neclear war.WW111 RUSSIA,CHINA,IRAN,etc. GOOD LUCK ?????????????
The state of Georgia has use state rights to stop elegal immigration.Stand up and save america HR4437.Take back america
Thank HOLLAND and FRANCE for standing up they are not brainwashed.Conntrol the international bankers,regulate the economy,control industry.Democratic socialism for the people not the copoRAT,do not give any more cheese,no tax breaks,etc.
LOOK up the deffinition of democratic socialism,it is not communism.Harvard and YALE you may learn something.SAVE OUR NATION
[..],there is no fuel,energy shortage.
Book Description
Boogie the caveman is on a quest to understand how his people have become stuck in beliefs that drastically limit their ability to share insights and make progress. Join his hilarious journey of discovery and learn how to surface, share, and challenge your own and others' hidden beliefs and to recognize how they inform--and often misinform--what we do. With its engaging use of metaphor and detailed discussion guide, Shadows of the Neanderthal is a must-have resource for any organization on its own quest for clear and open communication.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect book for a half-day seminar in business management.......2007-05-01
Plato's allegory of the cave is a story that everyone must read in order to claim to be educated. In it, people are permanently located in a cave with their back to the entrance. The shadows of what takes place outside the cave appears on the wall and the residents use that information to reach conclusions regarding what is outside. It is designed to show you that much of what you think you know is only a faint shadow of what the world really is.
This story begins in that vein; Unga, Bunga, Oogie, Boogie and Trevor are cave dwellers with a fear of the outside. They watch the shadows and reach conclusions and each has a different opinion regarding what terrible fate would befall them if they ever set foot outside their domain. They eat only what blows into the cave, so their diet consists largely of dried plant life and dead insects.
Eventually, Boogie expresses a desire to explore the exterior world, an opinion that immediately gets him ostracized. When he leaves, he discovers an amazing world of animals and vegetation. He wanders until he encounters a wise man named Mike, who tells him how it used to be.
In the old days, there was a major civilization that built towers to see what was beyond their immediate vicinity. In one direction, there were enormous herds of wild animals and in the other direction there were abundant fruits and vegetables there for the harvesting. There were two groups, each of which looked in only one direction. This led to an immediate split, one group wanted to build spears and other hunting tools while the other wanted to build baskets for gathering. Neither side would budge from their position, which led to a battle for control. This battle led to separate groups retreating into caves, where they remained to this day.
After the initial story of the cave dwellers, there is a serious discussion of the meaning of the tale. You are asked to ponder the significance of the story and how it relates to the modern business world. With the advent of global markets and the instantaneous transfer of information, for most companies a strategy of staying put is suicide. Each and every day, someone in the company must be examining all of the fundamental assumptions used to justify the business decisions.
This is a short book that is perfect for the half-day management seminar. Illustrated and only 81 pages long, it can be read in about an hour and is packed with information designed to get you thinking about your approach to life, work and career.
Shadows of the Neanderthal.......2006-11-05
Fun and easy read but compelling! This is a book that I will want to keep on my bookshelf and revisit. A must read for managers, educators, and leaders.
Just as enjoyable and illuminating, Outlearning the Wolves, again, by David Hutchens.
Pocket Wisdom.......2003-02-24
Simple, yet powerful. A fun way to learn and very effective for group discussion.
An excellent resource!.......2000-07-03
I really enjoyed this book! The author's clever sense of humor and the great illustrations make a difficult subject--mental models--fun and easy to learn about. I think the book would help any company, family, or even couple get better at exploring why they think the way they do, and how to communicate better with colleagues and loved ones. The discussion guide at the end of the book makes it easy to start using the ideas in your day-to-day life.
Should be required reading if responsible for company growth.......1999-08-13
David Hutchens brings new insight and twists to an age old metaphor. This book begins with a humorous tale whose analogy, to the world in which we live and the mental models which we hold, will hit you between the eyes. The writer quickly points out problems every organization battles with to improve performance and grow. While the business culture has become so overwhelmed with change, many leaders have embraced their current state of affairs. Holding tight to what we have, we spend much of our energy trying not to lose market share. This book gives insight into why and when this happens and how to move from there. "In a world of chaotic information, the mind instantly locks onto that which it already knows--and simply filters out other data." (from Shadows of the Neanderthal) I'm glad I bought it. Thom Hazelip, Arthur Andersen LLP
Book Description
What ancient mystery lies behind the creation of Freemasonry--a lost secret so powerful that the Brotherhood itself has been on a quest to find it for three hundred years?
For those of us lacking the resources to excavate occult secrets hidden beneath the Louvre or the Rosslyn Chapel, or within CIA Headquarters, The Shadow of Solomon is the next best thing. These pages reveal the true secrets of Solomon, from masonry to magic. Laurence Gardner's personal experience as both a Templar and a mason makes this fascinating journey through the history of the Bible, Knights Templar, Freemasons, and everything that followed all the more striking and immediate.
Is it an accident that the world's attention should be turned to these men and their strange lexicon of symbols and secrets RIGHT NOW? What will happen when we understand that there is something we all have in common that is greater than nation or religion?
Freemasons are often said to be the world's most influential secret society, yet the story of this enigmatic fraternity is wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Their involvement in shaping political world events has stretched over centuries, even to the extent that masonic principles lie beneath the establishment of the United States and its Constitution.
The Shadow of Solomon is the definitive insider's account of the startling truth behind masonic history and the centuries-long search that the fraternity has undertaken to find its own lost secrets.
* Exposes the conflicts that have guarded the real secret of Freemasonry for centuries
* Reveals what most masons don't even know about the relationship of their society to history and to cutting-edge science and the future of the world
* Includes 40 color illustrations
Customer Reviews:
Any who would consider the process of American history........2007-09-04
Collections strong in New Age topics in general and freemasonry history in particular will want to consider Laurence Gardner's THE SHADOW OF SOLOMON: it's a reader offering an insider's account of masonic history and the search the fraternity has conducted to locate its own lost secrets. The Masons have long been involved in world political events down to the founding of the U.S. and its constitution, which makes THE SHADOW OF SOLOMON of interest not only to new age holdings, but to any who would consider the process of American history.
Nice cover.......2007-04-08
It is a nice cover, but that's about all I can say that's good I am afraid. I was expecting more, but it's just fact after so called fact and most of these are wrong and based on Gardner's world view. Not very good really and rushed out.
Bland.......2006-04-26
If you have read any of my other reviews you'll know i've read quite a lot of Mr Gardner's work. This isnt one of his best. It is basically a history of freemasonary and how it came about.
There's nothing mystical about it, lots of facts and figures.. but thats about it. These dont really give much of an insight either! I got the impression that the Masons were just being painted as no-one special save for their skills in practical stuff such as building.
Having read other things about Masons, this is really not very interesting at all. It states there are only 3 degrees, which is the accepted answer rather than the actuality. (Allegedly!) In fact, rather than anything ground-breaking going on it has the feel that the exact opposite is being expressed with the aim to rid the world of any ideas of mysticism and hidden goings on!
I suppose if you want to read about dates and similar, and be told that all the aura surrounding Free Masons is just that... an aura which is of no real substance... then you'll enjoy this. Loking for more... I'd say look elsewhere.
It's a history book.......2006-01-04
This book is a bit of a challenge to get through. If you're a history buff, an actual Freemason, or a religous scholar, you're set - this thing is loaded full of dates and events which you'll be able to assimilate.
My greatest challenge with this book was coming to the subject cold. The author has a tendency to whip in and out of various historical events, presenting them in a nonchronological order and without much context. There were a number of subjects addressed that could either have been illuminating the author's theory or just adding seasoning; I couldn't tell you which, because I couldn't decipher their impact.
Unfortunately, the book does a very bad job of catering to the novice. There is no general glossary of Freemason positions, which leaves the reader stranded when trying to comprehend all of the information. The book seems to be targeted at people with an existing knowledge base. This isn't a bad thing, but I would have appreciated a definition of the intended audience on the book dust cover or introduction before purchasing it.
As another reviewer mentioned, this is not a Da Vinci Code-type book. It is a rather dry non-fiction history text, not an adventure story.
Don't waste your money.......2005-10-17
Poor scholarship made worse by poor writing.
Everything Laurence Gardner says is presented in more coherent form in other books, and his "Lost Secret" is a huge let down once you get to it. He meanders his way through every crackpot theory about the origins and secrets of Freemasonry, accepting some and supposedly disproving others, all the while taunting us with the idea that he has discovered some lost "secret". (At the end of the book you discover that, apparently, the Freemasons once knew how to transmute gold and other metals into some other element, but lost this knowledge during the Glorious Revolution of 1688! - and to fully understand what he is talking about, you would have to buy one of his other books).
Don't bother with this one.
Book Description
The author was right there when many of the events in the book happened so he delivers first-hand knowledge. He corrects common misperceptions and sets the record straight on some of the most basic facts concerning Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and terrorism in general. Jason Burke is the prize-winning Chief Reporter for The Observer, London. He has covered the Middle East and Southwest Asia for a decade, and saw many of the key events described in this book at first hand.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent insight into global jihad philosophy.......2007-04-23
This book helped me make the philosophical transition from wanting to help my country by fighting in a Global War on Terrorism to accepting the reality that non-military actions will get better results for both the West and Islamic nations in the long run. The caveat is that the US and Western powers need to read, understand and apply the level of knowledge of global jihad that Burke presents.
Know Your Enemy.......2006-08-26
Jason Burke's book is extremely well researched. His knowledge of various elements within Radical Islam is quite frankly scary. He's met the men responsible for germanating Qtub's ugly apyocalyptic interpretation of Jihad into a full fledged attack against the West. Until the early nineteen nineties Jihad was merely a continental struggle pitting dissaffected military messianic groups against alleged puppet governments. Al Queda changed the course of radical Islam and Burke was within a whiff of Osama for years prior to 9/11. While his time in Afghanistan certainly seems to have created a sense of diluted empathy for militant Sunni groups, Burke's ultimate thesis is a towering reminder that winning the military war against radicals will not be enough to redeem the enlightened path of histroy. The West and particularly America must strive to win the hearts and minds of moderate Muslims. The road to success in any conflict is understanding. In this conflict, like any other, we must know our enemy and Burke's book is a good addition to the said realm of understanding.
Dont Judge it by its Cover.......2006-08-24
This book is a compilation of really good research (all footnoted), personal interviews, and eyewitness accounts of events that have occurred from 1990 forward. Mr. Burke's analysis is top notch, and accurate for the most part.
That's all jim-dandy, but what sets this book apart from the rest, is Mr.Burke's understanding of the religion of Islam, Muslims, and the extremist mindset. Generally, most authors lack knowledge of Islam, and thus draw incorrect conclusions.
The book is objectively written, with minimal personal opinions or diatribes. (That's a positive). I recommend this book as the definitive guide on Terrorism in the 21st century.
Having said that, the Conclusion chapter is bad, and seems to be written by a PR person. Conclusions that do not line up with what Mr.Burke said in the book...But aside from this, a good read.
Fantastic overview of the structure, history, goals of al-Qaeda .......2005-10-26
_Al-Qaeda_ by Jason Burke is an excellent and well-researched book on the structure, history, philosophy, goals, and future of not only of al-Qaeda itself but of other militant movements within the Islamic world.
Most fascinating to me was that the book was as much as about what al-Qaeda wasn't as about what it was (and is). Al-Qaeda is one of the most misused, overused, and misunderstood words in the media today, one that has artificially been imposed upon a rather large and diverse group of Islamist groups beginning in the early 1990s.
In Arabic, al-Qaeda is basically an abstract noun, one meaning "base," as in a camp or a home, or "foundation," as is what is under a house. It can also mean "pedestal," such that what supports a column, and also can mean "rule," "formula," "method," and "pattern." It has been in use since at least the mid-1980s among the Islamic radicals fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan, though Burke wrote that this should not be surprising, as it is a common Arabic word. Generally the term since then has not been used to describe an extant organization, but actually a purpose and a function. One of the first times the term was encountered was from the name of a terrorist manual, entitled _Al-Qaeda_, obtained from Ahmed Ajaj, detained months before the 1993 World Trade Center attack and later convicted for his role in that assault. The title was translated at the time as meaning "the basic rules" and Burke felt that was the correct translation; that it is not the name of a group being used but rather it is being used in its sense of a "maxim" or the "fundamentals."
Many in the media, in positions of leadership, and even professional analysts often make the mistake of thinking of al-Qaeda as some sort of united organization, run by one man, maybe envisioning a James Bond type villain presiding over a vast international organization from some secret lair in the desert. The closest thing according to Burke that ever really could have been called "al-Qaeda" was a rather small and short-lived organization, one active between 1996 and 2001 and largely based in Afghanistan, destroyed and dispersed as such by the fighting at Tora Bora.
If anything, he wrote, there were three al-Qaedas. One is what he called "the al-Qaeda hardcore," based in Afghanistan, comprised of men such as bin Laden, Mohammed Atef, Abu Zubaydah, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and others, a small group of militants, generally Afghan war veterans. Then there "the associate members of al-Qaeda," long-term associates of bin Laden and the hardcore, not usually based in Afghanistan, who accepted missions from them, acted as intermediaries and recruiters for not only the hardcore but for others, and also undertook projects of their own. The third group is vast, amorphous, and hard to define, basically the movement of modern radical Islam itself, with its myriad cells, domestic groups, and individuals. This Burke called the "network of networks;" other groups, originally often with only very local concerns (Burke detailed at length militant movements in Kurdish Iraq, Pakistan, Algeria, Uzbekistan, and elsewhere), that would from time to time come to be to varying degrees under bin Laden's umbrella, sometimes for specific missions (approaching bin Laden or his associate members for money, weapons, fatwas, or training), other times for more long term associations. An important aspect of the network of networks is that many groups were often very independent in action and only worked with bin Laden as they saw fit; there was no compelling these groups and individuals to act.
In reality, there is a rather broad movement of Islamic militancy active in the world today, of which al-Qaeda is only a part of. Burke viewed Osama bin Laden as actually a rather peripheral figure, mainly existing in a charismatic, inspirational function or as a facilitator for the activities of other militant organizations and individuals. Burke provided several models to view al-Qaeda. One is to see al-Qaeda as some sort of wealthy university distributing research grants and providing classes to allow the ambitions of its pupils to be fulfilled, a sort of Holy War Foundation. Another analogy is viewing it as a model of venture capitalism; individuals or small group approached the chief executive and the board (bin Laden, etc.) with ideas that they believed were worthy of support. This board would evaluate hundreds of proposals and decided which to back, which missions would turn a profit so to speak.
The last section of the book detailed the results to date of the war on terror. Though there have been successes - many members of the al-Qaeda hardcore have been killed or captured, Afghanistan has a real chance at democracy, and there has been extensive physical damage to the hardcore with the loss of its training camps and its refuge in Afghanistan - Burke felt that the group is winning. Those hardcore members that were not killed or captured have dispersed and continued to aid and fund operations worldwide. Many of these militants, after dispersal from Afghanistan following the American attack, caused radicalization wherever they ended up, notably in Pakistan, Kashmir, Algeria, Yemen, Chechnya, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan. Though bin Laden's ability to personally influence events has greatly decreased since he went into hiding after Tora Bora, the network of networks is hardly touched, as most groups are firmly rooted in "local contingencies and causes," having little if anything to do directly with al-Qaeda, and didn't necessarily need al-Qaeda to begin with. From Burke's perspective bin Laden is doing very well, as he achieved his goals of radicalizing movements in many countries, leading them to plan their own terrorist activities, using people often with no previous experience with terrorism and unknown to security services (the October 12, 2002 Bali bombing had nothing to do with al-Qaeda) and to unite and work with other groups outside their own narrow local goals, with militants from diverse places cooperating like never before.
required reading.......2005-08-28
I just got dug in and after 25 pages already feel like I know
more about the terrorist network commonly known as Al Qaeda
than George Bush, Rumsfeld and Rice. That, my friend is sad.
Fairly easy to read instantly interesting.
Average customer rating:
- Iran, Al Qaeda, Kurds, Shiite, and Sunni
- Title certainly feels very silly and pathetic at this point
- Another Stab at Prognostication
- Perspective Reporting that Are Way Better than The Well Worn War Stories
- Predictably, there's not much here
|
Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush is Winning the War on Terror
Richard Miniter
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0895260522 |
Book Description
Shadow War is the startling report of how President Bush is bringing retribution to the enemy, and keeping America safe.
Customer Reviews:
Iran, Al Qaeda, Kurds, Shiite, and Sunni.......2007-01-16
Shadow Warrior asks three questions: 1. Where is Bin Laden? 2. Why hasn't there been another terrorist act on American soil? 3. Is Bush winning the war on terror?
"Defeat a plot a day" has been a reality for US defense performance. Al Queda has killed over a thousand civilians since 911. US intelligence anticipated a 2nd wave of terrorist activity after 911. In response to this intelligence, US forces started a massive bombardment of Al Queda strong holds in Afghanistan. The rentless campaign has kept the terrorist at Bay. Al Queda gets weaker with each attack: Djerba (capture of one cell), Bali Indonesia (elimination of all cells in UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, and Phillipines), Riyadh (30 dead) (a dozen Al Queda arrested), Istanbul (62 dead) ( 2 cells smashed), and Madrid (202 dead & 1500 wounded) (17 arrested). Al Queda plots were defeated in their attempt to bomb the warship in Spain, US embassy in Paris, and US embassy in Mali.
Bush states, "The cat has rabies and the only way to cure the cat is to cut off its head" and since 911 over 3,000 operatives have been seized or slain in 102 countries. Iran's vast Sunni population influences the Sunni reactions to US Occupation in Iraq. The Media hypes Sunni fighting against the Shiite and Kurdish majority implying civil war. Sunni insurgency against the Iraq's Shiite majority has been a source of bloodshed. Iran has a strong industrial base of 40 million people; Iran is changing and western economics and ideas are enticing; Iran is advancing technologically; Iran needs electricity for industrial development; Iran is Sunni; Iran fundamentalism controls the people's idealogy; and Iran is the largest provider of oil in the world for India. Iran's development of nuclear power and the possible uses of this power are real, especially, if the Bin Laden terrorist can influence how they are used.
The threat of Iraqi power destabilization is a pressing concern. A power vacuum exists in Iraq and it will take time for Iraq's people to self govern. It does not seem probable that US force will withdraw from the region. The US leadership stability and continued presence has politically driven values and policies.
The author claims Iran is sympathic to Al Queda and some 500 low level Al Queda reside in Iran. House of Saud weakness is encouraging Al Queda surges for tribe control and terrorist membership. The author implies that US military force may be needed in Iran to root out and hunt down the terrorist: 1. Iran is developing economically and needs nuclear power to supply the electricity for industry, however, any nation that possess nuclear power becomes militarily invincible 2. Iran has sponsered terrorist activity through out the middle east and the fear of Islamic fundamentalism escalates tensions and decreases trust that they will be using the nuclear capabilities peacefully. 3. The world has a strong fear of nuclear weapons 4. Suspicious behavior, such as, disguisting and removing buildings thought to be creating radioactive materials for a nuclear bombs does make the West, leary. Iran credibility does not seem strong. 5. Iran's harbouring of Terrorists may cause a military response. 6. Iran has historical connections with Russian: Military aid and equipment, Iran - Iraq war machinations, and East verse West cold war fighting over the territory.
The author states that Bin Laden could be in Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the Philippines. In 2004, Bush's senior advisor stated that Bin Laden most likely was in Pakistan.
Bin Laden master minded: the attack on the US Marines, Aden, Yemen, Dec 29,1992; first attack on the World Trade Center, Feb 26, 1993; attack of the US Army Ranger, Magadishu, Oct 3, 1995; the plot to kill the Pope, 1994; the bombing of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, 1995; the embassy bombing, 1998, and the attack of the US Cole, 2000; and destruction of the Twin Towers, Sept 9, 2001 and Khadid Shaikeh Mohammad introduced the four point plan. Why did Bin Laden strike America? Bin Laden wanted a show down in Afghanistan; a show down where his resistence force would lose to allie troop force; a show down that would remove the Taliban from power which was the primary goal of the US; a show down in which the CIA would fund $200 million to aid the Northern Alliance machinery against the Taliban; and a show down that would establish a new government. Bin Laden believed the war would become a merciless ground war and another Viet Nam. The war cost a large sacrifice of lives. What are the long-term US political objectives for US troops in Afghanistan? Has the US policy makers created stability and economic growth in the new and emerging country of Afghanistan? How much money will be required to create stability in Afghanistan?
In the desolate landscape of the Sahara, al Qaeda and its affliate terrorist groups have established more than a dozen training camps and safe havens; al Qaeda is in the Sahara and the Sahel to create a new Afghanistan; the land is far from flat: it rises to more than eleven thousand feet and drops to more than 100 ft below sea level. Even ground level searches are difficult: 1.5 million square miles, problems caused from lawless warlords. The war on al Qaeda in North Africa has largely gone unnoticed in the American media.
The rebels are identified as one of four groups: The Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudan Liberation Army (waging war on behalf of Christian and animist south of Sudan), the Polisario Front ( independace of Western Sahara), and the Janjaweed (attacking blacks in Darfur). The Muslim brotherhood extends into Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, a source of radical Islam idealogy. In Algeria there are two Muslim terror groups: GIA and GSPC, who have kill more people since 1992 than any other non-governmental organization. Al Quadea thrives in these cruel environments.
In 2003 in Algeria a meeting occurred between Hassan al-Turabi aides and bin Laden's deputies, in which, an agreement was formed "between African rebels and al Qaeda which provides assistance in the sacred war in the west of Sudan in return for certain support and security arrangements for them and those al Qaeda members on the run" "A senior Sudanese intelligence official in Khartoum told me that the link between the fiery Islamist and bin Laden network has strengthened in recent years" Since 1999, al-Turabi fighting against Christian and animist South has turned into a bloody civil war, costing over 2 million lives. Darfur is providing shock troops of the al-Turabi Justice and Equality movement; the troops killed 550 policement and anyone that opposed them; al Qaeda is operating new training camps in Chad; five al Qaeda trainers were dispatched to three training camps in Chad, where al-Turabi militants trained for war against Sudan.
The al Qaeda and Iraq link: al Qaeda men arranged for the purchase of biological and chemical weapons from Iraq; al Qaeda soldiers are in Iraq and lead many attacks against US soldiers; al Qaeda Bin Laden sent men too Iraq numerous times and arranged support for his terror network. Lets look at the al Qaeda activity in Iraq: 1. 1993 Abdul Rahman Yasin fled to Iraq after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing 2. Bin Laden met at least eight times with officers of the Iraq Special Security Organization 3. Iraqi intelligence agents met with Bin Laden starting in 1994 4. Bin Laden met the director of the Iraq makhabarat in 1996 5. In 1999, Farouk Hijazi, senior officer in Iraq's mukhabarat journeyed deep into Kandahar Afghanistan to meet al Qaeda men 6. In Oct 2000, Salah Suleiman was arrested near the Afghan border while journeying to meet al Qaeda 7. 2001, Iraq embassy in Pakistan was used as aliason between Iraqi dictator and al Qaeda. 8. Spanish investigators seized documents from Yusaf Galan and charged him as being directly involving in the 911 attacks 9. Abbas al-Tanabi defects to the West and tells of the Iraqi - al Qaeda connection. 10. 2003, after the fall of the Taliban, 24 Bin Laden associates converge on Baghdad and establish a base of operations 11. 2003, al Zargawi mets with the military chief of al Qaeda, Mohammed Ibrahm Makwai in Iran 12. 1997-2000 Abdullah al-Iraqi was sent by Bin Laden to Iraq for the purchase of poisonous gas several times. 13. 2001 hundreds of al Qaeda fighters are believed to have holed up in Ansar al-Islam's strongholds inside northern Iraq.
Title certainly feels very silly and pathetic at this point.......2006-11-18
Bush is winning the war on terror?
Who here is sufficiently blissfully ignorant to still believe that? Iraq has completely imploded--even CENTCOM has acknowledged that we are fast approaching "chaos" and total anarchy there. Bush's occupation there is effectively at an end.
As for Afghanistan, the military now admits that the Taliban is making a major, widespread resurgance, and now controls much of the country. Our recent bid to push back at their growing offense ended in failure. In fact, we now only control the capital of Kabul, and that only tenuously. Of course, Bin Laden still runs free, laughing at those he killed on 9/11.
No, the sad, plain truth is that Bush is not in any way, shape or form winning the war on terror. This book has simply become a pathetic relic of a bygone era, useful only as an object of sarcastic mockery and derision. Bush, like those who believed in him, has become nothing more than a very sad joke.
Another Stab at Prognostication.......2006-09-23
This is the second Miniter book a nephew gave me with the idea that it would convert me to his way of thinking. Right from the very cover, it doesn't. The title is a prediction, and it's a premature one. He did this in that other book "Disinformation..." That too has a prediction of how "we're undermining the war effort."
This book bothers me on a number of levels.
First, it's the impression Miniter wants to give to the reader that he is an investigative journalist who is objective, and has no agenda. The title of his two books (that I know of) reveals that he does. He writes for a periodical called "Human Events," This publication is widely regarded as having a right-leaning, conservative philosophy and editorial staff, which includes Ann Coulter. (Need I say more?) If he trying to prove something then he is an advocate, not an investigative journalist. He is promoting a conclusion rather than finding one.
Second, I have gone through the irritating process of checking some of Miniter's sources: newspaper articles, opinion statements, and many others that offer no empirical evidence to support his, in some cases, wild assertions.
Third. Let's get to those assertions. The fact that we haven't been attacked in five years because of this administration's anti-terror campaign is conjecture. There could be reasons he could not even fathom. More importantly, what would Miniter's explanation be if we were attacked tomorrow? Would it somehow be Clinton's fault? By the way, in a truly fact-based book, "America the Vulnerable," Steven Flynn, a retired Coast Guard officer states that the 9/11 attack was five years in the planning.
Fourth. Miniter's assertion that the mainstream media know about the same information he has, but don't report it because a) they don't want to, or b) their editor will kill the story, or whatever is even more conjecture. Is it just possible that main stream media press don't see the story in the same way Miniter WANTS it to be seen? Is it possible that they see it as speculation rather than fact?
Fifth. Our beliefs. It is a fascinating feature of the human psyche that people will pursue those opinions which confirm their beliefs. They will describe this book as well-researched without ever checking, or they will say the book has many sources without researching those either. Just so long as they want to believe it's steak, it will be, even though it is only hamburger.
Six is a question. Is his prediction coming true? Are we winning the war in Iraq? This the biggest test of the book's credibility. We have ten of our twelve divisions committed around the world constantly. Troop levels in Iraq are at an all-time high. More national guard units will be activated, or units will be rotated with less time out of a combat zone. Our losses are not declining. Iraq is an unstable government. Shi'ia and Sunni are murdering each other daily. The Iraqi army is allowed to return home for a couple of weeks whenever they want to, or they will refuse to fight outside of their province. With no clear statement from this administration of what victory is, how can Miniter write a book with "Bush is winning the war on terror" in the title? Winning what?
This title as well as his conclusions are premature. I am old enough to remember another title published in Reader's Digest many years ago. It was called, "Why We're Winning in Vietnam." It was written by the Commander of the US Army Vietnam, General William Westmoreland.
Perspective Reporting that Are Way Better than The Well Worn War Stories.......2006-07-18
Mr. Minter comes through again with a hard hitting reporting style that comes up with stories that aren't reported adequately elsewhere in the media. Taking investigative journalism to places that other pontificators only dream about Richard Minter tells more stories about the War On Terror that Americans need to read. In a style somewhere between Tom Clancy and Bill Gertz, Minter delivers style and prose that is easy on the brain, flowing and captivating. I was glued to the pages. It was an enjoyable read that provided a great perspective into many under-reported aspects of the war.
His bias leaks through as a conservative and hawkish but the prose doesn't come across as an ideologue. He backs his information up with interviews and facts and provides supportive information that I found to be entirely persuasive. The material is well researched and he presents an exceptional bibliography for further reading. This is a book that everyone should read, conservatives and democrats alike. Minter finds pieces and interviews that no one else has and this niche makes for great exploration of the subject materials at hand.
Predictably, there's not much here.......2006-05-14
There's this scene in the movie Gettysburg that explains why a book like this won't be of much use. One of the characters in the movie is a spy, and he's explaining to another character, a Confederate general, why spying isn't as satisfying as being an actor (the character's previous career). He complains that there's no real audience, because if anyone notices you, you've failed in your job, and you're likely to be hanged. If you do your job well, no one notices, and there's no applause.
The War on Terror suffers a similar fate, with a voracious news media impatiently demanding news by the deadline for the morning edition or the 11:00PM news, and the opposition party insistently complaining that no one's telling them information they don't need to know, but which they hope will weaken those in power for the next election cycle. The whole thing is more than a bit juvenile.
The result is what we have here: an extended editorial in which the author argues that we're winning the War on Terror, but has few facts to back himself up other than negatives: there haven't been any more attacks in the country since 9/11. Of course, critics will say that perhaps Al Quaeda didn't try and attack us during the period in question, so of course there weren't any attacks. The problem is that we don't know now, and probably won't know for some time yet, whether there actually *were* any attacks intended. Miniter insists that there were, and tries to back this up with "inside sources", but the result is rather thin.
The history of intelligence operations, expecially if the subject is relatively recent, tends to be a laundry list of those things they tried which failed. Success, after all, means that no one knows what happened usually. As a result, Miniter's book is more successful in what it *doesn't* report: there have been few failures *since* 9/11 in terms of attacks in the U.S,
Book Description
Although Northeast Asia could be on the verge of becoming the world's third great region, expanding economic ties have not been supported by security cooperation and trust. Gilbert Rozman traces the problems in establishing regionalism over 15 years. Relying on many sources in the languages of the region, he offers a detailed picture of conflicting strategies in China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. While covering U.S. globalization policies, he draws attention to debates about bilateral relations in the four countries, along with shifting outcomes over six periods.
Amazon.com
At first glance, this title is just another entry in the roster of books opposed to political correctness at American universities, yet it's surprisingly good--certainly the best of its type since Dinesh D'Souza's Illiberal Education appeared in 1991. Kors and Silverglate are hard-core civil libertarians turned off by the "hidden, systematic assault upon liberty, individualism, dignity, due process, and equality before the law" that they describe as rampant on campuses. Theirs is not so much a brief against academic multiculturalism, but an eye-opening narrative about how the modern university "hands students a moral agenda upon arrival, subjects them to mandatory political reeducation, sends them to sensitivity training, submerges their individuality in official group identity, intrudes upon private conscience, treats them with scandalous inequality, and, when it chooses, suspends or expels them." Through well-told stories and anecdotes (including an excellent chapter-long sketch of the University of Pennsylvania's semi-famous "water buffalo" incident), Kors and Silverglate make their case and make it well. --John J. Miller
Book Description
Universities once believed themselves to be sacred enclaves, where students and professors could debate the issues of the day and arrive at a better understanding of the human condition. Today, sadly, this ideal of the university is being quietly betrayed from within. Universities still set themselves apart from American society, but now they do so by enforcing their own politically correct worldview through censorship, double standards and a judicial system without due process. Faculty and students who threaten the prevailing norms may be forced to undergo "thought reform."In a surreptitious about-face, universities have become the enemy of a free society, and the time has come to hold these institutions to account.
The Shadow University is a stinging indictment of the covert system of justice on college campuses, exposing the widespread reliance of n kangaroo courts and arbitrary punishment to coerce students and faculty into conformity. Alan Charles Kors and Harvey A. Silverglate, staunch civil libertarians and active defenders of free inquiry on campus, lay bare the totalitarian mindset that undergirds speech codes, conduct codes, and "campus life" bureaucracies, through which a cadre of deans and counselors indoctrinate students and faculty in an ideology that favors group rights over individual rights, sacrificing free speech and academic freedom to spare the sensitivities of currently favored groups.
From Maine to California, at public and private universities alike, liberty and fairness are the first casualties as teachers and students find themselves in the dock, presumed guilty until proven innocent and often forbidden to cross-examine their accusers. Kors and Silverglate introduce us to many of those who have firsthand experience of The Shadow University, including:
- The student at the center of the 1993 "Water Buffalo" case at the University of Pennsylvania who was brought up on charges of racial harassment after calling a group of rowdy students "water buffalo" -- even though the terms has no racial connotations.
- The Catholic residence adviser who was fired for refusing, on the grounds of religious conscience, to wear a symbol of lesbian and gay causes
- The professor who was investigated for sexual harassment when he disagreed with campus feminists about curriculum issues
- The student who was punished for laughing at a statement deemed offensive to others and who was ordered to undergo "sensitivity training" as a result.
The Shadow University unmasks a chilling reality for parent who entrust their sons and daughters to the authority of such institutions, for thinking people who recognize that vigorous debate is the only sure path to truth, and for all Americans who realize that when even one citizen is deprived of liberty, we are all diminished.
Download Description
In this searing expose, the authors explore the nationwide assault on our most cherished rights: the disappearances of civil liberties on American campuses and how those who claim to protect the oppressed have become oppressors themselves.
Customer Reviews:
What Do Colleges Really Teach?.......2007-07-25
It is difficult to believe that only forty years ago, American colleges and universities tilted toward the right and that leftist thought and professors were the exception rather than the rule. Then starting in the mid 60s, the left tilt began, and with it an entirely new paradign of pedagogy became institutionally entrenched. In THE SHADOW UNIVERSITY, Kors and Silverglate detail not only how this came about but also sound a clarion call to today's parents that when deciding which school to send their children that they ought to consider that school's speech codes at least as important as the rankings in US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT.
The first thing that all incoming freshman receive at most colleges is a political/social/sexual/ethnic indoctrination that compares in both kind and degree to that which used to be used in thuggish regimes of the past. They are told that white men are inherently biased and racist, that blacks have a right to exhibit the same racist attitudes that are prohibited to whites, that the credo in each catalogue that boasts of freedom of speech is immediately qualified by a depressingly long list of forbidden deeds, words, and thoughts, and ultimately that a double standard in the treatment of favored groups is quite the accepted thing.
The authors consider the writings of Herbert Marcuse as a prime reason for this astonishing turnaround. In the 60s, Marcuse argued that freedom of speech for all really amounts to a denial of that freedom towards the weaker such that the stronger could continue to dominate. His solution was to deny or reduce freedom of the stronger so that the weaker could compete on what he saw as a more level playing field. His new theory instantly was trumpted by the left as the answer to institutionalized racism. In fact, every speech code today can be directly traced to Marcuse. Most of the chapters in their book list many examples of quotes taken directly from administrators themselves in their written justifications for their decisions to punish erring students like Eden Jacobowitz of Penn, who in 1993 called a raucus group of Afro-American females "water buffalo," a term that to him meant a rude collection of obnoxious revelers but to them meant a racist euphemism. Jacobowitz spent the next year in politically correct hell, not for what was in his mind but what was in theirs. It is this probing of the inner thoughts of students that Kors and Silverglate find reprehensible. The solution they claim is that sunlight in the best disinfectant.
Such books as THE SHADOW UNIVERSITY represent a badly needed wake up call not just for students and parents, but for the power-hungry administrators who fail to realize that the pendulum that swung left in the 60s could just as quickly swing right, crushing the careers of those who fail to see the new political writing on the wal..
Irritatingly Good.......2006-11-11
This book will make you angry. If it doesn't, then you did not READ it. Many of the examples in the book made me rethink how the college life is. Too often, Americans look at the universities as places of open and honest debate about ideas regarding society and then we are disappointed when we see that academia is stifling and punishing free expression.
Speech codes and suppression of politically incorrect ideas are shown throughout the book as harmful not only to the education process, but to American ideals as well.
This is an excellent expose' indicting the so-called tolerant universities as the most intolerant of them all. Whatever happened to freedom of expression? You can't say that on college campuses in the US anymore.
Publisher's Weekly Always Helps.......2006-01-14
I remember trusting Siskel & Ebert for movie reviews and Consumer Reports for cars and other products. Now I have a sure fire way to determine whether or not I want to read a book (vs. judging it by its cover). I simply read Publisher's Weekly review and do a George Constanza -- the exact opposite of what they say. It has worked brilliantly. Thanks PW.
more horrifying because of its careful documentation.......2004-11-25
A lawyer and a professor team up to take on the American university establishment! But in this case, the two Davids have an ally: the U.S. court system. Taking college after college to court, the pair not only obtained results exonerating those faculty and students denied their rights of free speech and due process but logged some blistering denunciations of the colleges for their denial of basic Constitutional rights from the judges who heard the cases. Kors and Silvergate have since set up a website where students and teachers can register what is being done to them. Visit it at www.thefire.org and read some of what's happening. If that doesn't scare you, don't bother watching Frankenstein.
They have also set up a new website, www.campusrights.org, where students can find information on how to defend and protect their own rights on campus.
The only thing one can say against the book is that its focus is so restricted. But that is also the book's strength. For a full and thorough account of what is going on and how it got that way, you need to read other recent books on the subject, such as The Rape of Alma Mater. One of the nice things about The Shadow University is that the two authors are liberals. This is not some biased conservative ranting.
It's a pity that conservatives don't read this book and find out what true liberalism is. If they did, maybe they'd stop calling the people who have taken over the colleges "liberals." And maybe true liberals would stop thinking that the current power elite are liberals and that it is the duty of every right-thinking person to agree with them.
I just read it!.......2003-09-21
I am a recent college graduate and I can relate to many of the modern day students in this book. The programs like "diversity" and "affirmative action" are hidden agendas against whites and Europeans to feel collectively guilty for all the oppression against non-whites. This book is a very chilling account of the double standards that are ruining our campuses today. It's very chilling.
Book Description
Médecins sans Frontières; Fabrice Weissman (Editor)
During the planning stages of military intervention in Iraq, humanitarian organizations were offered U.S. government funds to join the Coalition and operate under the umbrella of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nongovernmental organizations had previously been asked to join in "just wars" in Kosovo, East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan, wars initiated by Western powers against oppressive regimes or armed groups. Many aid organizations cooperated eagerly.
Few Afghans regret the eclipse of the Taliban, or Sierra Leoneans the stabilization of their country after British military intervention in 2000. However, the incidental victims of these triumphs, those on the "wrong" side, are soon forgotten. Humanitarian organizations are duty-bound to save these people, although in so doing they must remain independent of the warring parties and not support the "struggle against evil" or any other political agenda.
Then there are places where the pretense of providing assistance allows donor governments to disguise their support for local political powers. Millions in North Korea, Angola, and Sudan have starved to death because of the diversion and unequal distribution of huge quantities of food aid. There are also those whose sacrifice is politically irrelevant in the wider picture of international relations—the victims of brutal wars in Algeria, Chechnya, and Liberia, for instance, where what little international aid is available is subsumed by the adversaries' desire to wage total war, to exterminate entire populations.
In this book, international experts and members of Médecins Sans Frontières analyze the way these issues have crystallized over the five years spanning the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first. They make the case for a renewed commitment to an old ideal: a humanitarianism that defies a politics of expendable lives.
Customer Reviews:
Analysis of current aid moviations and applications.......2005-05-30
This collection of essays brought together by Medecins Sans Frontieres intends to help readers explore the current state of international "humanitarian" aid in the wake of the "just wars" that were fought on humanitarian pretexts in the Balkans last decade.
Contrary to what government officials prefer to brag, most humanitarian aid is not humanitarian at all, but is an extension of politics. This work expounds on that theme, implying that the "just wars" of the last decade were the demise of truly independent and humanitarian work. In keeping with this theme, the essays in this book, with the exception of one or two, delve into the politics of a complex emergency and explore how the international community has failed to live up to the humanitarian ideal -- either by abstaining from involvement or manipulating aid.
There is particular focus on Africa, since the cases were chosen by ranking complex emergencies according to their cost in human lives, and focusing on the most serious. This annoyed me to an extent because the essays on the African conflicts tend to give tremendous amounts of information in only small amounts of space. By the time the reader covers three or four of the African conflicts, he cannot help but jumble and confuse the names of the main players and the acronyms of the liberation armies.
Also, several different authors all seem to use the same words and have the same style of writing. At first I suspected some sort of conspiracy on the part of MSF, but then I realized that most of the essays were probably written in foreign languages then later translated by Fabrice Weissman into English. The result is that I began to tire of the book's style and diction halfway through. One word in particular -- I forget which -- must have been used twenty or thirty times, despite not being a commonly used word. The soporific effect of this phenomenon cannot be overlooked in evaluating the book's merit.
By the end, however, every reader should at least be more informed about the civil wars taking place in Africa. And he should also be able to more critically assess news reports describing humanitarian emergencies and humanitarian assistance. Thus the book does deliver some reward, although each of these messages is better articulated by David Rieff in his book "A Bed for the Night."
I would recommend this collection only for those with a deep interest in humanitarian aid.
Average customer rating:
- Encouragement for Small Church Pastors
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In the Shadow of the Steeple: The Vital Role of the Smaller Church in a Megachurch World
Gene Williams
Manufacturer: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0834121808 |
Book Description
In a world of big, bigger, and biggest it can be difficult for pastors of small churches to keep from getting discouraged. In the Shadow of the Steeple offers pastors encouragement and hope, reminding them of their ultimate purpose - to share Christ’s love with the world. Gene Williams gives practical advice and uplifting insight for smaller church pastors, reminding them of the unique opportunities and advantages they have to reach the people who would never feel comfortable in a mega-church. ’It is out of an understanding heart and long experience that [Gene Williams] writes In the Shadow of the Steeple . This is a book that is much needed. ...It will be greatly appreciated by all of those who, having spent their days encouraging others, need to sit down at the end of the day and derive a little encouragement for themselves. This book will do it.’ -Dr. Stuart Briscoe, Minister and Author ’Finally...a serious book that R-E-A-L-L-Y affirms the smaller church pastor while also affirming the validity of mega-churches as being real churches too. This book merits national praise and is required reading for both smaller churches and mega-church pastors. Every pastor knows other pastors who need this book now. -John Vaughan, Founder and President Church Growth Today
Customer Reviews:
Encouragement for Small Church Pastors.......2006-09-11
Sometimes pastors feel that in a megachurch world, their small church ministry is insignificant and unimportant. But retired Nazarene pastor Gene Williams has good news: Small churches have great potential to reach people for Christ. Williams points out that even large churches cannot reach everyone, and some people will never join a megachurch because they don't like big crowds.
Williams certainly has the credentials to write this book. He has pastored churches for 47 years, some of them had less than 30 people, and one of them was a huge church with a TV ministry. And yet Williams says that some of his most rewarding ministry memories were when he was intimately involved in the lives of his small church members.
In chapter one, Williams discusses the potential of the small church to reach the 25% of Americans who don't belong to any church at all.
The next chapter is a discussion of the purpose of the small church, namely that the small church has the same purpose as the large one, to lift up Jesus, and to win as many people to Christ as possible.
Chapter three, Williams talks about the problems of the small church. He observes that all churches have problems with people, programs, finances, and mental barriers, but that God can do great things no matter how big or small the church is. He thpoints out that Jim Cymbala started at Brooklyn Tabernacle with no salary and few members and little money to pay the bills, but that God miraculously provided for Cymbala and the church. Williamsstresses that we can be faithful to God and trust Him even in the midst of ministry problems.
Williams then describes the pleasure of small church ministry, and what a joy it is to be involved in people's lives. He notes that in large church ministry, many families don't invite him to celebrations because "We know how busy you are,Pastor." But in the small church,he got invited to lots of things.
There is also a chapter about the prospects of the small church. Willliams notes that since 50% of the people in any area are NOT attending church, there is potential for the small church to bring people to Christ.
Williams also discusses the pride that small church pastors should have that Jesus has called them to care for some of the people He died for.
There is also a discussion about the power available to small churches. Williams mentions that even though Barry Sanders was a small running back, he had a lot of power. This is the way he sees small churches.
He also talks about the provision available for small churches. Williams describes a scene early in his ministry when he was pastoring a small church in Florida. There was one day when his family didn't have any food except a can of tomato soup. While his wife was preparing the soup, a lady came over with a big donation of food, and soon after, a ton of food was brought over for the family. Pastor Williams learned ALOT that day about God's provision.
There is also a final chapter about the peace that small churches can have that they are doing what God called them to do. When a football lineman makes a block, he is glad that he is making a difference for his team. In the same way, small churches can have peace that they are making a difference for God's team.
I enjoyed this book. It only takes a couple of hours to read, and it will encourage the heart of any church leader.
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