Our friend Setiago has posted a list of books he's been reading, and give short, but helpful summaries of each book. Check out his blog at http://reflectionsandexhortations.blogspot.com/
1. Polk by Walter R. Borneman –a very informative and enjoyable read on President James K. Polk of Tennessee. Whether or not one agrees with Polk politically, he was remarkably successful in accomplishing his agenda. Another good point about the book is that while learning about Polk, one learns much about the history of the era and other important characters.
2. James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill by Richard Labunski –a fascinating description of what took place to add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Those who are Anti-Federalists can appreciate that the Bill of Rights was added by their insistence although some like Patrick Henry, a giant of orators, wanted more provisions.
3. The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom by Robert A. Levy and William Mellor –even for those not particularly interested in constitutional law, this book isn’t a waste of time. You may not agree with all the author’s assertions, but they make many good points and show how the Supreme Courts has often erred in its rulings.
4. Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876 by William Rehnquist –for those who gained political passion in Bush v. Gore in 2000, this book serves as somewhat of a prequel, over a century before. The late Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist writes in vivid detail of the disputed election of Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel J. Tilden and the behind the scenes work that went into the event.
5. Washington’s Secret War: The Hidden History of Valley Forge by Thomas Fleming –this book fills in a gap of a lesser known aspect about Washington—he was a good politician and knew how to fight off his opponents who were jealous and tried to undermine him.
6. Hamilton’s Curse: How Jefferson’s Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution—and What it Means for Americans Today by Thomas J. Dilorenzo –beware of reading this if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Federalist, although Alexander Hamilton went further in his views than a lot of other Federalists. This book explains how Hamilton influenced our economy (for the worse) through government debt, a national bank, and many other things.
7. Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe by Thomas J. Dilorenzo –this book is not for the faint of heart, especially for those who have grown up revering Lincoln. Dilorenzo presents a stunning expose of Lincoln, but instead of a book replete with personal attacks, he examines Lincoln’s actions and views. He also writes of the danger encountered by those who dare question Lincoln or his policies.
8. Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt –a good, solid book on economics. Summed up, the book discusses the fallacy of only looking at short term effects instead of the long run and looking at the effects on a group of people instead of society as a whole.
9. Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality? by Thomas Sowell –a very interesting book that discusses many myths and inaccuracies about the policies and ideas regarding civil rights.
10. The Vision of the Anointed by Thomas Sowell –an excellent book that talks about the elite, big government advocates who think they have the ultimate knowledge on how society should be run. Sowell is an intense researcher and his book is well documented. He states that part of the reason why the “anointed” are against families in general is that the elites dislike the family as an autonomous decision making unit that is not subject to the elite’s decisions.
11. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin –a good book describing the Conservative verses the Statist (massive, intrusive government). Topics include healthcare, Social Security, global warming (and cooling), immigration, and federalism.
A story of the flagraisers, not so much of the war itself, Flags of our Fathers looks at the lives of these immortalized men leading up to the occasion, and then the post-war effects of this unfair fame, as most of them would argue it was. While the flagraisers would deny that their presence in The Photo makes them heroes, and they would be right in such a denial, they are likewise weary of accepting the role of Icon, which role, in the grand scheme of things, is perfectly appropriate, and certainly needed at the time.