Tammy Bruce: Books Archives

Books Archives

Arthur Koestler

A post by Maynard

Arthur Koestler has lately caught my eye. He is best known for his anti-totalitarian novel, "Darkness at Noon", which you may have read in high school. Koestler's personal odyssey broadly echoes Tammy's: Struggling with emotional issues in his youth, he was drawn into the political Left with its utopian dream of paradise by command.

Koestler was born in central Europe in 1905. In the post-WWI turbulance, it seemed the day of the individual had passed, and the future would be built upon a collectivist foundation. Therefore, a 1930's-era European liberal must choose between socialism and fascism and communism. Koestler embraced the latter and fled from Hitler's Germany to Stalin's Russia. After witnessing the Soviet "experiment" up close, he began to realize the terrible consequences of his generation's well-intentioned mistakes. His dead-on lament from his (sadly out of print) autobiography, "Arrow in the Blue" sounds a vital warning for our time:

We fought our battle of words and did not see that the familiar words had lost their bearing and pointed in the wrong directions. We said "democracy" solemnly as in a prayer, and soon afterwards the greatest nation of Europe voted, by perfectly democratic methods, its assassins into power. We worshipped the will of The Masses, and their will turned out to be death and self-destruction. We regarded capitalism as an outworn system, and were willing to exchange it for a brand-new form of slavery. We preached broad-mindedness and tolerance, and the evil which we tolerated demoralized our civilization. The social progress for which we fought became a progress towards the slave labor camp; our liberalism made us accomplices of tyrants and oppressors; our love for peace invited aggression and led to war.

He continues, rather chillingly:

As I am writing this, more than twenty years later, the storm is still on. The well-meaning "progressives of the Left" persist in following their old, outworn concepts. As if under the spell of a destruction compulsion, they must repeat every single error of the past, draw the same faulty conclusions a second time, re-live the same situations, perform the same suicidal gestures. One can only watch in horror and despair, for this time there will be no pardon.

Hello? Is this thing on?

Koestler was a student of various disciplines, ranging from rigorous science to kooky spirituality. He wrote on many topics, always seeking to connect the dots. Earlier in his autobiography, in discussing his time in Paris in 1929, he offered an interesting interpretation of the mindset of the Parisian prostitutes that voluntarily placed themselves under control of abusive pimps. Why do people degrade themselves like this? What inner demons drive humanity towards self-destruction? Koestler speculates as follows:

The secret of this pathological relationship seemed to lie chiefly in the pimp's brutality to his women. It is a calculated and nauseating kind of brutality which has its own ritual and cant. There are, of course, other factors which vary from case to case, but brutality is the common denominator, and its obvious function is to satisfy the tramp's craving for punishment — a craving the more consistent as it is unconscious. "I will punish you" is a favorite expression in the pimp's vocabulary, and the threat alone seems to have the required effect. "Punishment" consists mostly in slaps, kicks or mere verbal abuse; overtly sadistic practices hardly ever occur. They would defeat the purpose of the whole relationship, which is based on the axiom that the punishment is an act of justice which the victim deserves for being "bad". In short, the prostitute creates her own ritual of penance; the kick on the shin and the slap in the face represent the act of absolution; the unsavoriness and repellent physique of the protector and avenger are a logical part of the pattern.

The experience of that period taught me a lesson of which I only became conscious later. It was a meeting with the sense of guilt in its crudest, most primitive and tangible form. It was startling to see how powerfully this complex guilt acted upon creatures apparently devoid of any sense of moral responsibility. It was even more startling to discover that the sense of guilt and craving for atonement did not procure them grace, but drove them even deeper into perdition.

Individuals destroy themselves, just as nations destroy themselves. It's a phenomenon that seems to make no sense on the surface, but we observe it time and time again. We see it in street prostitutes; we see it in the films coming out of Hollywood: An "understanding" of why others hate us and want to do us harm; an endless mea culpa that we somehow owe the world. A plea for punishment at the hands of our adversaries. Why do we do these things? Tammy has had a lot to say about her experiences and observations in regard to the politics and psychology of masochism. As you can see, this battle has been going on for a long time. We must persevere, even while understanding that the war is not going to end anytime soon.

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Posted by Maynard · February 29, 2008 10:53 PM · Permalink · Comments (8)
Books | History | Leftists | Maynard Post

Hollywood Station

Maynard's book-of-the-day

Do you need a brief respite from national cacophony of political talking points? Hollywood Station, the latest book by Los Angeles policeman-turned-novelist Joseph Wambaugh, is excellent escapist fare. It's a hugely entertaining page-turner that's also highly relevant to our times. The story is fictional, but it conveys an honest impression of modern Los Angeles officers, doing the best they can in an environment plagued by dysfunctional micromanagement and hostile oversight and political correctness gone mad.

In the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots and later the Rampart scandal, the LAPD fell under control of police-hating political forces. This is a long and troubling story in itself, and you'll understand it better (and you'll get angry) when you read "Hollywood Station". But that's not really what the book is about; it's just the historical background in this tale of officers and detectives working to solve a nasty robbery/homicide.

Wambaugh creates a cast of charismatic characters that won't let you go. The story meanders through numerous police incidents which range from the pathetic to the absurdly hilarious. You feel as if you're on the scene, riding along with the struggling officers. It's easy reading, but be warned that some of the language and situations are pretty raw; "sensitive" readers beware!

This is the new mass-market paperback edition; it's also available in audio and Kindle and hardback and telepathic uplink into your neural cortices. For additional reviews, click to Metacritic. Enjoy!

Posted by Maynard · January 21, 2008 10:09 PM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Books | Maynard Post | Political Correctness

Atlas Shrugged: A Movie??

A post by Maynard

Are all you boys and girls familiar with Ayn Rand? She's best known for her amazing novels, first The Fountainhead and then Atlas Shrugged. I read them during my formative years, and they put subversive ideas into my head. Rand's philosophy is worthy of contemplation, whether or not you ultimately agree with it. Her books are important because her voice is unique.

People feel strongly about Ayn Rand. Mention her name and you'll often get a knee-jerk reaction, either very positive or very negative. Personally I'm in the positive camp, but with a caveat that will offend True Believers. Rand was a genius, but her vision was warped by personal limitations. She brilliantly illuminated the sadistic and suicidal inclinations inherent to leftist ideology. Her books contain savagely accurate depictions of the social and legal coercions through which we forfeit our joys and bind each other in pacts of mutual misery. However, her concept of a better world was flawed. The heroes of her drama work together in ways that such driven, prickly people would not do in real life. Indeed, this is the core political problem that we who favor individual liberty face: The collectivists have a natural tendency to organize and act in unison, whereas we are inclined to go our own ways. Their job is to herd sheep; we try to herd cats. Ours is an uphill battle.

It's also worth mentioning that Rand was strongly atheistic. She believed — and I would argue with this philosophical premise — that all knowledge could be objectively obtained. It's clear to me that objectivity is inadequate; we must seek a transcendental philosophy in order to pursue meaning. And we are not, nor can we ever be, objective creatures. We are fundamentally subjective in some essential ways. Herein lies an argument that we can pursue endlessly, so I'd better put it aside.

Not surprisingly, it turns out that Ayn Rand's personal life was clouded by turmoil. She was doomed either to dominate people close to her (as she did with her husband) or drive them away (as she did with Nathaniel Branden).

(My comments about Rand's personal life may be considered controversial by some. For further reading, check out Barbara Branden's fascinating biography, The Passion of Ayn Rand.)

There are reports of an Atlas Shrugged movie under development. Of course, since Hollywood is a rumor-plagued and rumor-driven community, rumors don't necessarily mean anything. But the linked article gives some interesting background and discussion on the circumstances surrounding this project.

Posted by Maynard · October 17, 2007 07:43 PM · Permalink · Comments (7)
Books | Hero | Hollywood/Films | Maynard Post

Post-Mortem: The Duke Rape Case

A post by Maynard

We heard about the infamous Duke University rape case in bits and pieces over time, and most of this "news" was driven by political agendas. Now that the story has wound down, it's worthwhile to step back and contemplate the lessons to be learned. Here's a succinct summary from The Economist's Lexington column: "Presumed Guilty".

The most essential information is that the case was absolutely untenable from the beginning, and that the entire incident illustrates how political correctness has metastasized into unabashed and systematic racism. The sad, but unsurprising, conclusion is:

The only people who, it seems, have learned nothing from all this are Mr Nifong's enablers in the Duke faculty. Even after it was clear that the athletes were innocent, 87 faculty members published a letter categorically rejecting calls to recant their condemnation. And one professor, proving that some academics are as far beyond parody as they are beneath contempt, offered a course called "Hooking up at Duke" that purported to illustrate what the lacrosse scandals tell us about "power, difference and raced, classed, gendered and sexed normativity in the US."

I guess it's unreasonable to expect the elite educators to learn anything.

The article was prompted by the release of this book, Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case. A Time Magazine columnist acknowledges the depth of the problem:

The analysis of the notorious Duke rape case in this book is hard to accept. According to Stuart Taylor and KC Johnson, this episode was not just a terrible injustice to three young men. It exposed a fever of political correctness that is more virulent than ever on American campuses and throughout society. . . . Unfortunately for doubts, the authors lay out the facts with scrupulous care. This is a thorough and absorbing history of a shameful episode.

Reading Suggestions for Larry Craig and Bob Allen

One thing I know--women's public bathrooms don't seem to be the secret sex pleasure domes that men's bathrooms are. So, to help certain men control themselves, I thought some reading suggestions were in order which might help them along into the world where visiting the public bathroom means touching as little as possible, as opposed to touching as much as possible. I'm just sayin'.

This should keep them busy.

Posted by Tammy · August 29, 2007 01:18 PM · Permalink · Comments (0)
Books | Cultural Commentary

A Book I Will Not Be Reading This Summer

The University of Iowa Press thought it would be a really good idea to publish the "poetry" of the terrorist barbarians being held at Gitmo. Perhaps next summer they'll release a coffee table book of Hitler's "art," combined with his tips on vegetarianism and animal rights.

Now that would please the lefties to no end.

After the jump, I will surprise and amaze you with my ability to channel the poems of dead terrorists. But right now, here's a little taste of the "poetry" offered up by men who cut off peoples heads and shoot children in the back. Jumah al Dossari who has tried to kill himself 12 times at Gitmo. Obviously, he's not trying very hard. If he's so into poetry and death, even Sylvia Plath finally got it right. And what is the subject of this poem by a member of the world's Death Cult? Death, of course! Oh yeah, and how he's a victim.

Death Poem by Jumah al Dossari
Take my blood.
Take my death shroud and
The remnants of my body.
Take photographs of my corpse at the grave, lonely.

Send them to the world,
To the judges and
To the people of conscience,
Send them to the principled men and the fair-minded.

And let them bear the guilty burden before the world,
Of this innocent soul.
Let them bear the burden before their children and before history,
Of this wasted, sinless soul,
Of this soul which has suffered at the hands of the "protectors or peace."

Actually, I have found that I have an amazing ability, one you can manifest, too! I found, just by going to a poetry generator on the internet, I am able to channel the poetry of one of the now-dead previously-held terrorists from Gitmo. You know, the terrorists we've let out of Gitmo, and had to kill after finding them back in the jihad and killing more innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Posted by Tammy · July 25, 2007 02:47 PM · Permalink · Comments (8)
Books | Just Plain Stupid | Just Wrong | Orwellian | War on Radical Islam

The Dangerous Book for Boys

A post by Maynard

This book, The Dangerous Book for Boys, caught my eye. It also has a website, DangerousBookForBoys.com.

Not having read the book (I've passed well beyond the target demographic), I'm not in a position to comment specifically. But the idea is thought-provoking. I'm flashing back to the days of my mis-spent youth. My mother tried to give me piano lessons, but they didn't take. My father, having run with the gangs on the mean streets of Brooklyn, seemed to expect me to run with the gangs on the mean streets of Brentwood. Between the lack of piano playing and the lack of gang affiliation, I figured my life was ruined. Fortunately, I discovered it was possible to surreptitiously order the various components of small explosive devices through the mails, and thus I achieved some private degree of boyish self-expression. Upon reflection, I quietly decided that the world was full of kooks and killjoys, and the best moments in life were the stolen moments; the moments of small transgressions.

(You can see how my youthful dysfunction made me vulnerable to recruitment into the vast right-wing conspiracy. But that's another story.)

I wonder whether this book, delivered in consultation with a sympathetic male parental unit (known in quaint terms as a "father"), might have helped launch me on a life's journey that would have been slightly less convoluted. It seems that something is missing in the raising of modern urban boys. The idea of this book perhaps connects to that essential and mysterious something.

Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

Here's a review from the Weekly Standard.

Posted by Maynard · July 12, 2007 01:30 AM · Permalink · Comments (7)
Books | Children | Cultural Commentary | Maynard Post

Thieves in the Night

A post by Maynard

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
(II Peter 3:10)

Does anybody remember Arthur Koestler? He's best known for Darkness at Noon (maybe you read it in high school?), which stands with classic anti-totalitarian books such as George Orwell's "1984".

One of Koestler's lesser-known novels, Thieves in the Night: Chronicle of an Experiment, was written in 1946. It tells the story of pre-war Palestine, when the region was under British jurisdiction in the wake of WWI (it had previously been under control of the Turks). For the moment, the world seemed set to accept a small autonomous Zionist state, as asserted in the Balfour Declaration and the League of Nations mandate. With the rise of Nazism in the 1930's, it became clear the European Jews were in peril; however the British found it politically expedient to slam the door on Jewish immigration, as declared in the infamous White Paper of 1939. Indeed, one of the Nazi justifications for the extermination of the Jews was that expulsion wasn't an option; nobody was willing to take them.

I find it useful to read books from an earlier era. Current books necessarily reflect the prejudices and agendas and implicit assumptions of the day, including the stuff that "everybody knows" that should perhaps be challenged. I appreciate a book that has stood the test of time; it will transcend petty politics and cast light on greater truths. What was going on in Palestine in the 1930's? Who was shooting at whom, and why? Koestler's novel portrays a close-up view of the volatile region. Koestler should know; there was a period when he worked on a kibbutz.

As the story opens, a small group of settlers are moving in a convoy towards the place they will build their kibbutz. Their guide gives them the background:

"The land which we are going to occupy, about fifteen hundred acres, was bought by our National Fund several years ago from an absentee Arab landowner named Zaid Effendi el Mussa, who lives in Beirut and has never seen it. It consists of a hill on which the new settlement, Ezra's Tower, will be erected, of the valley surrounding it and some pastures on nearby slopes. The hill is a mess of rocks and has not seen a plow for the last thousand years, but there are traces of ancient terracing dating back to our days. In the valley a few fields were worked by Arab tenants of Zaid Effendi's, who live in the neighboring village of Kfar Tabiyeh. They have been paid compensation amounting to about three times the value of the land so that they were able to buy better plots on the other side of their village; one of them has even built himself an ice factory in Jaffa.

"Then there is a Bedouin tribe which, without Zaid Effendi's knowledge, used to graze their camels and sheep each spring on the pastures. Their Sheikh has been paid compensation. When all this was settled, the villagers of Kfar Tabiyeh suddenly remembered that part of the hill did not belong to Zaid, but was masha'a land, that is communal property of the village. This part consists of a strip about eighty yards in width running straight to the top of the hill and cutting it in two. According to law masha'a land can only be sold with the consent of all members of the village. Kfar Tabiyeh has 563 souls disturbed over eleven hamulles or clans. The elders of each clan had to be bribed separately, and the thumb-prints of each of the 563 members obtained, including the babes' and the village idiot's. Three villagers had emigrated years ago to Syria; they had to be traced and bribed. Two were in prison, two had died abroad, but there was no documentary proof of their death; it had to be obtained. When all was finished, each square foot of the arid rock had cost the National Fund about the price of a square foot in the business centers of London or New York.

"It took two years to finish these little formalities. When they were finished, the Arab rebellion broke out. The first attempt to take possession of the place failed. The prospective settlers were received with a hail of stones from the villagers of Kfar Tabiyeh and had to give up. At the second attempt, undertaken in greater strength, they were shot at and lost two men. That was three months ago. You are making today the third attempt, and this time we shall succeed. By tonight the stockade, the watch-tower and the first living-huts will have been erected on the hill..."

Although it broadly justifies the Zionists, this is not a simplistic tale of good guys and bad guys. It wrestles with the complex characters who struggle to forge a livable pathway through murderous times. It's worth reading as both a compelling story in itself and as background to help explain the current hostilities. Ideas and leaders have come and gone, but the situation hasn't changed much.

To my surprise, I see "Thieves in the Night" is not currently in print. But this, and all books ever printed or imagined, are only a few clicks away.

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Posted by Maynard · June 16, 2007 03:02 AM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Books | History | Jew-Hatred | Maynard Post

Library Fantasies

Adventures in literature with Maynard

Tammy, wearing glasses for her recent FOXNews appearance, questioned whether the "librarian" look detracted from her glamorous image. A fascinating question! So...how do we feel about library gals? I'm guessing the image is relatively favorable to TammyFans, since glasses add 15 perceived IQ points to any creature. We're the kind of crowd that considers this a good thing, don't you think? Here's an example:

Isn't that the smartest-looking dog you've ever seen? So just imagine what glasses can do for people!

However, in the larger world, librarians are apparently less favored. I say this because I find pitifully few romance books (this is the quickest way to gauge the tastes of a society) telling sordid tales of librarian misadventures.

...and note that the gals pictured aren't even wearing glasses! I'm not convinced they're really librarians at all.

Perhaps librarians are more closely associated with negative imagery.

In any case, the librarian genre is dwarfed by the surfeit of nurse books. It seems that somebody out there must have a lot of nurse fantasies. This makes no sense to me. I had no sooner emerged into this crazy planet when I got slugged by a nurse, and I've been on the run from them ever since. But, as I've long since learned, not everyone out there is as sensible as I am.

Posted by Maynard · May 29, 2007 11:23 PM · Permalink · Comments (10)
Books | Humor | Maynard Post | Tammy Notes

If Hasselbeck Is to Mothra...

As O'Donnell is to Godzilla, what would you think if Mothra still wanted to be friends with Godzilla despite knowing how destructive, hostile and disturbed Godzilla truly is?

Yeah, well here's what I'd hand her immediately:

Coping with Infuriating, Mean, Critical People: The Destructive Narcissistic Pattern

Amazon book description:

For all of us forced to deal with an infuriating, mean, critical person, seasoned counselor Nina Brown has a word of warning. "You must accept that your usual coping strategies are not effective, and will not be effective, with this person," she advises. "You cannot expect them to react and behave as adults." So what's a victim to do? Start with the suggestions in this book. In Coping with Infuriating, Mean, Critical People, Brown explains why many people, who may not display all of the characteristics necessary for a formal, full-blown narcissist diagnosis, still display what she calls a "destructive narcissistic pattern" that results in much the same anguish for those with whom the individual interacts. Thankfully, she also provides specific methods that will help victims of this behavior deal with the narcissistic colleague, supervisor or boss, parent, or intimate other. Only the extremely lucky among us have never faced or felt the effects of narcissistic behaviors and attitudes, displayed by colleagues, bosses, friends, parents, or lovers. These individuals may boast and brag constantly, take credit for other people's work, expect favors but return few or none, never listen (but always know all the answers), be sure of what is right and best regardless of the topic. They devalue others, micromanage, are hypercritical and mistrustful. Other characteristics of this harmful personality include an inflated sense of importance, although achievements are exaggerated and actual outcomes don't support feelings of superiority. They are exploitative, without empathy, and believe they are envied by all. Brown's excellent advice will help you cope.

Posted by Tammy · May 29, 2007 07:05 PM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Animal Issues | Books | Politics | Relationships | Television

Harry Potter Author Gives Millions in Search for Missing Girl

J.K. Rowling

Kudos to JK Rowling for giving a reported $3 million in the search for a 2-year-old British girl who has gone missing in Portugal. How she went missing is a warning to every parent out there.

Potter author adds to U.K. reward fund

LONDON -Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has pledged a major contribution to a $3 million reward fund for the safe return of a British girl who has gone missing in Portugal, a Sunday newspaper said.

The News of the World said Rowling had offered the single largest contribution to the fund started by the tabloid newspaper. It called Rowling's pledge "staggering," but said the author asked the amount be kept secret.

Madeleine McCann, 4, disappeared on May 2 after her parents left her, and her brother and sister, both aged 2, alone while they went to a restaurant at Praia da Luz, their vacation resort in Portugal's Algarve region. Portuguese police continue to search for her.

Madeleine McCann

Pray they find this little girl, missing now for 12 days. I realize I should save this until the little girl is found, but I am just stunned by the fact that her parents left her, and her two-year-old siblings alone. This is absolutely inexplicable, in a foreign country no less. No one deserves this, and yes, they're suffering because of it, but not as much as little Madeleine is suffering.

Related Link:

Police chase new leads as resort search for girl ended

UPDATE 5/14 7:30pm PT:

A man who is described as the "go-to guy" for information, translation and assistance when it came to the search for little Maddy is now under investigation. While this story does not go into details, a reporter just on Fox News indicated another reporter alerted police to what is being termed "the creep factor" and his bizarre obsession with the case. Police have always thought whoever took Maddy had been able to stake out her family's villa and was able to know the comings and goings of her parents. This man's villa is within 100 yards of where the McCanns were staying. Besides searching his villa, they have also searched his pool. Not a good sign. Keep praying.

Search for girl focuses on Portugal villa, reports say

LISBON, Portugal (AP) -- Police searching for a 4-year-old British girl who disappeared 11 days ago in southern Portugal sealed off a villa Monday near where she is believed to have been abducted, according to news reports.

Detectives were questioning three people in Portimao, the nearest large town to Praia da Luz, Portugal's national news agency Lusa reported, citing unnamed police sources. British broadcaster Sky News said one of the men who was reportedly being questioned lived at the villa with his British mother.

The man's father was Portuguese, the report said. The man had worked as a translator with police investigating the disappearance, according to Sky News.

Police began their search of the villa shortly after dawn after obtaining a search warrant, Portuguese public television Radiotelevisao Portuguesa reported.

The villa is about 109 yards (100 meters) from the Ocean Club holiday village where Madeleine McCann was apparently taken from her hotel room May 2.

The reporter on Fox also noted this man recently lost custody of his 4 year-old little girl who he described as "the spitting image" of Maddy. Why there was a divorce, why he lost custody, and why he felt compelled to move to Portugal after the fact remains a mystery.

I have been presuming the police and other investigators have ruled out any involvement by the parents. In all honesty, I worry and think back to the Susan Smith case. If the parents are involved, it means there's no hope for Maddy. if they're not, there's still a chance she may be found alive. For hope, I think of the recent Ben Ownby/Shawn Hornbeck and Clay Moore cases, two young men who were found alive after being abducted.

Posted by Tammy · May 14, 2007 06:39 AM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Books | Celebrity | Children | Crime | Hero

Fox News Monday/Bernstein Book on Hillary

HI everyone. First, sorry for the seriously light blogging this weekend (I do see, however that Maynard was up late and working :) I has just incredibly jammed.

Just the regular reminder that I will be on Fox this morning at about 10:20am ET (7:20am PT). It looks like the topic will be Carl Bernstein's new book about Hillary Clinton. Interestingly, Bernstein is a liberal (i.e. leftist) Democrat who was and is against the war in Iraq, and his book is being touted as exposing how HIllary has misrepresented both her political and personal past. I have a hard time believing, however, that this is the crux of the book. Even in discussing her lack of character, I am convinced his endpoint is to declare, even with all their faults, the Clintons (both of them) are best for the White House.
Watergate reporter demolishes Hillary's career story

Drawing on a trove of private papers from Hillary Clinton's best friend, the legendary Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein is to publish a hard-hitting and intimate portrait of the 2008 presidential candidate, which will reveal a number of "discrepancies" in her official story.

Bernstein, who was played by Dustin Hoffman in the film All the President's Men, has spent eight years researching the unauthorised [Yeah, right, yet has access to her closest friends and confidants. And started at the beginning of the Bush administration and the start of her senate career. Gee, I wonder why?--ed.] 640-page biography, A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Bernstein reaches conclusions that stand in opposition to what Senator Clinton has said in the past and has written in the past," said Paul Bogaards, a spokesman for Knopf, which publishes the book on June 19.

Bernstein is known as a liberal Democrat who fiercely opposes the war in Iraq and is likely to be critical of Clinton's Senate vote to authorise the war. His marriage to Nora Ephron, the screen-writer, broke up when he had an affair with Baroness Jay, the daughter of former prime minister James Callaghan. [Another indication that he's a Hillary supporter...If only his wife had been more like her and not left her man.-ed.]

For years Bernstein suffered from writer's block, but Knopf is promoting his biography as a triumphant return to form. Publisher Sonny Mehta said his portrait would "show us, for the first time, the true trajectory of Hillary Clinton's life and career". It will be published simultaneously in Britain by Hutchinson.

According to the publishers, it will cover everything from Clinton's "complex relationship with her disciplinarian father" to "her courtship with Bill Clinton and the amazing dynamic of their marriage, during the most trying of circumstances".

Keep in mind, Hillary cooperated with this book from the beginning, and probably needed a way for her to be in control of negative information. Bernstein gives her that avenue.

Couching this book as a hit piece on Hillary is the only way for it to get attention. The announcement of a love letter written by and published by supporters isn't exactly news, is it?

Posted by Tammy · April 30, 2007 05:47 AM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Books | Politics

A Few Book Suggestions for Bush and Blair

Just some ideas that might get them back on track.

Posted by Tammy · April 2, 2007 07:34 PM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Balls, Lack Of | Books | Politics

David Limbaugh: Confronting the Donkey

We're at a point in time when we're all looking for some political clarity, and I have someone for you. As Democrats run roughshod over the president, the Bush administration doesn't think enough of itself to take charge of the situation, and other Republican leadership either saying nothing or actually siding with the malevolent Democrat leftist cut-and-run crowd, David Limbaugh is a man whose website offers his regular commentary and columns on the inexplicable situation we all face. If you don't already, with all the Usual Suspect sites we visit regularly and so much at stake, it's time to add David into our mix.

While I disagree with him on certain social issues, it's fair to say David and I, like all of us, find common ground in concern for our nation, the shocking lack of fortitude and commitment by Republicans leadership for genuine Reaganistic policies, and the unchecked power the Dems seem to be exerting over President Bush. All of these things cast a dark cloud over the future of our nation, and we must take control of the situation. David's current column is an example of his willingness to speak the truth about what we face and his clarity about the matter at hand.

Confronting the Donkey

I simply cannot believe President Bush withdrew Sam Fox's nomination for Belgium ambassador. When will he confront congressional Democrats with the same resolve he brings to the war on terror? He doesn't need to get down on their level of stridency and sniping, but he should scrap the illusion that they are operating in good faith and want to work collegially or constructively with him.

If the last six years prove nothing else, they show that Democrats are unwaveringly hostile to this administration. Bush's cordiality in return has only emboldened them to new heights of incivility...

But I am suggesting he stand up to these politicians who have made him their sworn enemy and that he go on the offense in getting his message out -- as passionately, unapologetically and relentlessly as the Democrats have. I am suggesting he challenge every one of their lies with the indignation they deserve...

Unless he [President Bush] devotes some energy toward making his case and defusing the Democrats' propaganda and slander, he'll make less headway in Iraq and the war on terror, and on domestic policy across the board. He'll do little to regain credibility with those who have bought into the lies about him, he'll further dispirit the conservative base, and the foundation for a conservative victory in 2008 will continue to erode...

Please read the entire column and distribute. David sets out what the president needs to do, and address the absolute absurdity of Defense Secretary Gates suggesting we close down Gitmo, as well as the Gonzales feeding frenzy.

David's call is a demand that Republicans, conservatives, and everyone who cares about this nation, must heed. It's a demand that we stand up and protect this nation from the nihilistic and destructive left. That we recognize the left's failure-based cult of victimhood is not in any way, shape or form a legitimate option let alone a morally superior preference.

Speaking Tonight in Santa Barbara

In the event you are in the area, please consider joining us. Here are the details. The Wednesday Morning Club, btw, is part of David Horowitz's Freedom Center. And don't let the name fool you-- the gathering is tonight as opposed to tomorrow morning.

The Santa Barbara
Wednesday Morning Club Welcomes

Tammy Bruce
Tuesday
February 13, 2007
Biltmore Hotel

La Marina Room

1260 Channel Drive
Santa Barbara, California

4:00 p.m. Reception

4:30 p.m. Tea

5:30 p.m. Book Signing

Tammy Bruce is the host of a nationally syndicated radio talk show, serves as a Fox News political contributor, and writes regular columns for Frontpagemagazine.com and Newsmax.com. She is an openly gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, voted for President Bush, life long Democrat. At the young age of 27, she was she was elected as the President of the Los Angeles Chapter of NOW.

Tammy Bruce is the bestselling author of The New Thought Police and The Death of Right and Wrong.

The New American Revolution

A controversial and powerful manifesto for twenty-first-century American Patriots

"It's time to swing back the curtains and invite the light in. And that light is American Nationalism, perennially shunned by the Left, condemned by Socialists, and without any special interest group fighting for its rebirth. It has no legitimate advocates. And yet it is the very idea that will save not only our nation, but the rest of the world as well," declares Tammy Bruce.

With this remarkable book, the bestselling author, activist, and independent pundit pulls no punches, illustrating how a new American revolution is upon us -- a revolution based on American Nationalism and Individualism.

Grounded in reason, classical philosophy, and hard-earned experience, Bruce explores the dramatic shift in American attitudes since the tragedy of September 11. She illustrates how in our effort to take this nation back from nihilistic extremists, American Nationalism, individualism, gun ownership, the tearing down of liberal institutions, personal activism, and knowing the enemy are the new tools for today's Patriot.

The "Hate America First" ideology has prevailed for far too long, says Bruce, and she now offers a powerful prescription to reverse the moral and cultural decay wrought by Leftist extremists for four decades. This power to stem the tide resides squarely within the reawakened American founding concept of E Pluribus Unum, or "Out of Many, One." It is this ingrained individualist spirit of the average American that makes this country the best nation on earth, and now fuels the noble fight against the scourge of the Collectivist Left.

In a positive framework with empowering ideas, insight, and tools for direct action, Bruce has captured a watershed moment in American history

Wednesday Morning Club Members……………………………………No Charge

Non-member and Guest……………………………………………………….$45.00

To makes reservations, please contact Mary Belle Snow, Pres. SB WMC

1482 East Valley Road #215 (805) 969-0148

email: mbsnow23@cox.net

Posted by Tammy · February 13, 2007 10:01 AM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Books | Tammy Notes | The New American Revolution

Youngblood Hawke, and Other Musings

A post by Maynard

PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF LEV. XXV X.

— inscribed on the Liberty Bell (citing Leviticus 25:10)

I'm reading Youngblood Hawke, another novel by the amazing Herman Wouk. Written in 1961, it's about a young novelist who rises to fame and fortune during the early 1950's.

Wouk is compellingly readable. More than that, his books are memorable. He mixes a gripping tale with the sort of thought-provoking dramatic dilemmas that leave me pondering long after I put down the book.

As I write this, I'm thinking of one of the minor characters, a Marxist editor who is being called to testify before the Congressional House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy era. The nation faced then, as it faces now, the question of how to protect our freedoms against a ruthless enemy without surrendering those freedoms in the act of defending them. There's no simple answer to this.

Aside from the political issues, there's the underlying question of how it is that intelligent people become advocates of tyranny and enemies of liberty. I appreciate Wouk's books for illustrating wrong-thinking characters with great clarity. His purpose is not to make the reader sympathetic to, for example, Marxist ideas. Rather, it's a challenge for us to think in a deeper sort of way about why we believe what we do.

In this case (and it's not fair for me to summarize, but it can't be avoided), the Marxist looks at the chaos and oppression of the so-called free world, and decides there is no future for mankind unless it can be controlled and ordered by leadership that is absolute. Indeed, don't we all sometimes get the sense that people are too mean and stupid to govern themselves? Is freedom a workable system? Wouldn't a (hopefully) benevolent dictatorship be better?

I'll summarize the conflict by citing two competing slogans. The motto of the French Republic is "Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood)", and the slogan of the French Revolution was "Freedom, equality, brotherhood, or death!". Contrast this against the American national motto (which you'll see, for example, on all our coins) of simply "Liberty". This is (or at any rate, was) the highest ideal of this nation. We see it on the Liberty Bell, citing the Bible (please don't tell the ACLU). We heard it in Patrick Henry's plea, "Give me liberty or give me death."

Where are we, as a people, going? Do we still value liberty as a paramount national ideal, or do we demand that liberty be tempered by equality? Once upon a time, the Americans favored liberty (freedom) and the Europeans tilted towards equality (socialism and other ism's). Both choices present their problems, and you can't have it both ways.

When I look at the excesses of capitalism, and the associated inequalities, I can understand why Europeans sneer at us. If I prefer freedom in spite of its shortcomings, it's not because I believe we're worthy or deserving of it. Perhaps it's a point of dogma rather than reason, but I think the highest aspiration of the communal state is to build the perfect anthill. Without liberty, the ideal of Mankind is forgotten, and we're merely another random earthly life form, and a rather nasty one at that.

I'll also claim it was the rabid pursuit of "equality" that brought about the various evil ism's that arose from the European intellectual cauldron and brought so much misery and death to so many people. In spite of their noble proclamation of ideals, the European track record of the 20th century is not one to be proud of.

As we gear up for the next election, that's a question I'd like to address to any and every candidate: Where do you stand? Liberty? Or Liberty, Equality, Fraternity? As far as core philosophy goes, what more do I need to know?

« Close It

Posted by Maynard · February 8, 2007 11:34 PM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Books | History | Maynard Post | Politics

Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews

"Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews," by David Pryce-Jones is your first Must-Read for the year. This review by Daniel Johnson in the Literary Review gives you a sense of what Pryce-Jones offers, and it's a key perspective concerning the international scene, explains why France has been so problematic and faces one of most aggressive Islamist jihads outside of the Middle East.

Daniel Johnson
J'ACCUSE
Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews
By David Pryce-Jones

...How has it come to this? In this devastating indictment, the cri de coeur of an Englishman who loves France but is exasperated by the French, the background to this breakdown of civil society gradually emerges. David Pryce-Jones has discovered the explanation in the archives of the French foreign ministry, known after its imposing headquarters, the Quai d'Orsay. The corps diplomatique who have run this institution like a private club - known to initiates simply as 'la carrière' - are responsible not only for the decline of French prestige abroad, but also for creating the conditions for the unfolding catastrophe at home. [...]

French diplomats, determined to outdo their British and German rivals in great-power politics, were also convinced that France had a special mission civilisatrice in the Islamic world. Yet their sentimental orientalism was entirely compatible with an institutional anti-Semitism that is documented in shocking detail by Pryce-Jones. The rise of Zionism transformed this anti-Semitism from a mere prejudice, odious perhaps but peripheral to foreign policy, into a distorting mirror which motivated and reinforced the fatal misjudgements that have led France to its present predicament...

Under General de Gaulle, France reverted to its traditional 'Muslim policy' and imposed an arms embargo on Israel. After the Six Day War in 1967, de Gaulle set the tone for future French statesmen by calling the Jews 'an elite people, self-assured and domineering' with 'a burning ambition for conquest'. He ignored Raymond Aron, who warned that de Gaulle had opened 'a new era in ... anti-Semitic history', and instead echoed the old Quai d'Orsay motto of France as a 'Muslim power'.

Thereafter, Israel looked to America, while France recklessly encouraged a succession of Muslim leaders who proved to be implacably hostile to the West, from Gaddafi to Saddam Hussein. It was the French who turned Yasser Arafat into a figure on the world stage and tolerated his terrorists in their midst. And it was the French who enabled Ayatollah Khomeini to launch his Islamic revolution from a suburb of Paris.

Obviously, read the whole review which is, in itself, worthwhile. And then use one of those gift certificates you got for Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Border's for "Betrayal: Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews." Unfortunately, I think it will prove invaluable for years to come.

Posted by Tammy · January 3, 2007 10:56 PM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Books | Internationalism | Jew-Hatred | War on Radical Islam

Bad Sex in Fiction Awards

Have been awarded. The fourteenth annual Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Awards, that is. And even though it's bad, I know all of you want the link. And yes, they have passages. Ooh, they even have winning passages from previous years. Don't say I never gave you anything. Especially bad sex in fiction. Let's just hope I never give you bad sex in non-fiction. Or in life. Now that would be, uh, bad.

Posted by Tammy · December 28, 2006 01:26 AM · Permalink · Comments (9)
Books

If Judith Regan Said It...

Judith Regan, that is, mastermind of the OJ "If I did It" book debacle, just theoretically, of course, if she was speaking with a lawyer for her publishing group, and if that lawyer was Jewish and if the head of whole HarperCollins Publishing shebang was a Jewish woman (who, not if, did just win a prestigious award), and then, if Regan complained, allegedly, about a "Jewish cabal" being out to get her, she would then know what it was like to be fired. Hypothetically.

If she said it, referring hypothetically to a Jewish conspiracy (those Jews sure are busy these days, aren't they?) then she would deny it all, via her lawyer, because, of course, it never really happened. Hypothetically, if a Jewish cabal is out to get her, all sorts of people, Jewish and otherwise probably, are out to get her. Not just the Jews. But the Australians, too. And those New Yorkers. People who work for News Corp. And lawyers. And editors. And publishers. And the press. And even regular people. There are probably Jews in there somewhere, hypothetically. If she thought about it, Jews being somewhere, and out to get her, in their cabal. Oh, and then she would declare war, via her lawyer, on those who are out to get her. If.

How is it, I wonder, that people who tend to screw up their own lives, first think Jews, who must be everywhere and all powerful, are responsible, and then manage to whine about it to the world? From the seriously deadly genocide talk of Ahmadinejad to the pathetic drunken whining of Mel Gibson and now alleged Jew-hating paranoia from Judith Regan. One must ask, if Jews are indeed as omnipotent as the Jew-haters and general losers accuse them as being, you'd think they (the All-Powerful Jews) would have the Tiny Power to keep the powerless, vulnerable despots and compassionate and sensitive publishing divas from bad-mouthing them. I mean, really, that's not a tall order. Their unstoppable universal conspiratorial power, however, seems to stop short at getting people like that to shut up.

Weird.

O.J. Simpson Gives Details of Murders

Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman

That is, if he committed them. Yeah, just like anyone who has lost a loved one to a heinous murder by drug-dealing Colombians, the Butcher of Brentwood has imagined, in graphic detail, what would have happened had he been the one to commit the wholesale slaughter of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.

O.J. to detail murders in interview, with big "if"

In what could well be the sleaziest, and

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Youngblood Hawke, and Other Musings

Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews

Bad Sex in Fiction Awards

If Judith Regan Said It...

O.J. Simpson Gives Details of Murders