Collected Miscellany

Cross Posted to RedState

Immigration is a difficult topic. In our politically correct times any discussion of the issue runs the risk of being labeled racist or xenophobic or worse.

And to be fair, the issue can and does attract some unsavory types; supporters you would rather not have. It is not an easy issue withing Republican politics either, as their seems to be little consensus within the party as to how to address the issue.

President Bush has tried to defuse the issue and gain ground among Hispanics by emphasizing strong enforcement in his speeches but pushing for a guest worker program and what many consider de facto amnesty.

I am not an expert on this issue. I have not read the bills currently proposed in Congress and I haven’t studied President Bush’s proposals. But I do think this issue is important and that it isn’t getting the attention it deserves. To attempt to remedy that, and educate myself, I decided to read Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, and the War on Terror by Congressman J.D. Hayworth.

I am glad I did. To see why, click below.

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I came across this interesting site this morning:

LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain, and then we release the audio files back onto the net (podcast and catalog). Our objective is to make all books in the public domain available, for free, in audio format on the internet. We are a totally volunteer, open source, free content, public domain project.

Here is a little more detail about how it works:

1) LibriVox volunteers suggest books from the public domain, and we’ll choose some to record.
2) Volunteers “claim” chapters, and record them to mp3.
3) Volunteers get the files to us, somehow!
4) We host our files on the wonderful Internet Archive
5) We maintain a catalog of complete and incomplete books, and podcast selected books

They need volunteers so if that is something you want to get behind head over and check it out. Of course, if you just want to listen head over for that.

Jumping of from a review of Crunchy Cons, Patrick W. Gavin offers some Interesting comments on the book market and political polarization:

Ann Coulter says liberals are guilty of “Treason.” Michael Savage says “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder.” Al Franken says that “Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot.” Michael Moore speaks of “Stupid White Men.”

Who knew that so many adults could act so childish?

A truly groundbreaking book would realistically portray an America where most citizens are far too busy living their lives to concern themselves with such banal minutiae as whether liberals tend to drive hybrid cars more than conservatives or whether more Republicans watched “The Passion of the Christ” than Democrats.

Of course, these books don’t get written because, well, they wouldn’t sell. In fact, they’d be downright boring. In a world where “if it bleeds it leads,” a book painting an accurate portrayal of normal, everyday America might well fall under the mantra “if it’s serene, book sales will be lean.”

But the warring factions have turned polarization into an enormously profitable industry, with shelves of books, stacks of magazines, piles of op-eds and radio frequency upon radio frequency filled with people mischaracterizing other people … who then mischaracterize right back. In that putrid, sickening cycle, everybody wins (via their bank accounts and careers, that is), save the 95 percent of Americans who aren’t nearly as far from the center as you’d be led to believe. Sure, we disagree, but things aren’t so black and white for us, and we tend to be pretty agreeable about our differences.

I have to agree. This is one of the reasons I avoid talking head TV shows, talk radio, and a great many site on the Internet. These kind of arguments make me tired and depressed. I don’t like Ann Coulter, I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh, I don’t watch Fox news, I don’t get into endless flame wars with people on-line, the list goes on and on. In fact, this is one of the reasons I switched to blogging about books, I found I enjoyed reading and thinking more than I enjoyed arguing about the political topic du jure. Of course I still have strong opinions on issues but I try to avoid the largely emotionally based chatter that fills so much of the space these days.

I have been planning a long, powerful, insightful, fair, and yet ultimately critical review of Rod Dreher’s new book Crunchy Cons. I am working my way through the book and even reading the Crunchy Blog over at NRO. But before I could post my thoughts Jonah Goldberg comes along and steals all of my thunder with his long essay on the subject. This is what happens when you are not a professional journalist. While Jonah was busy finishing the book and writing his piece, I was doing mundane things like my day job and trying to get my fussy daughter to go to sleep so her mother and I can regain our sanity.

Oh well, if there was any one I wanted to steal my thunder it would be Jonah. If you want to take a look at my thoughts on this subject when it was only a magazine article here are some links:

– Should politics be personal?
– Crunchy Cons – Part VVXVXVXVVVIII
– Crunchy Cons – Again
– Granola Conservatives

I had a lot to say back them didn’t I? Look for my by now redundant book review in the coming days.

J.D. Hayworth represents Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District. First elected in 1994, he is serving his sixth two-year term in Congress.

The Congressman is also the author of the recently released Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, and the War on Terror. A passionate and powerful call to action on this increasingly pressing issue.

Given the storm over the ports issue and focus on national security in general, this seems like a perfect moment to talk about illegal immigration and border security. To help with that, and to introduce readers to the issue and the book, Congressman Hayworth was kind enough to answer a few of my questions. The Q&A session is below (questions in bold, answers below). Look for a review of Whatever It Takes on Friday.

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David McCullough’s 1776 is a masterpiece of writing and historical study. 1776 continues McCullough’s string of excellent books.

The book generally covers the time period from when King George III addressed Parliament on the rebellion (October 1775) to the Continental Army’s victories at Princeton, New Jersey (January 1777). McCullough does not provide a blow-by-blow account of each battle, but he gives enough of a description of each battle in this time period to allow the reader to understand the reasons for why the battles ended as they did. He captures the desperation and courage that the Americans had in some of the darkest times of the war. For instance, McCullough describes George Washington’s daring raid to defeat the Hessians at Trenton as a gamble to provide the Americans with some type of victory.

In addition to the Americans’ will to never give up, McCullough explains that the Americans were often just plain lucky. A well-timed storm twice allowed Washington to lead the Continental Army out of the grips of the Recoats’ grasp, thus preventing the ending of the “Glorious Cause.”

McCullough’s strongest writing is in his excellent descriptions of the individuals who played pivotal roles during this time period. These individuals include King George III, General William Howe, General Nathaniel Greene, and General George Washington. His portrayals of these individuals are balanced and fair. For instance, many historians have portrayed King George as a bumbling idiot, but McCullough describes him in a softer light – as an intelligent ruler who believes that his American subjects have no cause for rebelling.

McCullough thoroughly captures the feelings and beliefs of both sides. He interweaves his narrative with excerpts from letters and diaries of the participants. He frequently quotes Washington in his letters to various individuals. In addition to providing quotes from the major historical figures, he often cites common soldiers from both sides. He frequently quotes Lieutenant Jabez Fitch, an officer from Connecticut, who spoke plainly of the experiences of the Continental Army in the early stages of the war.

In short, 1776 is an instant classic.