I know that I have been silent as of late. That has everything to do with the wonderful new direction of my life. I love work, my wife and our new baby. I just have not had the time to dedicate to daily blogging. Yet, I will continue with lit blogging. Look here for new book reviews and reviews of the culture. Thanks for your support.

I must admit that I had always had a deep respect for Curtis LeMay. My grandparents lived down the street from his boyhood home in Columbus Ohio. The idea that anyone so famous and hated for no apparent reason always was enough to spark my interest and LeMay was no different.

The Life and Wars of Curtis LeMay will go a long way to rehabilitate the reputation of a General that should be respected and beloved, for it was his actions and war plans that brought an end to World War two and if followed, a win in Vietnam and Korea, not to mention an easy win in Iraq. LeMay was a proponent of Peace Through Strength and the use of strategic bombing to win wars.

LeMay believed that if we are willing to fight a war, then we should do what it takes to win the war and to do so quickly. That means that nukes may be the answer, but if not a well placed and on target bomb may just do the trick. His career was ended when he constantly pointed out that the Democrats were not using the military correctly nor were they using it in the best interests of the United States. He clashed with JFK and had his career ended by LBJ.

The book is a fine retelling of the life of a man that many have forgotten but that is important for us to remember. He was a patriot, warrior and a leader that commanded respect and awe, things that are lacking in today’s society.

Rush Limbaugh was recently on Shatner’s Raw Nerve, a Bio channel program hosted by the Great William Shatner. The show focused of Rush’s style and drive, as well as his deafness. This comes at a time that Rush has been side-lined with chest –ailments that some believed were a near heart attack.

Thankfully it seems that Rush is on the mend and will return soon to the air-waves. I miss his show due to work but do try to listen at work from time to time during lunch. Rush is a true showman and I do hope that he returns in good health and cheer.

Watch for yourself:

Well it must be said that I have been too silent for too long. I cannot quietly continue to ignore the preening socialism and outright fascism that is emanating from Washington D.C. There needs to be more voices for the people and less of the preening idiocy that enveloped so many on the right. Where are the people in the GOP that are willing to say NO MORE? It is time to stand against the current tide and speak up.

I must say that I am completely floored by the outright embrace of tyranny by the left in this country. Obama refuses to meet the Dali Lama so that he will not displease the ChComs, the very same thugs that used tanks to run over protestors. Obama rushes to defend the Marxist president in Honduras, yet consistently tries to influence Israel to commit national suicide.

All the while Obama is moving hard-life domestically. The overuse of CZARS and the complete ignorance of law is breathe taking. The Democrat congress refusing to even participate in pro forma oversight should chill the heart of everyone that cares about the rule of law and freedom.

Here is the SNL Video that finally shows how to make fun of Obama and not merely continue to campaign for the man.

This is actually spot on…

Major Farran’s Hat is a well-crafted look at the ending days of the British mandate in Palestine and the terror war conducted by the Jews and British against one another. There was a vivid and untold war between the two over the needs of the emerging state of Israel. We are often told that the Jewish residents conducted a major terror war, but what we are not told is the context of that war.

It seems from Ceasarani spent a lot of time in research, because this book is a rich source of new info on the time period. The British were not the innocent victims that history now portrays them. We have all heard the story of the King David Hotel attack, but we did not hear of the roving squads of police and para-military that were kidnapping and torturing the citizens of the mandate.

Major Farran ran one such squad. He was the squad leader of a group of soldiers that kidnapped a Stern Gang member for placing posters on the lamp posts. Farran then tortured the boy and when he was finished, he murdered the lad. Not content with the murder, he disposed of the body and went home to bed. Durring the kidnapping, Farran’s hat was lost and retrieved by witnesses to the crime.

The next phase of the book covers the cover-up and eventual scam trial of Farran and the reactions of the Jewish population of Palestine. These events were on the fore-front of the news as Britain lost the ability to govern the mandate and lost the support of all sides in the region. The book is an interesting look of the back room deals and political cowardice that came to symbolize the fall of the British Empire.

Major Farran’s Hat is a great read, a mystery and history of a little told story. It goes a long way to explain the current discord of Israeli and UK relations, as well as the anti-Semitism of the BBC.

Jimmy Carter has gone on the attack once again. Carter took to the NBC airwaves to label all Obama opponents as RACISTS. He might just well know, since he is the most prominent anti-Semite in the Democrat party, he might just know racial bigotry when he engages in it… This was not countered by anyone on NBC, Carter was allowed to blather on about how the south and now the nation as a whole is filled with racists.

I have some questions for Jimmy the Peanut. Where were all these racists during the election? If the country is so racist, just how did Obama win? Are you admitting that since there is no way that a country of racists would tolerate Obama or any black man in office that the Democrats stole the election? Is that why ACORN exists, to counter the obvious racism of the majority of electors and ensure that the likes of Obama can win elections?

What I truly believe is that Carter knows that Obama is really his second term, and thus far Obama is failing as masterfully as he did in the late seventies…

One thing I swore that I would not miss with the departure of GWB was the terrible speeches. I often lamented that Bush was a horrid public speaker that did little to further his agenda through communication. I now stand corrected, as Obama has a different but equally problematic problem with the art of persuasion.

Listening to an Obama speech is work. He offers little for those of us that disagree with him. He tends to be dishonest, bad natured and less than friendly. He tries to denigrate and belittle those that are in disagreement with him and wonders just why the opposition hardens against himself. The fact is, Obama is an artful campaigner but a horrid Executive. His rhetoric is off putting and does not allow for compromise. His anecdotes sound like lies even if truthful and he always sounds defensive and smug, nothing that will work to bridge a disagreement gap.

As someone who does not care for this President any more than I cared for the last, let me be the first to say that Obama is his own worst enemy, a little good cheer and friendliness could do the man a lot of good.

Agatha Christie is well known as a master mystery writer, yet many know nothing about the mysteries of Dame Agatha’s life. Her eleven-day disappearance is often omitted from stories concerning the writer, as is much of her life. Little is written about her family life and the actual writing of the stories that we all know and love, but Richard hack has no produced a book that answers many of those questions.

The Duchess of Death does a fine job of informing the reader of what was occurring to Ms. Christie as she wrote her various books. The huge output of fiction that came from her pen is astounding, some years she produced three books – each of a high and distinct quality. All the while she managed to travel and assist her second husband in his work as a world class Archeologist.

The book does delve into her family life. The bitter divorce with Mr. Christie and the estrangement and bitterness of her daughter that eventually grew into a rich and rewarding relationship, as Agatha’s daughter became her literary protector throughout the years is a compelling part of this book. We see far too many stories of famous people who have their families destroyed by success.

The most interesting part of this book was saved for the tax matters of Ms. Christie, who like other authors were nearly destroyed by the IRS here and the tax collectors in her own country. I remember that the unique schemes authors had to employ to earn a living off of their work is maddening. The same today, as the government wishes to take more and more and we see less for our troubles.

Overall, I found this book to be quite enjoyable, though I did no research on the author or any of his previous work. This looks to be a well researched and thorough review of the Ms. Christie’s life. Read and enjoy, I know I picked up a copy of Death on the Nile myself…