Why No Posting

Just thought I'd make a note as to why I haven't posted here in a while. Lately, I've been reading some very old books I scored at a local thrift store. One is a play based on the story of Cuchulainn titled "Chuchulainn: an epic-drama of the Gael" by Terence Gray (printed 1925), another is an eighth grade reading primer full of poetry that I didn't even read in college-level literature classes. That one was published in 1918. I don't think I could have passed the eighth grade in 1918...

Anyway, these books aren't great review material since they're not available anywhere that you can buy a copy to read yourself. Neither is on Gutenberg either.

So that's what's going on. I haven't bought or rented any movies in the past month or more either, so the blog has received a big goose egg in updates. Sorry. :)

Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Retro Review: Don't Shoot the Bastards (Yet)

Don't Shoot the Bastards (Yet) by Claire Wolfe - I was quite impressed with this book. Claire Wolfe is a very well known writer in the freedom circuit. Her blog is linked from my "links" page (see button to left).

This book in particular had some really cool stuff in it. While it's not a "get even" kind of thing (despite the great title), it is a "let 'em know how you feel through some good, old fashioned civil disobedience" kind of screed. She does a great job outlining various infringements our government perpetrates (usually in the name of "security" or "the children") and a few good ideas for undermining those efforts. While I would prefer something a little more militant or "in your face" than this, for the average freedom fighter, this book has a treasure trove of information.

And hey, if you're doing something, you're on my side! So have it at, whatever you do!

Tea Party!

Terrorstorm 2nd Ed

I recently viewed the new, second edition of Alex Jones' Terrorstorm, after having seen only the original version of this documentary. The film is fundamentally the same, of course, but the added footage gives even more shocking details about the way our "leaders" use terror as a means to control us.

Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of England, for example, was sinking in the polls and losing favor amongst even his own party members in Parliament. They were threatening to pull British support for the war in Iraq. Then the attacks of 7/7 happened (three subways and a bus). Immediately afterwards, not only did Blair's approval ratings suddenly jump, but new mandates and laws about surveillance and restrictions of protests were enacted - laws that Blair had been pushing for months without result.

Interesting...

Anyway, there's a lot more in this video and I'd highly recommend it to everyone. One of Alex's best documentaries.

Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement

I watched this movie for the first time last night. I've since watched it again and I suspect I'll watch it three or four more times before I've completely absorbed it all.

Holy sh@#.

The stuff in this documentary will literally ruin your day and change your entire paradigm of thought. I don't think I'd have this big a mind alteration in my worldview if I were to meet, shake hands with, and fly into space with aliens from another planet. It's that big.

This movie is about those who control the world, those who want to control us (and are controlling us, for the most part), and what their ultimate goals really are. This movie is about the elusive Bilderberg Group.

When you watch Alex Jones' latest documentary, be prepared to rewind, pause, and rewind again as information flies at you. A treasure-trove of names, faces, facts, and information is in this documentary.

I've seen most of Alex's movies and have always been impressed by the depth of his research and his in-their-face confrontational style when he takes on the neo-cons and world enslavers. This movie, though, is by far his best work yet. Amazingly, it has more info-per-minute and better production values than any of his other films. Great stuff and I highly recommend it.

Eragon and Eldest

A friend of mine loaned me both of these books (audiobooks in unabridged format). Holy crow! These rule! It's a simple story, at its core, but very well-told and even more amazing when you realize that the author wasn't even 20 when he wrote the first book! I find myself agitated that the third book (this is a trilogy) isn't out yet.

And if you've seen the movie Eragon, don't be dissuaded by it. That pile of crap they called a piece of film doesn't even come close to the books themselves.

The story is about a young boy, Eragon, whose life is changed when he finds a dragon egg and it hatches for him. From then on, he is more than just a farm boy with little education and even less self-esteem. He's a dragon rider. He learns magic, swordsmanship, and above all, he learns to have confidence in himself and in doing what is right because it is right.

A great set of books! Highly recommended!

Retro Review: Founding Fathers: Uncommon Heroes

Founding Fathers: Uncommon Heroes by Steven W. Allen - Of all the books and biographies of the founding fathers of this nation, this one is the best I've read. The short biographies of each man dispense with the usual detail and log of events and instead draw a picture of the personality and beliefs of each of the founders. Using private letters, historical documents, and other true history, Allen draws a complete profile of each person and makes them come to life. This book is very highly recommended!

Retro Review: Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - Known among libertarians as the defining work of true libertarianism (what Rand called "Objectivism"), this book is the magnum opus of Ayn Rand's writing. "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute," is how Ayn Rand explains herself in the "about the author" portion of this edition.



I did find this book to be aweful long and believe that 300+ pages could easily have been cut out without adversely effecting the story. However, the price of the book is well-spent if you only read John Galt's radio address (in the last 1/3 of the novel, about 60 pages long). His speech summarizes the precepts of the book and the "producer's strike" he has instituted.



This truly mind-expanding philosophical novel is one that should not be missed by anyone for any reason. It's that important.

The American Revolution: A History

The American Revolution: a History by Gordon S. Woods - What better example of freedom and liberty than our own American Revolution? This book offers a concise, easy-to-digest synopsis of the Revolution starting with "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" all the way to the surrender of the British.

To The Last Man

I listened to the audio book version of this novel and was mesmerized by it. Philip Bosco's reading is extraordinary and ads immensely to a book that is already very well written. Shaara is a great author who writes about war and the personal drama of it very well.

This book follows a handful of American warriors during the First World War, including pilots, infantry, and officers. The personal stories of these men is both horrific and heart-wrenching.

In fact, if you don't have tears in your eyes as the last few lines unfold, you're not human. That's how great this book is. Highly recommended.

Fearless

This is one of Jet Li's most recent movies and by far one of his best. Obviously, I am a big fan of his, and he's only getting better and better. I've been a fan of Li's and of Jackie Chan's (who's been stagnating, basically making the same movie over and over, with less and less comedy) for a long time. The bulk of my video collections are made up of their movies. A while ago I reviewed Li's movie "Unleashed" and "The Hero" (click here to see those), which are also on my favorites list.

Anyway, this film is about the legendary Chinese hero Huo Juan Jia who inspired the Chinese nation at the turn of the century. It's masterfully done with great effects in the fight scenes and an awesome, inspirational storyline.

The movie follows the life of wushu master Huo from boyhood to adulthood, where his love of martial arts and devotion to being champion trumps his responsibilities as head of household and father. Tragedy unfolds, because of his selfishness, and he is forced to grow up and realize that there is more to life than himself. His life's journey then changes for the better and his real heroism unfolds as he finds his true self.

This is a great film and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Jet Li has also said that this is his last wushu (purely martial arts) film.

Letters From Iwo Jima

I watched this film last night and then...I watched it again. This is by far one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. It's gripping, engaging, and very gut and heart-wrenching.

In the movie, you follow half a dozen Japanese military men in their efforts to hold the island of Iwo Jima from the US invasion force. This is a side of the war that we Americans rarely see.

The personalities and actions of those depicted are not so different from our own. From the reluctant warrior to the flag-waving dogmatic killer. The story is srong, well-told, and will get you right in the soul. Clint Eastwood (who produced and directed this movie) is only getting better with age. A great film.

The Ballad of Carl Drega

The Ballad of Carl Drega by Vin Suprynowicz - The first reviewer on Amazon.com™ hit the nail on the head when he wrote "It would be very fair to say that "The Ballard of Carl Drega" is one of the most revealing and insightful books to be published in years. Authored by Vin Suprynowicz, one of the world's most celebrated and syndicated libertarian writers of the century, this title leaves no stone unturned." This book is easily the greatest collection of abuses and outright thievery by the current American government. It is not half-truths and heresay, but verifiable, documented fact. I would also recommend Vin's book, Send In The Waco Killers. If you can, read his weekly columns in newsprint around the country and the Internet. He is easily the best libertarian writer living today.

Retro Review: Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer - Of all of the accounts of the American Revolution, this is by far the best one I've read. Until you've read this book, you'll have no idea how key a role Paul Revere actually played in the battles of Lexington and Concord. You'll also find out how extremely organized the network of militia and volunteers really were. You'll also learn how carefully the British and Americans regarded property rights and personal freedoms. This is a great read that, despite its size, will fly by quickly and leave you wishing there were more. Highly recommended!

Invincible

Not long ago, I reviewed the movie Shooter starring Mark Wahlberg. Seeing that movie on DVD prompted me to get another Wahlberg movie, Invincible.

I have become a huge Mark Wahlberg fan! He was great in the movie The Corruptor, starring another of my favorites, Chow Yun-Fat. He's beginning to consistently deliver good performances in great movies. I guess I have to go find the rest of his stuff, despite not liking George Clooney, who co-stars in a couple of them.

Anyway, Invincible is the story of Vince Pepile, a walk-on from Philadelphia who surprised everyone in the NFL when he made the cut and became a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles football team.

The story is pretty well done, with most of Mark's acting requiring expression and movement rather than words. This movie is supremely well-done and tells the story of Philadelphia's true Rocky Balboa.

Vince hits rock bottom at the beginning of the tale, his wife leaving him and losing his job as a teacher. It's rough times in Philly, with strikes and layoffs happening everywhere. Vince fights through it and goes to the tryouts the Eagles hold (mostly as a stunt by their new coach, who hopes to "shake things up"). Everyone is surprised as Vince keeps making the cuts, beating out even veteran players, until finally his place on special teams is assured.

The story is well-told, strong, and very engaging. You really get to know the characters in the film and you really feel for this guy as he walks through his rough life with honor and pride. I highly recommend watching this movie.

Where We Stand

I received a preview copy of "Where We Stand: A Surprising Look at the Real State of Our Planet" by Seymour Garte, Ph.D. and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Unlike other books about the environment and how we're apparently the #1 cause of its ruination, Dr. Garte takes a look at how we've improved, where we really stand and how we're doing. No, Garte is not refuting that we're damaging the planet, but he does point out where we've made vast improvements.

In his own words, Dr. Garte gives his reasoning for writing this book: "I realized that there is a pervasive attitude in this country among educated and liberal-minded people that nothing has ever gotten better, that technology is just plain evil, and that we are on an irreversible slope towards destruction." He goes on to say that this attitude is so pervasive that even normally thoughtful, educated professors and scientists will forget the real facts and make absurd statements based on nothing.

This book covers many aspects of the environment of the world and how we are affecting it, how those affects are being fixed now, and where we seem to be going in terms of continuing to fix it in the future. While he does point out the "bad news," the book is mostly about Dr. Garte's upbeat view of how well we're doing. Something all of us can appreciate given the daily doom-and-gloom reports we see.

Dr. Garte does a very good job of spelling out where we're doing well, how we've failed, and what we can continue to do to improve. This book is a testament to the academics and good attitude of Dr. Garte, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. Hopefully, by reading it, everyone can learn something, whatever your personal or political views on the subject. I highly recommend this book!

Retro Review: Hologram of Liberty

Hologram of Liberty by Boston T. Party - By far the best analysis of the United States Constitution and its founding than any other anti-federalist book I've ever read. Boston documents and fully explains his premise with hard-to-refute proof, using quotes from the Founders themselves!

Boston starts with a simple question, asked on the back of his book:
"Civic Belief #1
Congress was given few specific powers. All else was left to the States and to the people. Ample checks and balances protect the Republic from federal tyranny.

Civic Belief #2
The Federal Government has become so powerful only because despotic officials have overstepped their strict, constitutional bounds."

"If #1 is true, then how did #2 happen?"

During the time I was reading this book, I had the chance to see Boston T. Party speak twice: once at a local libertarian fundraiser and another at the Grand Western Alliance ("free state west") meeting about a week later. Both times, Boston mentioned this premise and this book.

I also got to speak with him a little bit and learned some more of his viewpoint on this matter.

Boston is not an anti-American. At worst he is an anarchist. However, he lays out his premise, denoting several facts about the Constitutional Convention (vs. the Continental Congress and the real Founding Fathers of this nation) that are not widely known to most Americans. He points out the difference between our Founding Fathers (Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, et al) and the Founding Lawyers (Hamilton, Adair, et al). The Founding Fathers were instrumental in fighting the American Revolution. The Founding Lawyers were responsible for creating our Constitution, including ambiguities and weak phraseology which was later construed to destroy what the Founding Fathers fought for.

Whether you believe this premise or not, I highly recommend that you read this book! If nothing else, it will make you reconsider your religious-like beliefs in the Constitution and realize that it was written by men...fallable, imperfect man.

The Militant Libertarian Does Book Reviews

Occasionally, I post book, movie, and other reviews on The Militant Libertarian Blog. Since not everything I watch and read is political, however, I thought maybe I should start a new blog just for reviews. This way you'll always know what it is I've just finished reading or watching. Assuming you care what I've been putting into my anti-government brain. :)

So there you go. I'll be posting an occasional "retro-review" or revisit of a review I did in the past. As always, I welcome comments, emails, and even hate mail. I get a lot of hate mail..