Blog Smith

Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Burning America: In the Best Interest of the Country? Preface

In recent times, astute observers of American society have noticed a profound transformation taking place within our government institutions, corporations, universities, and cultural landscape. It has become increasingly evident that certain changes have taken hold, with implications that cannot be ignored.  

We come across reports detailing the introduction of gender ideology in our schools, where young children are subjected to its influence. It is distressingly common to witness acts of violence, rioting, and looting on the streets of our major cities. 

Moreover, the economic stability of the American middle class appears to be on a perpetual decline. Meanwhile, the institutions tasked with safeguarding our rights, such as federal law enforcement agencies, have become deeply entangled in political agendas. 

Clearly, there exists a ruling class that governs our nation, guided by an ideology that poses a threat to the well-being of ordinary, hard-working Americans. To protect our cherished liberties from these radical ideologies, it becomes imperative to comprehend how these ideas emerged and spread over the past few decades, often in stark contrast to traditional American values and objectives. 

This undertaking serves as a means of reaching out to those who seek to understand the current state of their nation, to engage with the notion of a fading American citizenship. The US border has been porous and increasingly endangers the safety of Americans and leads to a declining American citizenry. We can learning from history. 

The Romans successfully integrated outsiders but no nation can long endure an invasion without a strong foundation for settlement. Here's an explanation of how the Roman Empire's interactions with "barbarians" led to assimilation and contributed to the legacy of Western institutions. 

The term "barbarian" was a blanket designation used by the Romans for various groups outside their borders. These included Germanic tribes, Huns, Goths, and others who possessed distinct cultures and ways of life. Relations between Rome and these groups were complex and evolved over time. There wasn't a single, massive invasion; rather, it was a centuries-long process of migration, conflict, and integration. 

The Roman army increasingly recruited from "barbarian" populations. These soldiers, known as foederati, often fought alongside Roman troops and could rise through the ranks. In exchange for service, they received Roman citizenship and land, leading to gradual integration. Whole tribes were sometimes granted permission to settle peacefully within Roman borders. This led to cultural exchange and the eventual adoption of Roman customs and language by most. 

Ambitious "barbarian" leaders sometimes secured high positions within the Roman military and political hierarchy. Some even rose to the level of emperor, demonstrating the potential for upward mobility within the system. The incorporation of "barbarians" invigorated Rome's declining military might, providing fresh fighting forces to protect the borders. 

"Barbarian" leaders who gained power within the Roman system established kingdoms that built upon Roman traditions and formed the bedrock of later medieval European states. Christianity spread among many of these "barbarian" tribes. The Roman Catholic Church, influenced by Roman administrative structures, became a unifying force in post-Roman Europe, preserving elements of Roman knowledge and culture. 

The Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, with Constantinople as its capital, continued for centuries after the fall of the Western Empire. It maintained Roman traditions of law, governance, and culture, becoming a bridge between the ancient and medieval worlds. 

The relationship between Rome and the "barbarians" was intricate and multifaceted. While the fall of the Western Roman Empire is a pivotal moment in history, "barbarians" played an important role in ensuring aspects of Roman civilization, such as Christianity and legal traditions, continued to have a profound influence on the development of Western institutions.

Thomas Sowell’s Ethnic America (New York: Basic Books, 1981) remains a most profound and provocative response to the liberal view of ethnicity and race. In his introduction, Sowell provides a chart that ranks ethnic groups in terms of average family incomes (p.5) Average is 100, but several ethnic groups exceed the average:

Jewish 172

Japanese 132 

Polish 115

Chinese 112 

Italian 112 

German 107

Anglo-Saxon 107 

Irish 103

Other groups do not fare as well:

Filipino 99 

West Indian 94 

Mexican 76

Puerto Rican 63 

Black 62 

Native American 60 

In the American example, some immigrating groups assimilated well into America as some groups did during the Roman Empire. But Liberals, Sowell explicitly and implicitly asserts throughout the book, believe these ethnic differences are due solely to discrimination. But, Sowell wonders, how can this be if several ethnic groups that have experienced discrimination rank above and even far above the U.S. median income?

The reason, Sowell claims, is something that, in his other books he calls cultural capital. Cultural capital includes a strong work ethic, a stable family structure, and a propensity to save and invest rather than to consume. Roman barbarians had cultural capital that was advantageous to Rome and to themselves. But cultural capital also involves an understanding of the four paths to the upper middle class and above.

The first of these paths is politics, especially urban politics. This involves electing members of your ethnic group to offices, such as mayor, that can provide access to government jobs in police and fire departments, schools, and municipal services. Roman elites maintained their prestige by taking part of the Roman military, political, and land-owning class and handed on their power to their descendants. Irish-Americans have historically excelled in governmen, while African-Americans have been using this path since the 1960s. Political jobs offer security and good benefits, but they are seldom very remunerative.

Business ownership may be more risky, but the potential benefits greatly outweigh the costs. High percentages of Jews, Japanese, and Chinese have excelled here, although Sowell is well aware that members of all ethnic groups have succeeded in business.

Higher education, the third area, is perhaps the most dependable path to success. Again, it is the Jews and the Asian-Americans who have excelled the most here. Both Sowell’s supporters and his critics call these groups the model minorities, a term that Sowell himself does not use.

There is a fourth area - sports, music, and entertainment. Here, the results can be spectacular, but the odds for success are not good. Often, this is the area first available to ethnic Americans. Sowell knows this, but he issues a caveat anyway. Put your eggs in this basket, he is saying, and most likely they will break. Sowell is clearly delivering a message to members of his own ethnic group - African-Americans. I will make the case that the 1950s example of capitalism in baseball provided a path but unfortunately sports became almost the exclusive path for African-Americans to the detriment of other more possible and lucrative paths. 

By now, Sowell’s argument is clear: the liberals are wrong. All ethnic groups have faced discrimination - some more than others, Sowell acknowledges—but it is really cultural capital that accounts for the income differences among ethnic groups. Sowell clearly suggests that entrepreneurship and higher education are the best paths to success. It is not surprising that he sees reliance on the federal government as the worst of the legal paths to success. While he in no way supports discrimination, he believes that pooling resources with members of your own family and ethnic group is a better way of starting a business than going to court and claiming you were denied a loan due to your ethnic or racial background. Even better, start your own bank within your own ethnic group. Eventually, you can start your own country clubs if the WASP country clubs will not accept you.

Naturally, liberals find Sowell’s ideas anathema. While most liberals would not quibble with the importance of cultural capital, liberals believe European and Asian ethnic groups have faced far less discrimination than other ethnic Americans. Assertive affirmative action policies and strong federal government action, liberals believe, are necessary to assure ethnic equality. The failure of these liberal policies are evident by the degeneration from the goal of liberal equality to the discriminatory aim of progressive equity. 

In short, and based on the work of Sowell, the historical example of the Romans has not been followed in the last several decades by the Americans and is now coupled with the disaster on the Southern border. American citizenship and the heritage of the Greco-Roman inheritance of citizenship has been swept aside since 1965. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Celler Act, has significantly altered immigration into America and has profound implications for American citizenship. Before 1965, immigration to the US was heavily based on a system that favored immigrants from culturally compatible countries. Instead, the law prioritized family reunification. While the act initially set an annual cap, family reunification provisions led to a significant increase in overall immigration numbers in the decades that followed.

The Border Patrol may be able to handle 1,000 illegals a day, because anything more than that overwhelms the system. Recently, apprehensions have averaged nearly 7,000 per day. On the other hand, the Trump administration had brought apprehensions down to between 800 and 1,500 a day in his final year in office, the lowest numbers in 45 years. In 2022, Biden's daily average was 6,575. In 2023, there were three million apprehensions, a daily average of 8,219. Entering 2024, apprehensions were up to 12,000 to 15,000 per day. 

Illegal immigration has become a tsunami and the hidden reality is even worse, because these numbers do not include the people who entered the U.S. illegally without being apprehended—sometimes referred to as “gotaways”—a number the Border Patrol can only estimate. That estimate is two million, bringing the three-year total of illegal immigrants to ten million—a number equivalent to the population of Greater London or Greater Chicago. 

These are internationally incompatible with American culture: 45 percent come from 170 countries outside the traditional origin countries of Mexico and Central America. Many are unaccompanied minors: 448,000 to date. More than 330 people, as of November 2023, are on the FBI’s terrorist watch list. Many are murderers, rapists, kidnappers, and violent criminals. More than a million have been lawfully ordered deported by judges in the U.S. but remain in our country regardless. The dismissal by the executive branch of our government of hundreds of thousands of cases of immigration law violations is unprecedented. 

We know that the initial financial cost is high—$400 billion, by one estimate—to feed, house, clothe, and resettle the illegals who have been allowed to stay. Then there is the burden placed on public school districts that have no choice but to take in millions of new children who often speak no English and whose educations are not commensurate with those of their schoolmates. It is probably not coincidental that hospital systems across the nation have fallen deep into the red since the great mass migration crisis began. 

Expense, of course, is only one part of the equation in terms of impact. Public safety, criminal justice, and national security systems face unprecedented new burdens as the personal histories and criminal backgrounds of most of the millions allowed easy entry are unknown and, often, without documentation. The criminals increase the load on our already overburdened courts and prisons. Last but not least, this great influx will increase joblessness and put immense downward pressure on wages for American workers.

Within the following pages, we will delve into a range of topics that shed light on the plight of American citizenry in the post-Progressive era:  

The distinctions between the mid-century liberals and the radical elements that emerged in opposition to them; 

An exploration of how the post-sixties radicals ascended to positions of power within government bureaucracies and educational institutions;

A close examination of the principles of neoliberalism, which emerged in the late 1970s, and the ways in which these ideas transformed the moral and economic fabric of America;

An exploration of the underlying factors that led to what has been referred to as "The Great Awokening" during Barack Obama's second term, along with an examination of the ways in which the political and business elites embraced the cultural Left. 

By delving into these subjects, we aim to equip readers with a comprehensive understanding of the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of the ideologies that currently shape our nation. It is through this understanding that we can hope to navigate the complex terrain and preserve the fundamental principles that lie at the heart of our American identity.

This volume proposes to explain recent American history in a manner that encourages the respondent to discover the past first-hand through primary sources. Rather than having to rely on the opinion of another, including this author, the reader walks through history with a series of questions and answers; moreover, all the answers are based on solid, first-hand sources. As a result, the book is not about political right or left but right and wrong, in a passionate pursuit of what could summarize a Native American proverb: truth is a hard deer to hunt.

It's also worth noting that while the saying isn't a documented Native American proverb, it resonates with themes found in traditional oral stories from various tribes across North America. Concepts like respect for nature, understanding one's place in the world, and the importance of living honestly are often interwoven with metaphors and symbolism related to animals and the natural world. The summary proverb appears in the 1937 science fiction short story "By the Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent BenĂ©t. 

To understand an American citizen's place in the world and to live honestly is the goal of many, and this volume will assist in that endeavor. The work can be read with profit alone or in combination with a reading group or a teacher. 

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Reading since summer 2006 (some of the classics are re-reads): including magazine subscriptions

  • Abbot, Edwin A., Flatland;
  • Accelerate: Technology Driving Business Performance;
  • ACM Queue: Architecting Tomorrow's Computing;
  • Adkins, Lesley and Roy A. Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome;
  • Ali, Ayaan Hirsi, Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations;
  • Ali, Tariq, The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads, and Modernity;
  • Allawi, Ali A., The Crisis of Islamic Civilization;
  • Alperovitz, Gar, The Decision To Use the Atomic Bomb;
  • American School & University: Shaping Facilities & Business Decisions;
  • Angelich, Jane, What's a Mother (in-Law) to Do?: 5 Essential Steps to Building a Loving Relationship with Your Son's New Wife;
  • Arad, Yitzchak, In the Shadow of the Red Banner: Soviet Jews in the War Against Nazi Germany;
  • Aristotle, Athenian Constitution. Eudemian Ethics. Virtues and Vices. (Loeb Classical Library No. 285);
  • Aristotle, Metaphysics: Books X-XIV, Oeconomica, Magna Moralia (The Loeb classical library);
  • Armstrong, Karen, A History of God;
  • Arrian: Anabasis of Alexander, Books I-IV (Loeb Classical Library No. 236);
  • Atkinson, Rick, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 (Liberation Trilogy);
  • Auletta, Ken, Googled: The End of the World As We Know It;
  • Austen, Jane, Pride and Prejudice;
  • Bacevich, Andrew, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism;
  • Baker, James A. III, and Lee H. Hamilton, The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward - A New Approach;
  • Barber, Benjamin R., Jihad vs. McWorld: Terrorism's Challenge to Democracy;
  • Barnett, Thomas P.M., Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating;
  • Barnett, Thomas P.M., The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century;
  • Barron, Robert, Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith;
  • Baseline: Where Leadership Meets Technology;
  • Baur, Michael, Bauer, Stephen, eds., The Beatles and Philosophy;
  • Beard, Charles Austin, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (Sony Reader);
  • Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror: Radical Islam's War Against America;
  • Bergen, Peter, The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader;
  • Berman, Paul, Terror and Liberalism;
  • Berman, Paul, The Flight of the Intellectuals: The Controversy Over Islamism and the Press;
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  • Bleyer, Kevin, Me the People: One Man's Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America;
  • Boardman, Griffin, and Murray, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World;
  • Bracken, Paul, The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics;
  • Bradley, James, with Ron Powers, Flags of Our Fathers;
  • Bronte, Charlotte, Jane Eyre;
  • Bronte, Emily, Wuthering Heights;
  • Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 10 1974-1984: The Marshall Cavendish Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
  • Brown, Ashley, War in Peace Volume 8 The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of Postwar Conflict;
  • Brown, Nathan J., When Victory Is Not an Option: Islamist Movements in Arab Politics;
  • Bryce, Robert, Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Independence";
  • Bush, George W., Decision Points;
  • Bzdek, Vincent, The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled;
  • Cahill, Thomas, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter;
  • Campus Facility Maintenance: Promoting a Healthy & Productive Learning Environment;
  • Campus Technology: Empowering the World of Higher Education;
  • Certification: Tools and Techniques for the IT Professional;
  • Channel Advisor: Business Insights for Solution Providers;
  • Chariton, Callirhoe (Loeb Classical Library);
  • Chief Learning Officer: Solutions for Enterprise Productivity;
  • Christ, Karl, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilization;
  • Cicero, De Senectute;
  • Cicero, The Republic, The Laws;
  • Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 1 (Loeb Classical Library);
  • Cicero, The Verrine Orations I: Against Caecilius. Against Verres, Part I; Part II, Book 2 (Loeb Classical Library);
  • CIO Decisions: Aligning I.T. and Business in the MidMarket Enterprise;
  • CIO Insight: Best Practices for IT Business Leaders;
  • CIO: Business Technology Leadership;
  • Clay, Lucius Du Bignon, Decision in Germany;
  • Cohen, William S., Dragon Fire;
  • Colacello, Bob, Ronnie and Nancy: Their Path to the White House, 1911 to 1980;
  • Coll, Steve, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century;
  • Collins, Francis S., The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief ;
  • Colorni, Angelo, Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat;
  • Compliance & Technology;
  • Computerworld: The Voice of IT Management;
  • Connolly, Peter & Hazel Dodge, The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome;
  • Conti, Greg, Googling Security: How Much Does Google Know About You?;
  • Converge: Strategy and Leadership for Technology in Education;
  • Cowan, Ross, Roman Legionary 58 BC - AD 69;
  • Cowell, F. R., Life in Ancient Rome;
  • Creel, Richard, Religion and Doubt: Toward a Faith of Your Own;
  • Cross, Robin, General Editor, The Encyclopedia of Warfare: The Changing Nature of Warfare from Prehistory to Modern-day Armed Conflicts;
  • CSO: The Resource for Security Executives:
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  • Dallek, Robert, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963;
  • Daly, Dennis, Sophocles' Ajax;
  • Dando-Collins, Stephen, Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome;
  • Darwish, Nonie, Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror;
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  • Dawkins, Richard, The God Delusion;
  • Dawkins, Richard, The Selfish Gene;
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  • Defense Systems: Information Technology and Net-Centric Warfare;
  • Defense Systems: Strategic Intelligence for Info Centric Operations;
  • Defense Tech Briefs: Engineering Solutions for Military and Aerospace;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Consciousness Explained;
  • Dennett, Daniel C., Darwin's Dangerous Idea;
  • Devries, Kelly, et. al., Battles of the Ancient World 1285 BC - AD 451 : From Kadesh to Catalaunian Field;
  • Dickens, Charles, Great Expectations;
  • Digital Communities: Building Twenty-First Century Communities;
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  • Dostoevsky, Fyodor, The Idiot;
  • Douglass, Elisha P., Rebels and Democrats: The Struggle for Equal Political Rights and Majority Role During the American Revolution;
  • Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear;
  • Dr. Dobb's Journal: The World of Software Development;
  • Drug Discovery News: Discovery/Development/Diagnostics/Delivery;
  • DT: Defense Technology International;
  • Dunbar, Richard, Alcatraz;
  • Education Channel Partner: News, Trends, and Analysis for K-20 Sales Professionals;
  • Edwards, Aton, Preparedness Now!;
  • EGM: Electronic Gaming Monthly, the No. 1 Videogame Magazine;
  • Ehrman, Bart D., Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scriptures and the Faiths We Never Knew;
  • Ehrman, Bart D., Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why;
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  • Ellis, Joseph J., American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson;
  • Ellis, Joseph J., His Excellency: George Washington;
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  • Emerson, Steven, American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us;
  • Erlewine, Robert, Monotheism and Tolerance: Recovering a Religion of Reason (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion);
  • ESD: Embedded Systems Design;
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  • Everitt, Anthony, Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician;
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  • Federal Computer Week: Powering the Business of Government;
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  • Ferguson, Niall, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power;
  • Ferguson, Niall, The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000;
  • Ferguson, Niall, The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Decline of the West;
  • Feuerbach, Ludwig, The Essence of Christianity (Sony eReader);
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  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Punic Wars 264-146 BC;
  • Fields, Nic, The Roman Army: the Civil Wars 88-31 BC;
  • Finkel, Caroline, Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire;
  • Fisk, Robert, The Great War For Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East;
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  • Frazer, James George, The Golden Bough (Volume 3): A Study in Magic and Religion (Sony eReader);
  • Freeh, Louis J., My FBI: Bringing Down the Mafia, Investigating Bill Clinton, and Fighting the War on Terror;
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  • Fuller Focus: Fuller Theological Seminary;
  • Fuller, Graham E., A World Without Islam;
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  • Gibson, William, Neuromancer;
  • Gilmour, Michael J., Gods and Guitars: Seeking the Sacred in Post-1960s Popular Music;
  • Global Services: Strategies for Sourcing People, Processes, and Technologies;
  • Glucklich, Ariel, Dying for Heaven: Holy Pleasure and Suicide Bombers-Why the Best Qualities of Religion Are Also It's Most Dangerous;
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  • Government Technology's Emergency Management: Strategy & Leadership in Critical Times;
  • Government Technology: Solutions for State and Local Government in the Information Age;
  • Grant , Michael, The Climax of Rome: The Final Achievements of the Ancient World, AD 161 - 337;
  • Grant, Michael, The Classical Greeks;
  • Grumberg, Orna, and Helmut Veith, 25 Years of Model Checking: History, Achievements, Perspectives;
  • Halberstam, David, War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals;
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  • Hanson, Victor Davis, An Autumn of War: What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Between War and Peace: Lessons from Afghanistan to Iraq;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, How The Obama Administration Threatens Our National Security (Encounter Broadsides);
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  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, The End of Sparta: A Novel;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, How Three Great Liberators Vanquished Tyranny;
  • Hanson, Victor Davis, Wars of the Ancient Greeks;
  • Harnack, Adolf Von, History of Dogma, Volume 3 (Sony Reader);
  • Harris, Alex, Reputation At Risk: Reputation Report;
  • Harris, Sam, Letter to a Christian Nation;
  • Harris, Sam, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason;
  • Hayek, F. A., The Road to Serfdom;
  • Heilbroner, Robert L., and Lester Thurow, Economics Explained: Everything You Need to Know About How the Economy Works and Where It's Going;
  • Hempel, Sandra, The Strange Case of The Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera;
  • Hinnells, John R., A Handbook of Ancient Religions;
  • Hitchens, Christopher, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything;
  • Hogg, Ian V., The Encyclopedia of Weaponry: The Development of Weaponry from Prehistory to 21st Century Warfare;
  • Hugo, Victor, The Hunchback of Notre Dame;
  • Humphrey, Caroline & Vitebsky, Piers, Sacred Architecture;
  • Huntington, Samuel P., The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order;
  • Info World: Information Technology News, Computer Networking & Security;
  • Information Week: Business Innovation Powered by Technology:
  • Infostor: The Leading Source for Enterprise Storage Professionals;
  • Infrastructure Insite: Bringing IT Together;
  • Insurance Technology: Business Innovation Powered by Technology;
  • Integrated Solutions: For Enterprise Content Management;
  • Intel Premier IT: Sharing Best Practices with the Information Technology Community;
  • Irwin, Robert, Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents;
  • Jeffrey, Grant R., The Global-Warming Deception: How a Secret Elite Plans to Bankrupt America and Steal Your Freedom;
  • Jewkes, Yvonne, and Majid Yar, Handbook of Internet Crime;
  • Johnson, Chalmers, Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire;
  • Journal, The: Transforming Education Through Technology;
  • Judd, Denis, The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600-1947;
  • Kagan, Donald, The Peloponnesian War;
  • Kansas, Dave, The Wall Street Journal Guide to the End of Wall Street as We Know It: What You Need to Know About the Greatest Financial Crisis of Our Time--and How to Survive It;
  • Karsh, Efraim, Islamic Imperialism: A History;
  • Kasser, Rodolphe, The Gospel of Judas;
  • Katz, Solomon, The Decline of Rome and the Rise of Medieval Europe: (The Development of Western Civilization);
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  • Kepel, Gilles, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam;
  • Kiplinger's: Personal Finance;
  • Klein, Naomi, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism;
  • KM World: Content, Document, and Knowledge Management;
  • Koestler, Arthur, Darkness at Noon: A Novel;
  • Kostova, Elizabeth, The Historian;
  • Kuttner, Robert, The Squandering of America: How the Failure of Our Politics Undermines Our Prosperity;
  • Lake, Kirsopp, The Text of the New Testament, Sony Reader;
  • Laur, Timothy M., Encyclopedia of Modern US Military Weapons ;
  • Leffler, Melvyn P., and Jeffrey W. Legro, To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine;
  • Lendon, J. E., Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity;
  • Lenin, V. I., Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism;
  • Lennon, John J., There is Absolutely No Reason to Pay Too Much for College!;
  • Lewis, Bernard, The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror;
  • Lewis, Bernard, What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East;
  • Lifton, Robert J., Greg Mitchell, Hiroshima in America;
  • Limberis, Vasiliki M., Architects of Piety: The Cappadocian Fathers and the Cult of the Martyrs;
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