Framing the Dialogue

Posts Tagged ‘America’

The Final Storm

It is just a coincidence that I finished this book on the anniversary of D-Day.  Although author Jeff Shaara’s novel is about the war in the Pacific there are strong parallels between the fight in Europe to the struggles of the soldiers and their leaders fighting the Japanese.  Though not as extensive an account as his trilogy about the war in Europe, The Final Storm gave me a strong sense of the brutality of the fight to defeat the Japanese.  The majority of the novel takes place as the American forces take Okinawa and the story is told through the eyes of participants; some famous and some not.  That is what makes Jeff Shaara’s novels so appealing.  He tells a great and compelling story with a strong historical perspective.

Read more…

Camel’s Nose – Libya Style

I am starting to feel more and more like a conspiracy theorist these days. The timeline and events in the Middle East and Libya in particular have me wondering. We have so-called popular uprisings in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Libya. None of them have been particularly peaceful yet the World Order chose Libya in which to intervene. Why Libya? They do have oil, but from a geopolitical standpoint they are less disruptive than Syria (though the fact that they hate Israel like most U.N. members may be a factor). Egypt under Mubarak had been a decent ally to the West and fairly peaceful so you would think that would be a better place to try and influence even though Mubarak didn’t use his military to attack the protestors.

Read more…

Consider The Grasshoppers

“Because half a dozen grasshoppers under a fern make the field ring with their importunate chink, whilst thousands of great cattle, reposed beneath the shade of the British oak, chew the cud and are silent, pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field; that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little, shriveled, meager, hopping, though loud and troublsome, insects of the hour.

Edmund Burke

Read more…

Piecemeal Peace Deal

In case you haven’t noticed Afghanistan has sort of become a major hotbed of resistance to our military.  There has been heavy fighting and far too many deaths of our military personnel.  One thing that seems the most disappointing to me about Iraq and Afghanistan is how the local citizens do not seem fully committed to their freedom.  As Americans I am not sure that we can completely understand this because most of us were born free and continue to live free.

Read more…

Foreign Influence

The frightening thing about Brad Thor’s novels is the shear number of ways that terrorists could hit the United States.  Scot Harvath is back to foil major attempts to hit Americans here and abroad.  Harvath struggles with his age (fortyish), his desire for a family, and his deep hatred of jihadists as he travels the globe hunting down the Islamic fundamentalist organization plotting destruction. 

Read more…

News Briefs – Volume XXI

News briefs are a collection of interesting news stories…

Brief 1:  Let’s call this one “Corn For Clunkers.”  Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency(:EPA”)  is looking out for you or so they claim, but they are not as in tune with what’s good for your car.  EPA has approved the sale of an ethanol/gasoline mix containing up to 15% of the corn-based ethanol.  The only problem is that this mix would be very harmful to engines manufactured before 2007 (that’s two out of three vehicles in our household).  Will someone explain what law gives the EPA the authority to approve/push consumer products?  A group of auto manufacturers and engine makers has filed suit against EPA. 

Read more…

The Athena Project

When I read about a new novel from a favorite author I get excited and when the tease is that it features a new characters I had to rush out to buy it.  Brad Thor’s newest group of operatives begs for a comparison to Charlie’s Angels.  Sorry Brad, but having a four woman team of operatives commanded by a male is eerily similar.  Since this is Brad Thor and not a network television show the level of action and intrigue is at a higher level and the dialogue is better.  Super operative Scot Harvath makes a “cameo” appearance in the book, but The Athena Project is all about the “world’s most elite counter-terrorism unit” as they race against time to save America. 

Read more…

Decision Points

If you love George W. Bush you’ll still love him; If you hate him you’ll still hate him; If you are like me and fit neither extreme you probably won’t be moved from that position either.  One thing that he is most proud of was that under his watch we were not attacked after 9/11.  I appreciated the speed with which the government moved into “protect” mode after those attacks.  Did they go too far with the Patriot Act…probably.

Read more…

Early Warning

Michael Walsh’s follow-up to his thriller, Hostile Intent, brings back NSA super agent code named Devlin.  America is attacked again and Devlin is called upon to help subdue the bad guys and by subdue I mean kill.  That’s the ultimate in subdue.  There is the usual wanton violence by sadistic terrorists and there are places for you to cheer for the good guy, but Early Warning left me flat for a number of reasons. 

Read more…

The First Commandment

Another first-rate thriller by author Brad Thor.  This time the jihadis hit a little to close to home to suit super agent Scot Harvath.  In The First Commandment the Islamic Fundamentalists threaten a segment of our population that will raise the hackles on the back of your neck and reach for your own gun if you have one.  Harvath is unable to get help from America’s agencies so he relies on some surprising people in his quest to identify and eliminate a diabolical killer who threatens American lives. 

Read more…