A Little Update

You may have noticed the new "WeRead" widget that I placed on the right side of this page. This widget will allow you to see what I am currently reading, what I have read, and what I plan to read. If there is a book that you feel I should read, let me know and I may add it to the list. I am trying to read a wide range of books in the historical/political realm. You may notice that I even plan to read "Rules for Radicals" and "Mein Kampf," which are definitely outside my comfort zone.

Don't forget to buy your mom or mother-in-law some flowers for mother's day!

Read on, patriots!

Matt

Arguing With Idiots

Up until the last 12 months, can you name a time when conservatives openly argued their political views with liberals (other than folks in the media)…Thought so…Most conservatives and libertarians have always left political arguments alone and said “live and left live.”

…That is, until recently…

While taxation does play a part in the general sentiment of what the tea parties stand for, the movement is broadly focused and represents a culmination of factors that everyday Americans are fed- up with and have decided to say “ENOUGH.”  I never would have imagined that I would find myself standing side-by-side with Americans holding signs at the nation’s capital, but that occurred a short time ago.

These Americans are new to openly spouting their beliefs and as such, need to be prepared to meet resistance on the battlefield of ideas.  That’s not to say they are stupid!  As with anything – in takes practice to debate.  The truth is that Liberals have traditionally been the party who go to rally for “change.”  Nevertheless, Glenn Beck’s recent book, Arguing With Idiots is a good introductory book to aid these first-time politically active Americans in defending their beliefs. 

Beck uses his trademark tongue-and-check humor to poke fun and both sides of the political isle in Arguing With Idiots, while packing each chapter full of information.  The end of the book is full of citations, so when one is arguing with idiots, he or she does not need to cite Glenn as a source. 

I started out by reading chapters as they were brought up by Washington, which allowed me to focus on the specific topics.  The chapters on Illegal Immigration and Health Care are particularly interesting.

Within the last year, Beck has become enemy number one among supporters of President Obama’s agenda, and I am fully aware of the comments this review may evoke from readers.  However, before you lash out irrationally with some cliché anti-Beck rhetoric, see what he has to say.  Whether or not you agree with him, at least you’ve broadened your intellectual base for future discussions.

I give Arguing with Idiots 5 stars, because it is original and isn’t dry.  I found myself laughing at certain points, though the laughing often led to disgust at what has happened to my beloved country. Please click on my links and purchase the book for yourself or a friend.  I’d also like to ask you to click on the Proflowers banner at the top of the page and get your mom some flowers for Mother’s day! (You know she deserves it!)

*****

Up Next… More of more HUGE history book… :)

Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama’s Radical Agenda

Despite the fact that I am a frequent listener of Sean Hannity’s radio program and casual viewer of his show on Fox News, I tried to approach this review as objectively as possible.  Just under 200 pages, Conservative Victory is very informative and lays out what the GOP needs to do this November. 

I expected the book to contain much of what Hannity has talked about for the last year, so I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of material that I haven’t heard.  Still, I felt Hannity did a great job of laying out the reasons point by point, why President Obama and his administration threaten our founding principles, where the GOP has gone wrong, and what they need to do to win this Fall and in 2012.

Hannity, a die-hard Reagan Conservative also goes into the economic successes of the Reagan supply-side economic policies of his presidency, as well as his steadfast attitude in dealing with the Soviet Union.

One of the aspects of the book that I found very informative for those who do not regularly follow Fox News or talk radio (which is sad to say), is the section that lists the various radical individuals in high positions around the President and why they matter in defeating Obama.  It’s funny how as soon as you cite Fox News as a source for a certain story that liberals don’t like, they immediately dismiss it as false.  For this and many other reasons, Hannity lists his sources at the end of the book.

As much as I agree with Hannity on many fronts, his support of the Patriot Act is an issue on which I disagree.  We have seen government corruption in all parties in recent years, and until we have principled politicians in Washington, I believe the Patriot Act should be repealed. 

Conservative Victory is a very good, cheap, and every American needs to read it before the next election.  Please click my links to the right and buy it!  Thanks for reading!

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