"Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there, in the room, talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books." -- Jack Handey
Do you enjoy reading good books? If so, here are some books that would make good Christmas gifts. Some of these I've read, and the others I'll read very soon! Ho ho ho and enjoy. :)
[photos found at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com]
5.) Love, Poverty and War: Journeys and Essays by Christopher Hitchens (of Vanity Fair magazine)
Hitchens, a self-proclaimed libertarian and contrarian, has authored several provocative books but this is his newest. Hitchens forces his readers to at least consider other perspectives on controversial figures and issues, mainly political. He gets under the skin of both liberals and conservatives and apologizes to no one for his stance on anything. Love him or hate him, this is surely another interesting (if nothing else) read. (Yes, I understand the irony of recommending a Hitchens book for Christmas, but who cares? ;)
4.) We Interrupt This Broadcast: The Events that Stopped Our Lives. . . from the Hindenburg Explosion to the Attacks of September 11 by Joe Garner, Foreward by Walter Kronkite, Narrated by Bill Kurtis
Two CDs hold the collection of actual radio and television news broadcasts that accompany the text, which itself provides supplemental analysis and synopses of the events and how they were communicated to the world. They range from tragic to joyous, confusing to maddening -- but all help to better understand, to remember, and to empathize with history and the generations who experienced these moments as they occurred.
3.) Oh My! by Dick Enberg (with Jim Perry)
THE best current football play-by-play announcer and one of the best (if not THE best) tennis, golf, basketball, hockey and baseball play-by-play announcers of all time shares his memoirs of his career, which includes some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in sports history. I cannot wait to read this book!
2.) And the Crowd Goes Wild: Relive the Most Celebrated Sporting Events Ever Broadcast by Joe Garner, Forward by Hank Aaron, Afterword by Wayne Gretzky, Narrated by Bob Costas
Similar collection to We Interrupt This Broadcast... (authored by the same person), but about sports moments instead of historic breaking news stories. Also includes two CDs full of the actual broadcasts of these momorable moments in sports history.
Just about every one causes goosebumps, and the stories behind each one make for enjoyable reading. Some moments include Lou Gherig's goodbye to New York fans, Buster Douglad knocking out Mike Tyson in perhaps the biggest upset in boxing history, and of course, the "Miracle On Ice" from the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
Even if you're not a sports fan, this is an enjoyable book (and it'll help you answer the Jeopardy questions about sports that the nerdiest contestants never know!). ;)
1.) Rome Wasn't Burnt In a Day: The Real Deal on How Politicians, Bureaucrats and Other Washington Barbarians are Bankrupting America by Joe Scarborough
Joe Scarborough is a former prosecutor, former journalist and former congressman (R) from Floridawho served three terms from 1994to 2000 before stepping down. He currently hosts his own show on MSNBC ("Scarborough Country").
I met Joe at the 2004 VP debate in Cleveland last October (for those who watch his MSNBC show, yes, that was also the night he hurt his back). He is a true class act; he's down to earth; and he isn't afraid to take views against any political party, including his own -- as he often does in this book.
Find out why he says the only two politicians he ever felt sympathy toward during his terms in office were Newt Gingrich and Hillary Clinton. (Huh?) Find out how truly thin the line is between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. (It's incredible.) Find out why Dick Armey is the scum of the earth. (Your jaw will hit the floor.) And find out what YOU can do to help Washington be more accountable. (It's practical and possible.)
Here are some excerpts:
**From pages 97-98...
"Unfortunately in Michael Moore's America, political opponents are painted as corrupt beasts that devolve into the most treacherous cartoon characters. The coarseness of modern-day political dialogue also requires politicians to circle the wagons to protect their tribe while ignoring the failings of their own party. In Micahel Moore's America, there is no room for nuance, moral seriousness, or self-examination.
Like many born after the baby boom, I am less interested in waving a political party flag than in getting results. That may be why I changed political parties in the 1980s and 1990s as often as I changed underwear. (Don't ask.) That is also why I was quickly labeled an independent thinker by fellow congressmen and a troublemaker by party leaders when I served in office. This result-oriented approach is why my cable news program goes after Republicans as well as Democrats when appropriate. I never believe the Republican Party talking points any more than I trust what Democratic Party types tell me. I have been to Oz. I have peeked behind the curtain. I can personally assure you that your D.C. wizard is not all he is cracked up to be. He will tell you whatever you want to hear to keep him in his wizard's seat pushing the buttons.
If I sound a little too cynical for your tastes, let me give you some more facts and figures that will reinforce what [I mean]."
**From page 103:
"Are Republicans unworthy of public office? Are Democrats more responsible when it comes to managing your tax dollars? Does the mismanagement of your tax dollars by Congress mean that America would be better off with San Francisco's liberal Nancy Pelosi as our next Speaker of the House? Is George W. Bush unworthy of your vote?
The answer to all these questions is not only no, it's HELL NO!
To restate the obvious, Democrats love spending your tax dollars as much or more than Republicans. The only difference is that Democrats usually spend their campaigns flaunting their promise to waste trillions of tax dollars while Republicans hold firm that they will fight those big, bad liberals and end Washington's wasteful ways. Then after the election, the winner -- regardless of party -- will feed at the public trough while leaving American taxpayers with the bill.
The shabby handling of America's finances over the past four years by the Republican Party means that any GOP candidate claiming his party stands for less government spending and more personal freedom is simply feeding you an election year line.
Or to put it more bluntly, if a Republican incumbant talks about government spending in a way that makes him sound the least bit Reaganesque, the chances this year are better than even that [s]he is an unrepentant liar."
***Finally, from pages 113-115
"The 1998 Omnibus Bill provided 610 billion good reasons for leadership to forbid members from amending the bill. Republican and Democratic appropriators alike had taken pork-barreled spending to a new level. And if reformers like McCain, Largent, Sanford and Shedagg had been allowed to draft amendments to cut the enormous price tage, little of the spending items would have survived the light of day. But the same GOP leadership that criticized Democratic House Speakers years earlier for passing rules that limited debate and banned amendments to bills were reduced to doing the same thing in 1998. The reason leaders gagged open debate was simple. Items contained in the bill, like the ones listed below, never would havepassed Congressas stand-alone bills:
*$6 billionspent in 'emergency'relief for farmers
*$1.1 million for manure handling and disposal in Mississippi
*$500,000 for swine-waste management in North Carolina
*$750,000 for grasshopper research in Alaska
*$250,000 to study lettuce genetics in California
*$300,000 for honeybee research in Louisiana
*$175,000 to study desert plants
*$220,000 for blueberry research in Maine
*$5 million to research new and exciting uses for wood
*$5 million in relief for 'at risk' fishermen in John Kerry's Massachusetts
The Senate was also very careful to pin their names on just about anything that didn't move. And Americans got stuck paying the bill for the million-dollar vanity name plates.
*$6 million to help start the Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at the University of Kansas
*$1 million for a Mark Hatfiled (R-Ore.) School of Government at Portland State University in Oregon
*$1 million for a Paul Simon (D-Ill.) Public Policy Institute in Illinois
*$1.2 million for the Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) Conservation Fund in Kentucky
*$12 million for the Patrick Leahy (D-Ver.) War Victims Fund in Vermont
*$1.5 million for the Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) Institute for International Relations in Rhode Island
So how did Congress bust the budget caps they had set just a year earlier? They simply called their pet projects 'emergencies' to get their pork passed. The definition of what constituted an emergency ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime, but my favorite was the 'emergency' item that extended the 1998 duck-hunting season in Mississippi.
The Congressional Budget Office reported that Congress spent $154 billion in 'emergencies' from 1999 to 2002. And since these bogus emergencies are a big spender's favorite device for busting budget caps, there is no stopgap measure to halt the abusive practice."
Well, that's the list! These are all non-fiction books, but novels are still good reads and good presents, too. I'll try to write another entry before Christmas, but in case I don't, have a Merry Christmas and God Bless!
p.s. Happy Holidays to you, whatever you celebrate - or if you celebrate nothing at all.
p.p.s. God bless our troops and their families this holiday season. You're in my thoughts and prayers.
