Think Tank in America - The Beginning of US Superiority and Dominance - Book Review

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Over the years I've been quite fascinated by the RAND Think Tank, and always wondered what RAND stood for. I come to find that it stood for R and D - and later folks called said it stood for R-A-N-D = Research And No Development, in other words, just thinking, not a lot of doing - the brain behind the US industrial base's brawn if you will. Later, after retirement I formed a Think Tank which operates online and today, I completely understand what it is all about.

Now then, along the way in my observational and educational fact finding and gathering, I've come across a number of books on the topic. One of the books which sits on the top book shelf in front of my desk describes the rise of US dominance and the brains behind much of strategy - it was not by accident as you may have been led to believe. It was deliberate and there was a plan. This book I'd like to recommend to you if indeed, you are interested. The name of the book is: "Soldiers of Reason - The RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire," (uncorrected version) by Alex Abello, published by Harcourt, New York, NY, (2008), 362 pages, ISBN: 978-15-10181-3.

The entire history of RAND is here in this work, and if you want to know about the Cold War, International Relations, Military Strength, Gulf War I or II, Vietnam Era, Global Trade, or any of the other strategies the US has employed over the years, you will find the hand of RAND involved. Are these Whiz Kids perfect, oh for Heaven's Sake no, but often their ideas became created realities and thus became the new norm, and the game changers, that historians later report on.

If you are wondering how it all came to be, or how these strategies shaped the way things are in the USA, then you'd be wise to read this book and then think on it. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 21,600 articles was a lot of work - because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off..

Guilty - Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter - A Book Review

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In Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter, the author once again gives us a piece of her mind. Fearless as ever, Coulter points out things that we would rather turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to. While most of the people who have picked up her book have hated her for it, I have found her rather refreshing and honest. Well, as they say, the Truth always hurts.

I was eating my lunch one day when I heard a group of officemates-mine, I am sad to admit-talking about another officemate of mine. He was almost thirty years old and his girl friend of five years, who worked on the next floor, weren't even in the process of tying the knot. Had they presented the fact that his girl friend's biological clock was ticking, I would've just agreed that they should get married because they do seem to be a perfect fit. But then one of my officemates said that he probably should just make a "deposit" so they would know if they were sexually compatible before getting married. I was appalled. I wasn't na?ve but there are some changes you shouldn't adopt, even if it meant convenience. This was one of them.

It made me think of the hundreds of single mothers out there who say they are saying that they are raising their child alone by choice. I agree; it was their choice that made them single mothers-women who have shrugged off their morality for what they think would make them happy for that moment. I'm not saying that they should be condemned because of these wrong choices (I'm not even saying that being happy is wrong) but I agree with Coulter that these women are guilty for presenting themselves as the victims. If we want a better society, we should stop saying it and do what's best for us and for our neighbors. Everything starts with a decision and sticking with that decision. Don't go plunging into a pool when you can't swim. Make sure you can pay for what you're buying and all that stuff that goes along those lines.

I agree with Coulter when she said that these people who call themselves the victims of society's "modernity" and loss of morality-slaves of the moment and all that-are the ones who actually launch an attack on America. I'm not saying we should go all St. Francis of Assisi and give our life's savings to the poor. What I'm saying-and what Coulter points out in Guilty-is that we should be living within our means. By doing so, we are not only helping ourselves but also those around us who cannot afford to live so lavishly. Also, don't go around preaching what you can't do. We already have a lot of that in the media. Sadly, it is the bravery in Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter that could make you hate it when you should be taking a seat and listening to what it's saying.

For more information, check other Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter book reviews.

Erika Ayala works part time for a consumer review company.