U.S. Customs: Badge of Dishonor

Rating:
Summary: If you want to get angry at the Government, read this book.
Review: After reading this book, I am very angry at our government that this is allowed to go on. The next time I have to travel out of the country, I'll fear U.S. Customs upon my return. I loved how this book was a journal/diary of the agents feelings and thoughts, as well as a blow by blow of what actually happened. More books should be published like this, the actual words of the author, and not some controlled view of the publisher. I also loved the fact that there are real/actual photos of the agents in action, in the middle of their cases. This book will make a great movie!

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Summary: A real eye-opener
Review: After reading this book, I'm Glad I don't work for the federal government. I find what these agents went through appauling! Is our Government doing anything about this obviously OUT OF CONTROL AGENCY?????

Rating:
Summary: Good is a four letter word!
Review: Do you like the raw boned truth, as ugly as it may be, dragged from the shadows and held up in the bright light? As a retired Special Agent for U.S. Customs and the author of a book about the "Drug War" (FADED COLORS), I applaud the guts displayed by Darlene Catalan. Knowing the long arm of the Treasury Department, I may question her sanity but I don't question her guts. Well done Agent, you are a loyal American in spite of the institutional meat grinder brush with which you will undoubtedly be painted. And if you're a literary snob who likes your i's dotted just so and every T cleary crossed, give this work a wide birth. It isn't written by a desk jockey, it's written by a street cop that has been thrown under the U.S. Custom's Service's bus! Darlene isn't trying to impress you with her prose, she is trying to send you a message; one which if ignored will cost you one hell of alot more than the price of her book.

Rating:
Summary: Good is a four letter word!
Review: Do you like the raw boned truth, as ugly as it may be, dragged from the shadows and held up in the bright light? As a retired Special Agent for U.S. Customs and the author of a book about the "Drug War" (FADED COLORS), I applaud the guts displayed by Darlene Catalan. Knowing the long arm of the Treasury Department, I may question her sanity but I don't question her guts. Well done Agent, you are a loyal American in spite of the institutional meat grinder brush with which you will undoubtedly be painted. And if you're a literary snob who likes your i's dotted just so and every T cleary crossed, give this work a wide birth. It isn't written by a desk jockey, it's written by a street cop that has been thrown under the U.S. Custom's Service's bus! Darlene isn't trying to impress you with her prose, she is trying to send you a message; one which if ignored will cost you one hell of alot more than the price of her book.

Rating:
Summary: My Heart goes out to these agents
Review: I am a government employee, a former law enforcement officer, and a person of color. I just completed reading "U.S. Customs Service Badge of Dishonor"; I must say I am shocked. I am shocked that the U.S. Customs Service would hire two barely literate people for the position of Special Agent. I am also surprised that previous reviews did not note this. The book is riddled with bad grammar, dreadful spelling, and improper word usage, just to mention a small number of shortcomings. The authors also fail to clearly state just what their grievances are. My fourth grade English teacher would have failed me. This serves to discredit the authors; some advice, fire your editor. Due to this and more I do not recommend this book. For those of you that gravitate to this type of material, there are two sides to every story. Just for the record I am not in management, but a worker bee, however I believe if you have something to say, say it correctly.

Rating:
Summary: Everyone knows that you can't trust the government!
Review: I am a naturalized citizen of the U.S. I came here because of the freedoms that American's were supposed to have. This Customs agency is like the Russian KGB, and American's should do something about this. As I read this diary of the Author, Darlene Catalan, I knew her pain. I am one of the few readers that can truely identify with the frustration of this police lady and her partner. I too, liked how this book was published as a diary/journal. More true stories should be published this way, unchanged and real.

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Summary: The REAL Truth Behind the U.S. Customs Service
Review: I've read this book a couple of times and am shocked by how these agents were treated by their own agency. It is an eye-opener of the the kind which only movies are made of........except this time it is real.

The book is well written and entertaining. But, also gives an excellent portrayal of the abuses which these officers were subjected to at the hands of corrupt management officials who were clearly serving their own self-interests instead of the public interest, which is what they were there to do. If this is how the government really operates, then we are in deep trouble and it is incumbent upon all of us as taxpayers to let our Congressmen and Senators know that this behavior is unacceptable.

I sincerely applaud the efforts and the sacrifices made by these agents to tell the truth. Their story SHOULD be told. And things should be changed so that this type of thing should NEVER be repeated.

I am disgusted as a taxpayer that a government agency would act in such a despicable way.

This book is a must read and I highly recommend it. Thanks for telling us all out there what really goes on on the inside.

Rating:
Summary: Very touching and shocking book!
Review: This book was very touching to me. I totally identified with the author in this book. I have gone through similar extreem emotional experiences in my life, and I too had reoccuring dreams that seemed to guide me through them. I wonder if the author of this book ever had her dreams evaluated. I feel it would be helpful to her to gain closure. This Book reminds me of the movies Erin Brokeveich and Traffic. This Book would also make a great movie!!!

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Summary: Finally, a woman with some real MOXI!
Review: This is the first book I ever read that was written by a woman, that I absolutely loved. The way that the publisher took a diary and put it straight on the pages of a book, made me feel like I was getting the story straight from Darlene's (the author) mouth. As I read this book the word LOYALTY kept ringing in my ear. The author of this book should be hailed as a hero, because she was loyal to the end in the face of significant adversity which most of us will never face. I, being the macho fire fighter tuff-guy that I am, honestly don't believe that I could have survived this kind of stress and anguish without having punched someone out. I learned alot from the author in this book. YOU SEE, MACHO GUYS CAN LEARN FROM WOMEN!

Rating:
Summary: Great book, poor editing...
Review: While I understand the idea of publishing a journal verbatim to capture the reality of it, I wonder if that was the intent, or the author tried to save a few bucks by not hiring a proofreader - misspellings would work in the body of the book, but can you really say that misspellings belong in the Dedication in the front of the book? "Guaddel Cannel" indeed!

Once I resigned myself to working through the grammatical issues I found the book very intriguing, and it reinforces the all-too-common feeling that this country's government is out of control, and ripe for another Revolution. Where's the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin when we need them?