Rating: 
Summary: Tough, but Fair
Review: Few people have a resume that includes White House staffer, Army officer, FBI agent, talk show host, writer and convicted felon. When someone with the background and the razor-edge mind of G. Gordon Liddy takes on core issues it is wise for the rest of us to pay attention. He is one of the most politically-correct-free individuals in the world. If Liddy's words could be used as a vaccine to immunize others against the insidious disease of political correctness that is infecting our schools, churches and media it would be a valuable service indeed.
Don't be fooled by the cracker barrel sound of the title. Liddy takes on the most important core issues effecting our country, our society and our freedoms in his characteristic terse, cogent and extremely compelling style. True to form, Liddy does not bob and weave his way through issues but attacks them head on with a frank lucidity that is remarkable among political writers. Gordon Liddy possesses an awesome degree of moral courage, a quality that when discovered must be treasured more than diamonds. It leaps out at the reader from every page, with every observation and anecdote.
Read this book to reaffirm the core values that you feared had been diluted irreparably in our modern culture. Read it to learn and grow wise. Read it for inspiration. But whatever you do, by all means read it. You will be happy you did.
Rating: 
Summary: Amusing and Thought Provoking
Review: I think that those who rate this book low are missing Liddy's point. Granted, this is a colorful individual who takes some liberties (a key word in GL's vocabularly) with generalization..........but, he simply is yearning for a return to simpler times. Times when federal legislation was less restrictive and some measure of individual freedom still existed. those who so passionately oppose this book are still cranky because Al Gore lost the election. Loosen up, accept this for what it is - the examinations of a thoroughly frustrated conservative "cowboy" who would, if he could, turn back the clock. Liddy's critics, shown here and elsewhere, incorrectly label him as a racist, sexist and narrow minded criminal. they over-simplify a complex individual. his methods have not always passed the litmus test of legal statute and social more, but you have to give him credit....he has walked the walk, and demonstrated his convictions and patriotism, something that most of his detractors (i believe) have not done. if you take offense at Liddy's words, perhaps you've never truly enjoyed freedom in the uniquely American sense. but, everyone's entitled to their own view, this is the US of A, ain't it?
Rating:
Summary: The pen truly is mightier than the sword
Review: Most political commentators try to sugar coat the truth, dumb it down a little so that it's not so offensive. Not Mr. Liddy. The expression 'The pen is mightier than the sword' is certainly demonstrated here. Mr. Liddy's book is more piercing than a needle. Another beauty of the book is that Mr. Liddy rarely talks about Republicans and Democrats, instead he just tells it like it is. Mr. Liddy's sharp writing style, amazing intellect, life experiences, and crystal clear political compass add up to one amazing book. After reading this book, my only regret is that none of my local radio stations have The G Gordon Liddy Show...
Rating:
Summary: Nobody messes with the G-man
Review: I like reviewing books written by conservatives about as much as eating staples, since I have to survive the conservatives rogering up to everything with the same stupid lines and the liberals calling the conservatives fascists or racists or Bhaal-worshippers or something similar. However, I like G. Gordon Liddy. I have listened to his radio show since I was in high school, and I can state wholeheartedly that people need to read his book all the way through (and preferably his autobiography 'Will' as well) before explaining how much they hate his guts. If they do, they might find that he is an extraordinarily intelligent man who has thought every one of his philosophies through in great detail. It amazes me how little people seem to know about him. Liddy used to be an atheist, for example, but he simply found belief in God to be the rational thing to do. He actually supports PETA's campaign against animal experimentation because animal testing is simply pointless! One of his best friends is Lanny Davis (formerly of the Clinton White House and a frequent liberal guest on Liddy's radio show), and he was good friends with THAT Dr. Timothy Leary. He is drastically unlike so many conservatives today, even though he shares many of their positions. That's why his writing is so good. Liddy doesn't try to sugar-coat anything he believes. He doesn't stoop to any type of political correctness, and he doesn't pull any punches when he tackles an issue. Forget Hannity, Limbaugh, Thomas, or any other conservative writer - Liddy is absolutely fearless. He insists that men and women are different because they are. He decries the lack of freedom in the United States not because he's some reborn Simon Legree trying to bring back slavery, but because he sees *all* citizens of the nation being oppressed by the government with its taxes, regulations, and invasions of privacy.
He blasts the state of public education in the United States because the state of public education is about as good as surgery with a rusty chainsaw and every halfway responsible parent realizes it (even if the NEA doesn't). I disagree with him on some issues, but even then I must admit his position has been carefully formulated over his life and through the many careers that he has had - including that of prisoner. What makes liberals angry is that Liddy refuses to back down on anything, and this mentality played a major part in his conviction for refusing to sell out anyone in the Watergate trials. You Susan MacDougal fans ought to love him for this. And as always, his grammar and composition is flawless. Mr. Liddy is one of about 40 people in America who can spell 'definitely' correctly. The only problem with this book is that it recycles much of what the G-man has said on his radio show and in his past books, but it does contain some of his most memorable quotes (whether you applaud them or burst a blood vessel in fits of Trotskyite rage). In any case, do not stereotype Mr. George Gordon Liddy as a typical conservative - he's far too smart. If you read his book and still hate his guts, fine. You can even explain it to him in detail - call his radio show, talk to him yourself and explain your position. Then your position will go down in flames - not from rhetoric, but from logic. That's the reason nobody messes with the G-man. Worth a read from liberals, conservatives, moderates, and just about anyone that gives a flip about politics.
Rating: 
Summary: Rose Tinted Fascist Rubbish
Review: The content is predictable, it follows entirely Right Wing lines from start to finish. Is this by Russ Limbaugh? Michael Savage? Republican Party HQ? Who knows, it's all squeezed out of the same tube of Republican toothpaste. The Rose Tinted glasses that this convicted criminal wears block out everything that is unpleasent & wrap the remainder in a flag. This is spin city alright, although perhaps it would seem "fair & balanced" if your politics were to the Right of Hitler. But let's include a few items that this self confessed crook misses out. Anyone recall McCarthy & his anti communist witch hunts? Gee, what a free country we had, so long as no one denounces you. How about all those blacks & coloreds who couldn't live in white neighborhoods, or ride white buses & so on. Gee what a free country, just don't even think of asking for wages that match the white guys, boy! Freedom for the Ku Klux Klan to feel confident enough to parade down the Main Streets of Southern States on Holidays. Gee, we were so lucky. Yeah, it REALLY was a free country if you were in the Mafia. As J Edgar Hoover had been caught dressing up in women's clothes he was being blackmailed by the Mafia Bosses to keep the mighty FBI off ther backs. They raked in their cash while honest citizens felt the wrath of the anti communist FBI investigations. Yeah, free country if you were a Wise Guy. There was great freedom too for industries that pumped out chemical waste that has taken billions of our dollars to clear up & continues to cause death & suffering to honest citizens. There was freedom to pay women less for doing the same job a man did. Yeah, we sure were lucky in those days.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and honest
Review: In these days when the "men" of the media bend over backwards to shy away from any hint of masculinity, it is delightfully refreshing to see this intelligent honest and direct look at the US through the eyes of an unabashedly masculine male. That some consider Liddy to be extreme right wing or radical right is hilarious considering that in the 1950s he would have been either middle of the road or a little left of center. It just shows you how US media and "culture" (although not necessarliy the US populace) have moved violently left
Rating:
Summary: Into the mind of the radical right
Review: The book is worth reading for the glimpse it gives into the mind & rationale of the conservative fundamentalist right; however it needs to be read with a huge grain of salt. Liddy was a liar; he still is, but he whines like an expert & has a cruel & childish streak a mile wide. His statistics of casualties in WWII are inflated by a factor of about 4; he tells us (with a perfectly straight face) that prisoners are *way* smarter than prison guards (so, which are the ones that are locked up? And this is because they're so clever?) And the man has a huge problem with women. I have no idea what a 19th century reprint of sexual advice to wives has to do with the state of freedom Liddy thinks he enjoyed as an American child, but it heads off a full chapter's rant on Women's Sexuality According to Liddy, none of which has any basis in fact either. If you find yourself wondering what happened to the America of your youth, why the rappers are rapping and where all the greed and coarseness are coming from, don't look at today's young people. Look at examples from Liddy & his ilk.
Rating:
Summary: Is he a real freedom fighter?
Review: I agree with Liddy that we live in a society that is becoming increasingly burdened with regulations, laws, taxes, and bureaucratic measures that stultify the freedoms Americans once enjoyed. Our society has grown heavy with the weight of government pressing down ever-harder on our civil society, and spreading all sorts of vice. Our politicians fail to heed the very wise counsel of Thomas Jefferson who noted, "Government can only do something for the people in proportion it does something to the people." A rising tax base is done in the name of welfare and security, but has the detrimental effect of diminshing economic energy, leaving all Americans poorer as a result. Taxations effect on effort or earning is not the central question, but by siphoning off money from the private sector it funnels it into the dead hand of government. Both liberals and conservatives miss the crucial question of tax policy; it doesn't matter who -- the rich or poor -- benefits the most or whether the money is saved or spent. The central question is: is money better spent in the private sector or the public sector? The current generation of Americans -- with all the new technologies driving the economy and an extensive welfare state to take care of them everytime they scrape their knee -- have less ability to afford children and buy homes as earlier generations did. So the "great leap forward" into statist planning has not made America a richer place; it has essentially transferred money from young to the old, from whites to blacks, and from legal Americans to illegal lawbreakers. It might be unfair that some people have more than others, but economic leveling is not economic progress. Liddy does a good job at highligting the destructive impact of an out-of-control state and the propitious benefits of free markets. The ascent of feminism and the elevation of women to the equal of man has really sent society into a tailspin. Feminism is driven by the lie that the social differentiation of men and women is the the result of oppression and the law must ignite a social ethos that hammers away at any distinction between men and women. Since nature has endowed men and women with different temperaments, qualities, brain power, wisdom etc., any social effort that tries to erase the work of nature will not result in equality, but misery. Thirty years of feminism has not made men and women more alike, but it has left a whole generation of children without moral structure producing a dissolute society without happiness and where people often live alone. Of course we must be sentitive about what we say because the red guards of Political Correctness are examining our every word. Liddy shows how just a generation ago young males frequently used and carried guns at an early age, and no one gave it two thoughts. However, in our feminist society there is a great demand to demasculinize men by stealing symbols -- like guns -- that are unique to men. This is why feminists hate the military so much; not because it is becoming imperialistic but because it highlights the intractable problem of sexual egalitarianism. While these are all vital areas where Americans need to reclaim their liberty, they are not the most pernicious examples of state control. Control is always most effective when it is invisible. As the poet Goethe said "None are more enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." This is very true and a perfect illustration of modern America. A culture that loves to bandy about the word "freedom", but is secretly coming under the control of the ruling powers -- and without even knowing it. For instance, one of Liddy's friends is Sean Hannity, a man with an immensely popular radio program, best selling book, and widely watched cable news show. To be blunt, Hannity is everywhere. As his popularity has grown, he has begun to speak in code, cryptically revealing his true intentions, but concealing them from the unawakened public. His most commonly used word now is not "freedom" or "liberty", but "Hannitize" or the Hannitization of something. Just go to google and enter Hannitization and look at all the results. Now this is definitelty an odd and unusual word. If Hannity is a real Conservative, why doesn't he just say he is spreading Conservatism or Patriotism? This is where understanding the true sources of state control come into play. If you look carefully at the word HANNITIZATION it is really an anagram for HINT -- INTO A NAZI! In other words, when he uses the word Hannitization he is really secretly issuing his true agenda -- turning someone INTO A NAZI! Our ruling elites like to speak in what seems like ordinary language, but is really something far more sinister. We all know the great suggestive powers of subliminal messages, but do you really think that our state rulers -- who seek power above all else -- will not employ subliminal messages to insure their power and the fruition of their agenda? Is there any other public figure who uses weird souding phrases like "Hannitization?" So Liddy completely fails to uncover the most mortal threats to liberty facing our country. The obvious agendas of feminism, gun-control, high taxation are serious and dangerous enough, but he fails to expose the shadowy cloak that limnes the thrones of power. Perhaps he cannot see to its source. Yet learning to see to the real truth is where we must start for a constructive program to disestablish state control.
Rating: 
Summary: Higher Expectations
Review: The title deceived me into believing Mr. LIddy would provide more details as to "that was then - this is now". While he provided some, there was not nearly enough. Too many names of people jumped at me from the page. Names I don't know - nor names I really care to know. While I appreciated the book and learned some things too......there are better.
Rating:
Summary: Go get 'em , Gordie!
Review: This is the title of G.Gordon Liddy's new and provocative book. You don't have to be a devoted follower of G.Gordon to enjoy his thoughts. The former Watergate felon and present day author and talk show host will either raise your hackles, (whatever they are) or make you stand up and cry "Go get 'em , Gordie!" When I was a boy before WW2 my family was big on fireworks and firecrackers on the Fourth. My mother approved. "You watch." she would say."You see and hear all this anti-fireworks stuff? It's because we have people in this country now who want to nake our nation's birthday just like any other day. They'll take the firecrackers away from you. Then they'll campaign to have all stores open on the 4th. People will be too busy to go to Fourth of July parades if they still have any. Christmas will be next." We've been reading about two 8th Air Force pilots who at this writing are facing the most serious charges because, believing themselves under fire, they dropped bombs that killed four Canadian servicemen. A simple but tragic error of the sort that is common in the stress of combat. There is no question of not following orders, of deviating from battle plans, It was a sad error. Our sympathy to our Northern neighbors but let's not sacrifice our own men on the altar of Leftist propaganda. And here's something else! At a recent Chapter meeting a member stood up and related this sad story. 8th Air Force vets had volunteered to speak to students at some public schools. Their offer was rejected. Why? As soon as word spread that decor-ated WW2 vets,many of them bearing the Purple Heart, were going to speak to students a protest arose. Ignoramuses and disarmament enthusiasts raised their voices. They demanded that these "warmongers" be refused permission to speak. Permission was denied. At the same time another protest was taking place in another Massachusetts school district. The Boston Globe reported that a man wearing feminine makeup and female clothing had accompanied their fourth graders on a field trip as a chaperone! He was not some nut who had srept in but an approved member of the chaperoning party. Parents protests about having their children in the care and supervision of what in a more sensible age was rightly called a deviant were treated as though it were the complaining parents who had something seriously wrong with them! Decorated heroes barred from contact with pupils, Transvestites welcomed to mind your school children! Gordie! Do you have room for another chapter?.....JB, Editor, Vapor Trails Mass Chapter 8th AF Historical Society
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