Book Description
Eavesdropping on the phone calls of U.S. citizens; demands by the FBI for records of library borrowings; establishment of military tribunals to try suspected terrorists, including U.S. citizens--many of the measures taken by the Bush administration since 9/11 have sparked heated protests. In Not a Suicide Pact, Judge Richard A. Posner offers a cogent and elegant response to these protests, arguing that personal liberty must be balanced with public safety in the face of grave national danger. Critical of civil libertarians who balk at any curtailment of their rights, even in the face of an unprecedented terrorist threat in an era of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Posner takes a fresh look at the most important constitutional issues that have arisen since 9/11. These issues include the constitutional rights of terrorist suspects (whether American citizens or not) to habeas corpus and due process, and their rights against brutal interrogation (including torture) and searches based on less than probable cause. Posner argues that terrorist activity is sui generis--it is neither "war" nor "crime"--and it demands a tailored response, one that gives terror suspects fewer constitutional rights than persons suspected of ordinary criminal activity. Constitutional law must remain fluid, protean, and responsive to the pressure of contemporary events. Posner stresses the limits of law in regulating national security measures and underscores the paradoxical need to recognize a category of government conduct that is at once illegal and morally obligatory. One of America's top legal thinkers, Posner does not pull punches. He offers readers a short, sharp book with a strong point of view that is certain to generate much debate. OXFORD'S NEW INALIENABLE RIGHTS SERIES This is inaugural volume in Oxford's new fourteen-book Inalienable Rights Series. Each book will be a short, analytically sharp exploration of a particular right--to bear arms, to religious freedom, to free speech--clarifying the issues swirling around these rights and challenging us to rethink our most cherished freedoms.
Customer Reviews:
A book of Habeaus Corpus.......2007-09-04
This is an intellectual approach towards whether or not we allow civilian rights to be infringed upon in times of crisis and what that allows, leading towards an almost totalitarian state by goverment. Agree or disagree, the arguments are presented well here.
The Title Tells You Posner's Analysis is Rubbish.......2007-08-12
The bottom line is Posner's analysis lacks any historical basis or credibility. The "founding fathers" lived during an era much more perilous than "post 9/11" life in the United States (despite all of the fear-mongering by Bush, the echo-chamber mainstream media, and Posner, etc.). Civil liberties have been dangerously and erroneously abridged many times in American history, yet we always seem to not learn the crucial lesson. History has shown that every one of these episodes: Sedition Act (1798) by John Adams, suspension of habeas corpus by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, another Sedition Act by Woodrow Wilson during WW I, and Japanese-American internment by Franklin Roosevelt during WW II was wrong, unnecessary, and repudiated by courts and historians after the fact. Massive violations of civil liberties did not enhance U.S. national security.
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, those who would surrender a little liberty for a little security deserve neither liberty nor security.
We do not need new laws like the Patriot Acts or any tampering with the Constitution (especially habeas corpus). We should not EVER torture ANYONE. Here's what every American citizen should demand of every elected official or candidate seeking office:
* Prohibit military commissions whose verdicts are suspect except in places of active hostilities where a battlefield tribunal is necessary to obtain fresh testimony or to prevent anarchy;
* Prohibit the use of secret evidence or evidence obtained by torture or coercion in military or civilian tribunals;
* Prohibit the detention of American citizens as unlawful enemy combatants without proof of criminal activity on the President's say-so;
* Restore habeas corpus for alleged alien enemy combatants, i.e., non-citizens who have allegedly participated in active hostilities against the United States, to protect the innocent;
* Prohibit the National Security Agency from intercepting phone conversations or emails or breaking and entering homes on the President's say-so in violation of federal law;
* Empower the House of Representatives and the Senate collectively to challenge in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of signing statements that declare the intent of the President to disregard duly enacted provisions of bills he has signed into law because he maintains they are unconstitutional;
* Prohibit the executive from invoking the state secrets privilege to deny justice to victims of constitutional violations perpetrated by government officers or agents; and, establish legislative-executive committees in the House and Senate to adjudicate the withholding of information from Congress based on executive privilege that obstructs oversight and government in the sunshine;
* Prohibit the President from kidnapping, detaining, and torturing persons abroad in collaboration with foreign governments;
* Amend the Espionage Act to permit journalists to report on classified national security matters without fear of prosecution; and;
* Prohibit the listing of individuals or organizations with a presence in the United States as global terrorists or global terrorist organizations based on secret evidence.
(from the American Freedom Agenda)
National Safety Must Trump Civil Rights.......2007-02-11
The clash between individual civil rights and collective national security has never been far removed from American law and history. In NOT A SUICIDE PACT, judge Richard A. Posner considers a number of hot button issues that rang even in President Lincoln's day when he suspended habeas corpus to deal with what he saw as a threat to the very existence of the Union. Today, when the ACLU demands that terrorist prisoners in foreign jails like Guantanamo be accorded the same rights as any other criminal defendant, Posner places in historical perspective why Lincoln did what he did and why President Bush does what he does.
Posner's very title of his book suggests that civil rights are not absolutes, an idea that he admits is anathema to civil libertarians who have been trained to see the constitution as just such an absolute even if they somehow feel uneasy at admitting that it is indeed a suicide pact. At this, Posner says no, it is not. In fact, when the Founders wrote the constitution, they knew that they could not have foreseen how the twists and turns of future events might tint the lens of future courts who seek to interpret contemporary events under the wording of long established precedent. Posner suggests that one very important reason that the United States has survived and thrived is that the Founders deliberately wrote the constitution in such a manner as to provide guidance rather than straight-jacket binding. Those issues that bedevil us today, ranging from illegal arrest and detention to torture to free speech and to the limits of privacy, were all issues well-known to them. The brilliance of the Founders is that Posner argues that they knew that these issues would continue to vex future generations in manners that future technology would only exacerbate the difficulty in drawing a line in the constitutional sand between individual rights as citizens and collective rights as a people. Posner relentlessly urges the reader to view this ever shifting line under the lens of security of the one versus security of the many. When he writes that the President of the United States is the primary arbiter of such disputes, then he acknowledges that forceful presidents like Lincoln and Bush could be balked by a hostile press and a recalcitrant House/Senate duo. Lincoln proved to be up to the task of going about his business of saving the Union. Bush may very well prove himself to be similarly up to much the same task. In NOT A SUICIDE PACT, judge Posner cogently sets forth the case that in the words of Star Trek's Mr. Spock, the needs of the many must outweigh the needs of the one.
Interesting introduction to the subject.......2007-01-04
I am an interested lay-person, but not a lawyer or constitutional scholar. Posner does a good job of walking the reader through his arguments for (and against) particular interpretations of the constitution with respect to the treatment of (suspected) terrorists. I had no trouble following his reasoning, although I was not convinced in all cases. In particular, I was troubled by the suggestion that government officials should practice 'civil disobedience' where circumstances warrant. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the constitutional aspects of the GWOT.
Judge Posner on the War on Terrorism and the Law.......2006-11-23
Judge Richard Posner (who has served on the 7th Circuit since 1981, as well as having a long career at the University of Chicago Law School) remains one of our most incisive and prolific legal commentators. Posner originally wrote in the areas of legal theory, Justice Holmes, legal education, and law and literature, while on the side helping give birth to the influential law and economics movement centered at Chicago. His more recent work has focused on national security issues, including the U.S. intelligence system, preventing surprise attacks and the concept of catastrophe.
His newest book is subtitled "The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency." While as I shall discuss I find his approach not particularly persuasive, and involving clever distinctions and word manipulation, this book is probably the best way to get into the whole issue of the current "war on terror" and how the legal system should adjust (if it should adjust at all). Posner's main thesis is that what he terms "marginal adjustments" in rights are clearly mandated by the severity of the "enemy" threat. True to his law and economics background, the Judge wants to apply a rather straightforward cost/benefit form of analysis, which results in a balancing of rights against national "safety and liberty." I seem to recall that this approach was fairly well discredited when the Supreme Court applied it in the 1950's and 60's to issues of free speech, but no matter. Posner feels that what he terms "generalist judges" don't have the necessary background to deal with these issues, while "national security judges" (including presumable himself) do have the special insights that are necessary. In fact the Judge suggests that the courts ought to stay out of the issue pretty much, and let Congress and the President handle it. After all, most rights are mere creations of the courts and therefore we should not flinch if they are curtailed.
In short, as with any form of balancing, when on the one side of the scale reside national security and the survival of the American nation, it is quite difficult to offset that weight on the scale with mere legal rights arguments. Posner takes numerous shots at shortsighted "civil libertarians" whom he rightly identifies as opponents of his approach. Surprisingly, for a federal judge, Posner thinks the role of precedent (such as the post Civil War Milligan decision) should not play a substantial role here. In any regard, the Judge assures us that any denting in our rights will be only a "minor" adjustment that will be rolled back when the present emergency has passed. One wonders, however, if the executive branch will ever announce that the emergency is over. Individual chapters address such topics as detention (ok for "unlawful combatants"), brutal interrogation, and free speech and profiling. Posner pretty much writes the right to privacy out of the constitution, arguing that as long as computers do the initial review of phone taps and letters, any privacy concerns should be minimal.
I believe the best way to approach this book is to read the introduction and the conclusion before turning to the remaining contents. Such an approach indicates "what is afoot" in Posner's analysis. While admittedly I am somewhat underwhelmed with the Judge's approach, this remains an extremely valuable book on this topic. Posner makes many of the administration's arguments but with a skill and perspective hardly likely to be matched by the administration's own defenders, including John Yoo. These are difficult issues and Posner is an extremely capable person to put forward this particular viewpoint. Even if you cringe at points, give the Judge a fair hearing because he really puts a number of these issues into a meaningful perspective.
Book Description
Introduction to Emergency Management, Second Edition is a practical reference for students and professionals covering disaster response planning and mitigation. The book details the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (U.S), the Federal Response Plan (FRP), and the roles, responsibilities, and interrelationship between FEMA and state and local emergency management systems. It also covers the changes in emergency management since the events of September 11, 2001, the latest information on the Office of Homeland Security, and includes several detailed appendices. This Second Edition is completely updated and continues this titles success as a practical reference for students and professionals covering disaster response planning and mitigation.
- Includes continual connection of theory to real-world examples of disasters including the Tsunami disaster and instances of terrorism
- Contains dozens of diagrams and statistics illustrating disaster management history and facts
- Provides links to Emergency Management Web sites and information sources, including homeland security sources
Customer Reviews:
Medical Consequence Manager.......2007-04-17
I found this to be a good introduction to emergency management. I am using it in my course on Disaster Preparidness: medical consequency management. Well written and easy to read for the novice.
Somewhat useful.......2007-03-19
This book is more useful for someone in government. If you need emergency planning/mangement for a business or industry, the book is a good starter but will be limited. Too bad it was published right before Katrina.
Good service.......2007-02-19
I ordered a text book and got excellent service from Amazon. It got here in a timely fashion and in excellent condition.
Introduction to Emergency Management.......2005-10-04
An excellent introductory book with a good review of the basic components of emergency management
Easy Flowing Read.......2005-08-06
For a easy flowing read, buy this book. It has plenty of pertinent information mainly from a federal emergency standpoint.
Book Description
Why have there been no terrorist attacks in the United States since 9/11? It is ridiculously easy for a single person with a bomb-filled backpack, or a single explosives-laden automobile, to launch an attack. So why hasn't it happened? The answer is surely not the Department of Homeland Security, which cannot stop terrorists from entering the country, legally or otherwise. It is surely not the Iraq war, which has stoked the hatred of Muslim extremists around the world and wasted many thousands of lives. Terrorist attacks have been regular events for many years -- usually killing handfuls of people, occasionally more than that.
Is it possible that there is a simple explanation for the peaceful American homefront? Is it possible that there are no al-Qaeda terrorists here? Is it possible that the war on terror has been a radical overreaction to a rare event? Consider: 80,000 Arab and Muslim immigrants have been subjected to fingerprinting and registration, and more than 5,000 foreign nationals have been imprisoned -- yet there has not been a single conviction for a terrorist crime in America. A handful of plots -- some deadly, some intercepted -- have plagued Europe and elsewhere, and even so, the death toll has been modest.
We have gone to war in two countries and killed tens of thousands of people. We have launched a massive domestic wiretapping program and created vast databases of information once considered private. Politicians and pundits have berated us about national security and patriotic duty, while encroaching our freedoms and sending thousands of young men off to die.
It is time to consider the hypothesis that dare not speak its name: we have wildly overreacted. Terrorism has been used by murderous groups for many decades, yet even including 9/11, the odds of an American being killed by international terrorism are microscopic. In general, international terrorism doesn't do much damage when considered in almost any reasonable context.
The capacity of al-Qaeda or of any similar group to do damage in the United States pales in comparison to the capacity other dedicated enemies, particularly international Communism, have possessed in the past. Lashing out at the terrorist threat is frequently an exercise in self-flagellation because it is usually more expensive than the terrorist attack itself and because it gives the terrorists exactly what they are looking for. Much, probably most, of the money and effort expended on counterterrorism since 2001 (and before, for that matter) has been wasted.
The terrorism industry and its allies in the White House and Congress have preyed on our fears and caused enormous damage. It is time to rethink the entire enterprise and spend much smaller amounts on only those things that do matter: intelligence, law enforcement, and disruption of radical groups overseas. Above all, it is time to stop playing into the terrorists' hands, by fear-mongering and helping spread terror itself.
Customer Reviews:
Wacko 9/11 conspiracy theorists.......2007-08-17
You can easily understand what this author and his book are all about by observing his actions. Recently, he appeared at a panel on "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter". For those of you who don't know, Carter basically advances the view that the problems in the middle east are all caused by the uncomfortable fact that jews exist in the region and that the way to solve these problems is to get rid of them. Since the only way this is going to happen is through genocide, that is what he supports. He also makes it quite clear that ANY behavior by the muslims in that region, no matter how heinously evil, is justified. This horror fest was cosponsored by a local group that promotes the view that 9/11 was not an act by muslim terrorists but rather a nefarious plot by our own government.
These are the types of people Mueller groups himself with.....dangerous lunatics who support national socialist style fascism. This says everything you need to know about his book. It also says everything you need to know about people who read books like this and find merit in them. You might as well shave your head and tattoo a swastika on it (or maybe a crescent). Because that is what YOU are all about.
Subtitle: Terrorism -- Not a big deal.......2007-04-08
Mueller's thesis, in brief, is that terrorist movements cannot succeed and have never succeeded in their political goals. The violence they employ is not widespread enough to overthrow governments or forcibly change societies to their liking. Thus, for Mueller, to react militarily to terrorism instead of treating it like organized criminal violence simply exacerbates the problem.
Some issues Mueller does not seem to consider or is outright incorrect about:
First, although it is true that terrorists have never won (i.e., overthrown a government, upset a society), Mueller seems completely unaware of the work done by Walter Laqueur and others that note the world is in a "new age" of terrorism. While terrorists can't win by employing truck bombs and pizza-parlor massacres, theoretically they now have the power to win by using weapons of mass destruction, the technology related to which is "open." Most terror academic and governmental experts -- neither of which Mueller is -- have esssentially concluded that it is just a matter of time before the world experiences this. What then? A few arrests and trials?
A second problem is the illogical claim that *the response to terrorism causes it*. Mueller again seems completely unaware of the mountainous work done by scholars such as Bernard Lewis that demonstrate the millenia-and-a-half effort by the Islamic world to extend its control throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe using both conventional and non-conventional war such as terrorism. For that matter, Mueller seems completely unaware of early 20th century terror movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, movements that existed prior to the Iraq war, the Israel-Palestinian issue, the very creation of Israel itself, the US being a world power, and indeed, prior to the birth of anyone reading this. Mueller wants arrests but no military response -- it's as if he doesn't realize there's a war going on.
A third problem is his general dismissal of terrorism as much of a risk to innocent civilians. Mueller believes other risks, such as automobiles and cigarette smoking, cause far more death and injury than does terrorism. The obvious rebuttal: we *choose* these other risks. Perhaps not the consequences (no smoker really wants lung cancer), but we certainly choose the undertake the risky behavior. But who chooses to be a target of terrorism? All of the other risks Mueller discusses are preventable by making the choice not to engage in them -- lung cancer, for example, would end if people stopped smoking and DUI-related deaths would end if we didn't drink and drive. But terrorism-related deaths won't end until the terrorists are killed and their political motivations are defeated. But Mueller evidently hasn't noticed the difference between the chosen risk of smoking and the unchosen risk of being a terror victim.
A fourth problem is that Mueller seems unaware of domestic terror cells in America. In fact, he claims that there aren't any. Readers can find discussions of domestic terror cells on web sites such as Jihad Watch, that of Middle-East scholar Daniel Pipes, and elsewhere that offer lengthy discussion of domestic terror cases.
The core problem with Mueller's book is that he simply wasn't qualified to write it. He makes error of both scholarship and fact that no undergraduate students of terrorism would make. He might as well have written a book on 19th century French literature or on plate tectonics -- his discussion and his conclusions would have been equally thoughtful.
Required Reading for Chicken Licken.......2007-03-25
This is an interesting, valuable and important book, and I'm fairly sure almost no-one has or, for that matter will, read it. I will do what I can to change that.
John Mueller is from a venerable but sadly rare tradition of Academic commentators: the skeptics. It's that perspective he lends to our "troubled times" and over this course of this tidily executed, thoroughly sourced and entertaining book, Mueller systematically demolishes much of the public hype which holds us up in airport terminals, eats up our tax dollars and does its level best to prevent us sleeping soundly in our beds.
He makes, and repeats, a point which many otherwise perfectly sensible and well-informed commentators can't fathom: The biggest source of terror in our lives is not terrorists in Afghan caves, but our own politicians and media pundits constantly blathering about them. The terrorists themselves cause sporadic but, in fact, very limited mayhem.
The thousands of hungry mouths who comprise the "terrorism industry" on the other hand - the politicians, civil servants, defence contractors, security analysts and media commentators - each of whom is primarily interested in justifying his own existence or convincing us to open our wallets - each has a vested interest in persuading us we should be soiling rather than sleeping in our beds. Their statements, therefore, we should take with a pinch of salt.
But even though we all know we ought to, we don't. We acquiesce: we put up with speculative, unsourced, unattributed, and frequently credulous nonsense - we tolerate queues and being unneccesarily fondled at airports, hikes in tax rates and restrictions on our civil liberties. John Mueller's book sets out to provide us a reality check and ask, pointedly, why we are so easily prepared to do that.
By way of preface Mueller lists a series of items which ought to be - but aren't - conventional wisdom. They're all very big points, among them:
* Terrorism just doesn't do much damage considered in any reasonable context (nine times as many Americans are struck by lightning in the average year as are killed by terrorists)
* Even where Terrorism has horrendous results, it tends to be one-off events (despite six years of anxiety, there has not been another terrorist attack in the U.S. *at all*, let alone one on the scale of 9/11)
* Catastrophic events are by their nature are hard to repeat (never again will a plane full of unsuspecting passengers sit and allow unarmed men to fly them to their deaths without intervening, since the assumption "we'll be used as hostages so we're safe for now" no longer holds)
* Terrorist actions tend to be counterproductive on almost every level any way: far from throwing New York into chaos, panic and Hobbesian brutality, the direct and immediate result of 9/11 was the sudden blossoming of compassion, cooperation and cohesion in the city on a completely unprecedented scale - a place not usually known for its neighborliness or Samaritan spirit
* The cost (both human and economic terms) of the "War on Terror" has been far greater than the cost of Terrorist actions themselves (even taking into account the financial losses sustained in the capital markets)
* The "War on Terror", being as it is a war on an idea, is utterly unwinnable. There is no practical way of eradicating the possibility of individuals, for whatever reason, engaging in entirely destructive acts of violence. Like road fatalities (of which there are tens of thousands each year in the US) the risk of terrorist attacks are a fact of life in built up areas which we should take reasonable, dispassionate, measures to minimise bearing in mind the opportunity costs of doing so.
Mueller doesn't take an (overtly) political position - his arguments are not based on views about foreign policy nor the moral rights and wrongs of the situation, but an statistical analysis of the costs and risks of the terrorist threat, and acknowledgment of the personal agendas which inevitably inform those who shout loudest. "If it bleeds it leads" - people don't buy newspapers to read good news, so in a competitive market it is no surprise if newspapers tend to dwell on worst case scenarios. Yes, terrorism is dreadful, Mueller says, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep it in perspective.
In short, this book is a long overdue and much needed dose of common sense.
Olly Buxton
911 type attacks kill as many as toilet drownings.......2007-03-07
I listened to Michael Medved [right wing radio talk show host with whom I usually agree] interview John Mueller about this book.
Medved stronly disagreed when John said that terrorists are not a big deal.
I had to agree with Mueller.
It is the difference between perceived risk and calculated risk.
Mueller is calculating the risk.
Mueller is the man.
The emperor has no significant terrorist risk and is over reacting.
I Won't Read It -- But, Read "Beyond Fear" by Bruce Schneier.......2007-02-27
I'm honestly NOT fearmongering, bottom line I do NOT live in fear, and I work in Defense. Bottom line, really now, BOTTOM LINE, how many "one-time" events are we willing to tolerate? How many? So are you willing to risk the one-time event that annihilates 10,000, 1,000,000, 10,000,000, 100,000,000 or more Americans, or other freedom loving nations ... what is your limit?
As for me, I understand the risk and the comparisons to the fact I'm much more likely to be killed by me hitting a deer on my drive home than ever being annihilated by a terrorist shooting me in the head with a 9MM, nuclear weapon or biological attack, etc.
For me, I want to spend as much money as it takes to live in peace, less national bankruptcy, to save 1 American (or any fellow human being) from some terrorist scheme to kill 1, 10,000, 100,000 ...
You?
These books are thought-provoking and MUST be written to keep us all level-headed, but we can't give up on tracking down terrorist, improving security to stop terrorist attacks, and keep our politicians in-check.
Book Description
INTRODUCTION TO HOMELAND SECURITY was the first book to provide practitioners, educators, and students with a comprehensive account of the original and ongoing developments in the Department of Homeland Securitys reorganization, as well as the practices, policies and programs enacted in relation to the government restructure. The new edition continues to prove the standard in providing the latest information on the developments in national security in the context of DHS.
Continuing in the tradition of the first edition, the book recounts US Government and private sector actions taken since 9/11 in the areas of legislation, government organization, communications, technology, and emergency management practices. It is packed with reference sections, notations directing the reader to relevant publications and websites, and contributions from media reports or experts. Case studies provide insightful guidance for security managers having to deal effectively with similar situations.
· Case Studies included in the book relate the book's topics to real events
· Only Homeland Security title to include an Instructor's Manual with Test Bank to support Academic curricula
· Includes an up-to-date, complete and comprehensive contact list of Federal and State government homeland security offices and officials
· Full color photographs and illustrations throughout
Customer Reviews:
Useful introduction to the many facets of homeland security.......2007-05-15
This is one of the first generation texts on homeland security. As such, it has a somewhat ad hoc feel to it, as though these (and other) authors are feeling out just what a text on homeland security is all about. The purpose of the book is described on page xiv: "The intent of this book is to provide a primer on homeland security for emergency managers, students of emergency management, and for the countless public and private sector individuals who find themselves suddenly thrust into the ever-expanding domain of homeland security."
The scope of the book is wide, as it covers a lot of territory. One necessary consequence of this is that coverage of individual topics can be a bit thin. On the other hand, the breadth of coverage is itself a virtue. One must trade off a bit of depth for breadth.
The book begins with a discussion of an historic overview of terrorist threats. As such, it does "set the table" for the rest of the book. However, there is actually very little on terrorists, their tactics, etc. Thus, the chapter seems to be written in something of a contextual vacuum. At some point in the volume, there should probably be a chapter on what we know about terrorists.
The book also explores the statutory and organizational infrastructure for homeland security. The resulting chapters are serviceable. Chapters proceed with coverage of safety and security; mitigation, prevention, and preparedness; response and recovery; communications; technology. The final chapter is forward looking, exploring the future of homeland security; it also considers the lessons learned from the reorganization of FEMA under the Department of Homeland Security.
Thus, while there is a "generic" sense to this book, it covers a great deal of territory and provides a broad-based introduction to the subject of homeland security. As such, a useful volume.
Good Start.......2006-06-16
I am a former Army intelligence officer and I think that this was a good first cut at the topic. I was enrolled in a Homeland Security class that used this text. We studied the system and response of DHS and then the following week Katrina hit followed by Rita. What should have happened and what actually happened leave much to be fixed. The description of terrorism was so lacking that the instructor allowed me to teach the class. The information on chemical and biological agents looked like it came out of a Hazmat class manual. To be a better book it needs to be updated and revised. FEMA has free online classes which the authors should consider in their update. This book was great as no other book attempted to put together the area of homeland security under the new DHS.
Professor.......2006-02-18
This is an excellent book talking about the policies, organization, and functions of the Department of Homeland Security. The author's provide an historical overview of the terrorist threat which is concise and highlights the September 11 timeline. The life cycle of emergency managment is presented by introducing several case studies which provide incite into failures of preparedness and response to terrorist incidents worldwide. The importance of communications and technology is discussed to help prevent and deter terrorism in security organizations. It is a book that everyone in security management should read.
The dynamic that is Homeland Security.......2005-10-24
Introduction to Homeland Security provides a comprehensive view of the dynamics of homeland security in the United States from the view of experienced emergency management facilitators. This is accomplished by providing a historical overview of the terrorist threat which culminates with the September 11th terrorist attacks and thereafter the various legislative, executive orders and organizational actions which lead to the largest re-organization of the federal government in recent history which results in the formation and creation of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). An in-depth discussion and view of the pre-Katrina DHS are provided with applicable questions regarding the functionality and capabilities of this new department. Homeland security hazards are discussed with emphasis also placed on the safety and security of various aspects of the infrastructure of our society. The text also discusses the addition of prevention to the comprehensive emergency management life cycle of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The book concludes with a discussion of the importance of effective communications with special emphasis placed on risk communications; the various types of technology being employed and various technology players and their activities; and, provides a discussion of the future of homeland security.
This book is especially beneficial in pointing out, through probing questions, that the federal government and bureaucracy thereof, both legislative and executive, cannot remember and/or don't listen to the lessons learned of the past, which ensures that we will be repeating them again, to the suffering and detriment of our citizens. The authors of this text were already asking questions regarding the security of our homeland in all regards, to which the answers have been so effectively pointed out through the Hurricane Katrina response and recovery failures of the DHS. For an understanding of the dynamic that is homeland security, and the core answer to what must be done to secure our homeland this book is a must read.
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The Judicial Application of Human Rights Law: National, Regional and International Jurisprudence
Nihal Jayawickrama
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Book Description
The original human rights concepts articulated in the 1948 Universal Declaration have evolved considerably. Nihal Jayawickrama encapsulates the judicial interpretation of human rights law from all available sources in one comprehensive volume, covering superior court case law of over fifty-five countries, the jurisprudence of the U.N. Human Rights monitoring bodies, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Inter-American system. This definitive compendium will be essential for legal practitioners, government and non-governmental officials, and academics and students of constitutional law and the international law of human rights.
Book Description
No more politics—just the truth about what we can and must do to protect ourselves.
Fox News military analyst Colonel David Hunt has dedicated his career to fighting terrorism. A twenty-nine-year U.S. Army veteran, he has helped take out an active terrorist camp, trained the FBI and Special Forces in counterterrorism tactics, and served as security adviser to six different Olympic Games.
And Colonel Hunt is angry. Why? Because even after the terrorist attacks on our country and on Americans around the world, the people charged with protecting us—the politicians and the bureaucrats in military and intelligence—still aren’t getting the job done.
They Just Don’t Get It provides a much-needed wake-up call to all Americans. As politicians posture and pundits bicker, we’re losing sight of the fundamental problem: We’re still not equipped to win the War on Terror. In fact, the terrorist threat is far worse than we feared, as made frighteningly clear by the fifty pages of documents published here for the first time—including a shocking manual taken from the terrorists themselves.
But instead of just complaining, Colonel Hunt tells us exactly what we must do—without regard to political game-playing—to emerge victorious in the challenge that history has given us. These are changes we can make at every level—as individual citizens, as a government, and as a military power. As he shows in this book, while the government and our military lead the fight to protect us, ordinary citizens can and must contribute.
They Just Don’t Get It reveals:
• What you can do to keep your family safe
• How many of the government’s recent “reforms” are mere window dressing or, worse, counterproductive
• How we can fight this war and still safeguard our civil liberties and the American way of life
• How to fix the intelligence disaster (and yes, the politicians in D.C. still haven’t fixed it)
• How we got into this mess in the first place: it’s mostly because our government let the problem fester for three decades
Colonel Hunt is no cautious bureaucrat or finger-pointer looking for political gain. He is a straight shooter with deep insight into what’s happening in the War on Terror—on the ground and in the government. They Just Don’t Get It lays out in clear and compelling terms the steps we must take—all of us—to win the War on Terror and ensure our survival as a free, proud, and strong nation.
From They Just Don’t Get It
We’re fighting a war for our very survival, so we’d better figure out how to win. That’s why I’m writing this book—to show us how we can win, how we can protect ourselves. As a Fox News military analyst, I’m paid to offer insight into how our armed forces are conducting the fight against our enemies. But this book shows that to win the War on Terror we need to concern ourselves with more than just military tactics.
For one thing, we need to look at what our political leaders are doing. The sad truth is that they still don’t get it.
Then there’s intelligence. You’ve heard about our intelligence failures, but I doubt you know how bad it really is—even after the “reforms.” I’m going to tell you.
And another critical dimension to this story usually gets overlooked—what you can do. The fact is, you can do a lot. Hell, you must do a lot.
A selection of American Compass
Customer Reviews:
The REAL DEAL.......2007-05-12
Great book for those interested in reality, versus the political garbagr being spewed by our "representatives" in Congress and the stories being relayed by the media outlets...Colonel Hunt is correct "They Just Don't Get It"... and neither does the majority ...
Sometimes the truth hurts - Col Hunt beats you over the head with it!!!!.......2007-05-10
This is required reading for those who have doubts about terrorism and our ability to deal with it. This is required reading for those who believe we are doing what is necessary to win. This is required reading for the spineless masses following the "leadership" of this country (from both sides of the aisle) down a path of death, destruction, and failure.
Col Hunt's ability to speak frankly and lay it on the line in this very Non-PC manner really speaks to everyday Americans. It is boldly written, in your face, and so scary that it will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. His resume/qualifications to speak to this topic are above reproach, he's been there, he's seen it first hand, the good and the bad. 10-20 years from now, if things do not change, this man will be looked at as one of those bold enough to say what needed to be said. It will be a shame to allow his words to go unnoticed. READ THIS BOOK!
Required reading for every American.......2006-10-31
Easy to read, full of common sense, this book should be read by every American.
On the mark.......2006-09-11
I think that Col. Hunt has written a superb book of the challenges facing the US regarding the terrorist threats to us all. He writes in a very deliberate and to the point style that I find refreshing.
Fact vs fiction.......2006-04-26
Col Hunt spells out the truth of the war we're in as compared to the bias of the media.
Book Description
The United States government is reorganizing to increase domestic security. How will these changes impact the American criminal justice system? DEFENDING THE HOMELAND: DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND SECURITY is the only book that illustrates up-to-the minute information on how our criminal justice system has changed since 9/11. Written by an expert on academic leave to provide training for the Department of Defense, White provides an insider's look at issues related to restructuring of federal law enforcement and recent policy challenges. The book discusses the problem of bureaucracy, interaction between the law enforcement and intelligence communities, civil liberties, and theories of war and police work. From a practical perspective, the book examines offensive and defensive strategies. The book gives an introduction to violent international religious terrorism and an overview of domestic terrorist problems still facing law enforcement.
Customer Reviews:
The 'MUST Read' for law enforcement intelligence students.......2004-10-15
Jonathan R. White's Defending the Homeland: Domestic Intelligence, Law Enforcement, and Security is the book I assign as the keystone text for a Law Enforcement Intelligence course. It is a `must read' because it correctly portrays intelligence as both art and science, deeply rooted in action-making tangible things happen, getting real things done-by reducing warfare to its simplest level and thereby limiting the negative effects of susceptibilities such as fog, chance, and friction. This volume makes sense of how the traditionally polar fields of law enforcement and intelligence can develop a symbiotic relationship for synergistic effect.
Because it is one of the first sources for this argument, it serves as a measuring stick for both policy and operational analysis. It examines the concepts, uses, and limits of strategic intelligence in contrast to operational imperatives. Very little has been previously offered in law enforcement intelligence beyond rhetoric-which are sound as far as they go-such as, `intelligence is the key to the problem', or `the support of the population must be won'. Students and practitioners tasked with, or having previously experienced the responsibility of actually executing missions will appreciate this book the most.
The essence of the book can clearly be defined as delineating the parameters of low intensity conflict and law enforcement; to deduce from them the principles of asymmetric warfare, and to outline the corresponding strategy and tactics.
Average customer rating:
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Secrecy and Liberty:National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information (International Studies in Human Rights)
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9041111913 |
Book Description
The tension between national security and freedom of expression and information is both acute and multifaceted. Without national security, basic human rights are always at risk. On the other hand, the tendency of governing elites to confuse `the life of the nation' with their own survival has often resulted in excessive restrictions on expression and information, as well as other fundamental rights. A proper balance between secrecy and liberty requires a vigilant press and an independent judiciary. It also requires greater clarity than currently exists as to how competing rights and interests should be weighed. This book addresses that gap. Its centerpiece is a set of Principles drafted by a group of international and national law experts, many of whom contributed chapters, to guide governments, courts and international bodies in how to strike a proper balance. The Principles have been widely endorsed, among others by United Nations experts on freedom of expression and independence of judges and lawyers. Sixteen country studies -- profiling, among other states, Albania, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia -- explore the tremendous diversity of national security doctrines and the penal and other measures aimed at suppressing allegedly secret information and speech claimed to be subversive, separatist or otherwise dangerous. Five chapters examine the cases considered and approaches taken by the UN Human Rights Committee, three regional human rights bodies, and the European Court of Justice. A Commentary draws on the other chapters to support and elucidate the Principles, noting where they reflect an existing consensus and the points at which they attempt to elicit a more rights-protective approach.
Book Description
The definitive guide to acing the FBI's rigorous selection process-for special agents as well as professional support personnel.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Source of Information.......2006-08-20
I purchased the book on the grounds that I needed information about the hiring process and the steps it takes to gain employment with the FBI. In my opinion there should not be any prep books or material for the job, either you have what it takes to make it or you don't. This book gave me what I needed to know so that I was informed about how hiring decisions were made and what steps the agency takes in selecting candidates. I wish all who purchase this book the best of luck and to just remember that you have to live up to a lot to be part of the FBI.
Great reference, but in need of a revision.......2006-05-30
This book is a wonderful backgrounder on the FBI, its history, and how things work within the agency. The list of field offices and the areas they cover was alone worth the cost of the book. The interview hints were sparce, but very applicable. The problem is the application process has changed in some pretty dramatic ways since this book was published. The FBI now uses on-line applications and the application form has been changed. The needs and focus of the Bureau have also changed since 9/11
Yes, this book was helpful. But if you are interested in applying to the FBI, contact the Applicant Coordinator in your local field office and search the web for a law enforcement employment message board to get the latest news in the world of FBI hiring.
Great book.......2005-10-25
Great author, too. I had him as a Criminal Justice professor at Grand Valley State University. He was an adjunct professor there for a couple of years. Very nice, very knowledgeable. This book is a good reference and starting point. Sure, most of the information is available on the Internet, but why go through all the trouble of finding it when it can all be at your fingertips?
Not much info here........2005-09-15
I thought that this would be a good book to help me prepare for the phase 1 testing and what else is to come. Most of the recomendations are just common sense and all of the information was redily available on the internet for free.
FBI Minature Golf.......2005-08-31
We Hope in a future edition, that the author does not forget the path John Douglas (Ret.FBI: BSU) followed to finally arrive at Quantico. Miniture Golf Instructor. Yes now it can be told! Johns career all started at the end; if you will. Yep! at the end of McChord Air Force Base in Parkland Washington. At the venerable "Parkland Mini Putt" miniture golf course. I'll save the details for John himself to fill in, as he's kinda shy about his handicap.
Ta,
Timothy Vaher
Book Description
Only 200 people have ever been in Christopher Whitcomb's elite branch of the F.B.I. The Hostage Rescue Team is its most highly trained and specialized squadron-equivalent to the Navy's Seals and the Army's Delta Force-charged with terrorist capture, hostage situations, and other large-scale emergencies in the U.S. and around the world. Whitcomb is the first HRT member ever to write about his experience. With breathtaking immediacy, Whitcomb describes the brutal training, the weapons and tactics, and the unbreakable camaraderie of the HRT. In short order, after joining HRT in 1991, Whitcomb was sent on missions to Ruby Ridge and Waco, and his frank assessment of those missions is must reading for anyone interested in modern law enforcement.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Perspective.......2007-04-29
A close-up look at the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team.
Whitcomb takes you through the FBI Academy, New Operator Training School and the U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper School. Since his background was not miliary/law enforcement, he presents an interesting perspective on the training and day-to-day life of one of the more elite units in U.S. law enforcement.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to Ruby Ridge & Waco, two pivotal events in Whitcomb's career and the FBI in general. It appears the FBI learned some hard lessons at both of these events and is a better organization now. I did not get the sense that Whitcomb or his peers fully grasped what was wrong with the FBI in the first place. His laundry list of "stuff" he had in his firing position at Waco (300 yards from the compound) should have been a red flag; grenades, two Browning pistols, CAR-16, Remington 700, Barrett .50 cal, M60 machine gun, .223 cal Squad Automatic Weapon. That is serious firepower and should not be necessary for a law enforcement operation.
Overall a great book that does credit to the FBI and the author.
Chilling and thoughtful all at once, and thus VERY hard to put down.......2006-06-25
I met Chris recently at a college reunion. I had not known him in college, but when I saw that someone from our small rural liberal arts college would discuss being on the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and more, I was intrigued. His tales were intriguing and I ordered up the book. Better still! For clearly this is a product of much thought, of much living even, and here is someone who feels like one of us doing things quite amazing, exciting, frightening, and sometimes very deflating. His prose is great, sometimes poetic. He weaves a tale in a wonderful way...as when his tale of his first killing, a New Hampshire deer, shifts brilliantly into a key moment in his role as a sniper. His reflectiveness is what grabbed me, as he has much depth of thought to add to some stark tales. I have read this book while walking, late into the night, and when I really should have been doing other things. And this despite some clear breaks between parts of the book. A rare gem. Wish I had known Chris better in college!
Front row seating..........2005-11-16
This book was awesome, and the whole time I was reading it, I felt as though I was journeying right along beside Chris. A definite must-read.
Could use some "meat".......2005-08-01
This is an interesting read and Chris does mention several high profile incidents but it would have been better as a "this is my life book" as opposed to any real 'meat' but I don't think it would have done as well if he had so--hat's off....
He certainly has had an interesting career but the book winds down into a staff job with a sort of spin that is meant to keep the reader interested but doesn't. If you are reading a book of this nature you want to "be there" as was the case on several of the high profile occasions which were certainly introspective but less than exciting considering the modern warfare played out today in CT.
I do compliment him though on his service and the courage to write something about the topic because he is the only one to my knowledge that has.
Great FBI Book.......2005-06-02
Christopher Witcomb discusses in great detail his many experiences in the FBI, from his training to how he started as a field agent to being in the Hostage Rescue Team. It was a really interesting book, detailing his experiences, while adding other tidbits of information about the agency, the training requirements, and the current administrations.
Overall, I thought it was a great book, that made you want more for the story. The only thing I didn't like was he tended to overdramatize certain actions. For example, when discussing shooting a subject, he'll go into great length to discuss what could happen when he pulls the trigger, which towards the end of the audio book, gets a little annoying. Other than that, great audiobook.
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- Rockwood and Wilkins' Fractures in Children: Rockwood, Green, and Wilkins' Fractures (Not Sold as a Volume Set)
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- Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow (Stealing the Network) (Stealing the Network)
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Before the Next Attack: Preserving Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism
