We are born into an automatic social contract--democracy--that we never consent to. While seemingly championing the individual and the value of individual choice, democracy ultimately degenerates into collectivism and mob rule. Coupled with a reified religious mythology, widespread economic and market collapse, and deep political corruption, the individual is lost within a democracy to the collective majority. However, can a just, viable form of governance and society exist without the coercion of democracy? The End of Democracy and Faith presents an alternative vision that wrests the value of individual choice from mob rule and restores the consent and supremacy of the individual in the social contract. Eschewing faith and hope instead for a movement toward building bonds with our fellow men and women and for taking the reins and helping each other save our future, it explores the connections between our morality, identity, history, philosophy, and economy. And with the introduction of the concept of the voluntary state, it offers a philosophical foundation in support of using freedom instead of coercion to handle our responsibilities regarding our own income, retirement, health care, and way of life. The promises of democracy and any individualism inherent to the founding of the nation have been largely replaced by a perilous, disenfranchising collectivism. Pursuing an alternative social reality--one that can truly enable free markets, overcome religious myth, and restore individual choice--represents a true challenge to the moral depravity of democracy and faith. There are certain elements holding back our economy, the author asserts, though economists rarely make mention of them, due to their status as societal sacred cows. His arguments against democracy are the most engaging sections of the book, in part because such cases are so infrequently made. -- Kirkus Reviews

With hard analysis and good humor, the author exposes the Coalition of the Willing as a rightwing myth to deceive Americans while the neo-GOP wages war on Iraq and America. Includes 3 plans: 1) "Withdraw from Iraq and Win in Afghanistan;" 2) "An International Plan;" and 3) "Support Our Troops." Includes analysis of the so-called coalition and the 50+ nations shamelessly claimed to be members. Topics include: the just war principles; corporate mercenaries in Iraq; the warmongering role of neocons and Big Media; GOP corruption in America and Iraq; treason and crimes against humanity; and GOP tools used to gut the U.S. Constitution and bankrupt America. Includes Articles of Impeachment and extensive index. The author served in the Peace Corps in the Muslim nation of Morocco. Raised a Lutheran in North Dakota and now a Methodist, he's appalled at the Christian Reich's neo-Jesus: Pro-War and Pro-Rich. He holds JD & MBA degrees from Stanford and SB from MIT. See www.bushleagueofnations.com.

Eschatology is often thought of as describing the ‘end of the world’ or ‘end times’. Yet many have begun to conclude that the restoration of all things is an inevitable consequence of who God really is as Love, encouraging them to look to the future with optimistic anticipation and expectation. Isaiah prophesied no end to the increase of God’s government and peace, so why are believers still looking for an end? Mike Parsons examines the reasons for this confusion, exposing the ‘Great Deception’ that lies behind it, and proposing instead a ‘happy eschatology’ in which all of God’s children can recognise and fulfil their eternal destiny.

“A raw, somber emotional journey that concludes with hope and a measure of forgiveness.” – Kirkus Reviews The gripping true story of Kathleen Murray, a young mother whose life was changed on September 11, 1976 when her husband, Brian Murray, a NYPD bomb disposal expert, was killed by a terrorist’s bomb. It details her childhood in the Bronx, her journey out of poverty with Brian’s help, and her own determination to take care of her two young sons after Brian’s death. While Kathleen heals, she launches a lawsuit against the city of New York to find out the real reason the bomb exploded, and at the same time begins a relationship through letters with one of the hijackers, Julie Busic. All the while, Kathleen becomes one of the founders of Survivors of the Shield, a group that advocates for and provides support and assistance to the spouses and children of New York City police officers killed in the line of duty.

Includes history of bills and resolutions.

Michael Schwartz gets behind the headlines, revealing the real dynamics of the Iraq debacle and its legacy.

In his eagerly-awaited second edition of American Foreign Policy and Political Ambition, James Ray revisits his deceptively simple premise that the highest priority of leaders is to stay in power. Looking at how political ambition and domestic pressures impact foreign policymaking is the key to understanding how and why foreign policy decisions are made. The text begins by using this analytic approach to look at the history of foreign policymaking and then examines how various parties inside and outside government influence decision making. In a unique third section, the book takes a regional approach, not only covering trends other books tend to miss, but giving students the opportunity to think comprehensively about how issues intersect around the globe—from human security and democratization, to globalization and pollution. Guided by input from adopters and reviewers, Ray has thoroughly re-organized the book and streamlined some coverage to better consolidate the historical, institutional, regional, and topical chapters and focus the thematic lens of the book. Ray has also brought the book fully up-to-date, addressing the latest events in American foreign policy, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the killing of Bin Laden, the WikiLeaks scandal and its aftermath, the impact of social media on foreign policy and world affairs, nuclear proliferation, developments in U.S.-Russian relations, climate change, and more.