What are we reading?

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

If you are going to quote an article use the whole relevant bit.

"So what is the difference between republican and democratic forms of government?  John Adams captured the essence of the difference when he said, "You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe." Nothing in our Constitution suggests that government is a grantor of rights.  Instead, government is envisioned as a protector of rights.
In recognition that it is government that poses the gravest threat to our liberties, the framers used negative phrases in reference to Congress throughout the first ten amendments to the Constitution such as shall not: abridge, infringe, deny, disparage, and shall not be violated, nor be denied.  In a republican form of government, there is rule of law.  All citizens, including government officials, are accountable to the same laws.  Government power is limited and decentralized through a system of checks and balances. Government intervenes in civil society to protect its citizens against force and fraud but does not intervene in the cases of peaceable, voluntary exchange.
Contrast the framers' vision of a republic with that of a democracy.  According to Webster's Dictionary, a democracy is defined as "government by the people; especially: rule of the majority."  In a democracy, the majority rules either directly or through its elected representatives.  As in a monarchy, the law is whatever the government determines it to be.  Laws do not represent reason.  They represent power.  The restraint is upon the individual instead of government.  Unlike that envisioned under a republican form of government, rights are seen as privileges and permissions that are granted by government and can be rescinded by government."

Basically this arguement is bullshit. 'Our framers used negative language so that is how Republic is different.' The word has been around for centuries before the US experiment. Only a twit accepts the US did this so that must be the definition. What is this, some student paper you are quoting?

[OJsDad]

Just got done reading 'The United States of Vinland; The Landing'.  It's an alternate history on what would have happened if the Vikings had successfully colonized the North America starting 500 years before Columbus.

It's a short book, 198 pages total, but only costs $3.99 on both Amazon and B&N. 

Writing style is a little rough and kind of repetitive at times, but if your looking for something different, short, and quick I would highly recommended.  I purchased on Tuesday, and finished today (Friday), and I'm not a particularly fast reader. 

The author has a web site, theunitedstatesofvinland.  There you can find a good chunk of the first chapter.  You can also find an into to another book in a different series that he called Fall of Ossard.

[skeptical.platypus]

Started Through Struggle the Stars. Pretty good scifi.

Sci-fi, $2.99 on kindle, and a grogheads rec. Good enough for me! I'm ready for some new military sci-fi, too.

Thanks!

[skeptical.platypus]

Just got done reading 'The United States of Vinland; The Landing'.  It's an alternate history on what would have happened if the Vikings had successfully colonized the North America starting 500 years before Columbus.

It's a short book, 198 pages total, but only costs $3.99 on both Amazon and B&N. 

Writing style is a little rough and kind of repetitive at times, but if your looking for something different, short, and quick I would highly recommended.  I purchased on Tuesday, and finished today (Friday), and I'm not a particularly fast reader. 

The author has a web site, theunitedstatesofvinland.  There you can find a good chunk of the first chapter.  You can also find an into to another book in a different series that he called Fall of Ossard.

I hope there's still a Lake Wobegone with pre-Columbus vikings!

[Staggerwing]

Started Through Struggle the Stars. Pretty good scifi.

Sci-fi, $2.99 on kindle, and a grogheads rec. Good enough for me! I'm ready for some new military sci-fi, too.

Thanks!

I read that a while back- it was a nice read since the political situation was familiar though set in the near future. Supposedly the sci elements are reasonably plausible as well. There is a sequel out which I have on kindle but still need to read.

Eric Flint and Ryk Spoor have a fun series about everything from Paleontology to First contact to space travel. It starts with 'Boundary' and continues on through two more books.

Here's the Baen page for Boundary if you want to read the first chapter.

[Gusington]

Just started reading City of Fortune - How Venice Ruled the Seas - by Roger Crowley.

[Airborne Rifles]

Just started reading City of Fortune - How Venice Ruled the Seas - by Roger Crowley.

I read 1453 and Empires of the Sea by Crowley, both amazing, especially Empires. I'd love to know if City of Fortune is up to the same standard.

[Gusington]

I read Empires of the Sea and loved that one too. Want to read 1453 but I have read a lot on that era and subject so I have held off. I'll definitely post back impressions on City of Fortune.

[Shelldrake]

Started Through Struggle the Stars. Pretty good scifi.

Sci-fi, $2.99 on kindle, and a grogheads rec. Good enough for me! I'm ready for some new military sci-fi, too.

Thanks!

Second book in The Human Reach series The Desert of Stars is out and well worth $4.99. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Who has read Douglas Porch - Counterinsurgency ?

Just started it. The preface is brutal.

"My argument continues to be that what has long been called small war in its various reiterations as imperial policing or COIN (counterinsurgency operations) does not constitute a specialized category of warfare. Rather , it consists of the application of petty war tactics that its advocates since the 1840s have puffed as infallible prescriptions for effortless conquest, nation-building , and national grandeur. Small wars enthusiasts basically reject the Clausewitzian character of war in favor of a Jominian tactical and operational approach, in large part to evade democratic civilian control. Claims in doctrine for success in small wars, at least at a reasonable strategic, financial, and moral cost, have relied on mythologized versions of the past too often supported by shoddy research and flawed, selective analysis of cases. History cooked as COIN folklore can lead to people getting killed because it fails to convey that each insurgency is a contingent event in which doctrine, operations, and tactics must support a viable policy and strategy, not the other way around."

Porch, Douglas (2013-06-30). Counterinsurgency . Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

[Martok]

My sojourn through The Wheel of Time continues.  Am now just over a hundred pages into The Fires of Heaven. 

I'd forgotten just how funny these books are.  Elayne getting drunk for the first time was even more hilarious than I remembered.  :D 

[GDS_Starfury]

I loaded up the cd and spent the last 2 weeks grinding through the whole Honor Harrington series again.  why isnt this a video game yet?

[Staggerwing]

I loaded up the cd and spent the last 2 weeks grinding through the whole Honor Harrington series again.  why isnt this a video game yet?

IIRC, Weber has strong misgivings about films and video games cheesing up the Honorverse.

[Staggerwing]

And on that note, lets revive the 'who should play Honor, etc, in the Feature Film?' discussion.

Michelle Forbes is a bit too old now, considering Honor has benefitted from Prolong treatments.

[GDS_Starfury]

I loaded up the cd and spent the last 2 weeks grinding through the whole Honor Harrington series again.  why isnt this a video game yet?

IIRC, Weber has strong misgivings about films and video games cheesing up the Honorverse.

one of the things Ive taken away from this marathon session is that hes cheesed up the series enough on his own.
while I could see a tv series I would prefer a HW styled game based on this universe.  the fucker actually shut down a HW mod team that was working on that very thing.