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THE BOOK REPORT
VOLUME ONE (AUGUST/04)
BEYOND
TERROR by Ralph Peters - Although esteemed military strategist Ralph
Peters starts Beyond Terror off with an attack on Bill Clinton (who
"disgraced himself and failed our nation" as part of "the
most cowardly administration in history"), Peters' views aren't
always as predictable as the hard-line THE
NEW PEARL HARBOR by David Ray Griffin - The author of the
landmark 9/11 conspiracy books yet to appear is not a political
analyst, or a historian, or a journalist. David Ray Griffin is a
theologian. His quest for belief is widely
apparent in this noble effort, as Griffin tries valiantly to follow
his suspicions. It turns out that many of his theories are a false
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© 2004 CounterBias.com
Richard
Clarke. Loyalty is, in essence, O'Neill's autobiography, as
written by someone else. That someone else, Suskind, had multitudes of
documents and evidence to back O'Neill's story up, so even if his
writing is somewhat one-sided, even fawning, towards O'Neill - the
person and the politician - the book maintains an aura of credibility,
backed up by Suskind's Pulitzer-winning status and journalism
background. Even if you think it's a case of sour grapes, Loyalty
is a great read for its inside look at White House functioning and a man
lost in the madness. The political elements add an even deeper dimension
and some ammo for anyone not fond of Bush. If you missed it, go back and
give Suskind and O'Neill's collabo another look. Quick Rating: A.
Purchase: 
neo-conservative that he at first appears to be. But they are blunt. The
cover of Beyond Terror, featuring a burning Pentagon at the top
and bloody, decaying Arab bodies on the bottom, is just an introduction
the bold nature of this collection Peters' essays, written mostly
between 1998 and 2001. Some parts of his theorizing may be laughable, as
when he psychologically analyzes the root cause of terrorism:
"Terrorists rarely have successful dating histories. Sexual fears
and humiliation as young adults...may be the single greatest
unrecognized catalyst in the making of a a terrorist." One would
expect a few more white Western terrorists, then, wouldn't they? Still,
goofy moments aside, Peters provides a valuable perspective, and Beyond
Terror is a worthwhile, if not eye-opening, read. Quick Rating: B-.
Purchase: 
god.
Take for example, his notion that missiles, rather than a plane, hit the Pentagon on Sept.
11. He is adamant about this in the book, even though
such a notion not only sounds tinfoil-hat ridiculous, but has been
disproven. He borrows from many 9/11-researchers, including
less-than-credible Thierry Meyssan from France (who actually came up
with the missile theory). While the first half of the book
intertwines itself with some laughable theories taken directly from
others, the second half is where Griffin
makes inroads. Moving away from specificities, "Part 2: The Larger
Context" asks serious questions and examines aspects of the bigger
picture, like "Did U.S. officials have reasons for allowing
9/11?". It makes for intriguing reading, if you can make it through
an irrevocably non-credible Part 1. Griffin is a believer, but we'll have
to wait for a more believable book before the world can agree that the
Bush administration had their hand in the 9/11 attacks. For now, we'll
know that there are problems with the Official Theory - and Griffin has
helped shed light on that. Quick Rating: C+. Purchase: