Van Buren Boys t-shirt

I just received my Van Buren Boys t-shirt that I ordered. If you don't know who the VB Boys are check out this clip from Seinfeld.

Reading off the shipping receipt:
Van Buren Boys AA t-shirt
T-Shirts- Men's AA Tee
Article Number 16937821-6480706
Size: M
Color: brown
Design: 10708342, Flex Print black



The default on the site is olive green but I changed it to brown. I ordered it on Wednesday and received it Tuesday, which is 4 full business days later. The photograph was taken outside where the black ink/plastic looks shinier. It is not shiny in indoor lighting. The shirt itself is American Apparel and is very comfortable.

I should have washed it before photographing it but I was anxious to do the review. You can see a lighter brown rectangle in the photo which I'm sure will wash out (If it doesn't I'll come back and tell you). With black on brown it is hard to see the design unless you're up close, but that's how I wanted it. Also while indoors the brown shirt looks darker as well.

I am extremely pleased with the shirt and I'm sure it will be perfect after the first wash when that slight discoloration goes away. This same design is also available in the less expensive Gildan. I've worn Gildan before and they look and fit good as well. Check out both links if you want different color choices. NOTE: The American Apparel and Gildan browns appear to be different shades on the site. If so, expect Gildan to be a lighter brown.

Update Oct 2011
The original shirt design has now changed. This design now has a red [white] and blue American flag behind Van Buren. It now has an oval surrounding Van Buren instead of a rectangle. Also the printing method is different. It used to be printed with a black "Flex" print, which is what caused the shine in the photo above. It is now a digital print which means that the black shine is gone. The shirt brand is the same so it will have the same sizes and look.



Updated design.

Is "Common Sense" by Glenn Beck any good?

Common Sense
by Glenn Beck
167 pages

Disclaimer: I am still new to politics and I currently have a constitutional/libertarian bent. Glenn Beck's Common Sense is divided into 2 parts. The first is his take on what is happening politically in present day United States, and the second is Thomas Paine's original Common Sense pamphlet. Glenn's version is inspired by Paine's.

Glenn Beck's Common Sense

Glenn's book, like most conservative talk radio, is more about deploring big government and touting conservative principles than saying precisely what he wants changed and how. He makes it clear that we are spending way too much money, but doesn't show exactly where our money is being spent, and specifically what should be cut.

Glenn points out how social security and medicare parts A, B, and D are ponzi schemes that we can't afford, but offers briefly as a solution

"Remember, inverting the population pyramid of the Ponzi scheme is the only way out- although it's an idea that common sense should tell you would only delay the inevitable, since all of those children will also retire someday." pg 29.

Well if that isn't likely, as he implies, what then? Should we end them? If so, how should we end them? All at once or phase them out? Glenn doesn't offer solutions. Why doesn't he just come out and say that these programs need to be ended, since that is what he is implying? All I can come up with is ratings. What would happen to Glenn Beck's ratings if every day on his shows he promoted organizations or legislation that would completely defund these programs? Yet he turns this exact same logic against politicians.

"Social Security and Medicare have been called the 'third rail' of American politics- touch it and you're shot at reelection is fried. That's too bad because the truth is that any serious discussion about these programs will have to address three key things, none of which are appealing to anyone: tax hikes, reductions in benefits, and delayed retirement. Politicians don't win reelection by talking about those things, so they do nothing- and they rationalize it by saying that if they lose an election they won't be able to keep fighting for you and your children. I think common sense tells us what to make of that kind of logic." (pg 30)

Glenn describes the many problems with our complex tax code, and I think his solution is a flat tax. Apparently it worked for the Russians, so that's that. Part of the book is dedicated to accountability in public office with an interesting description of how politicians morph voting districts to suit their agenda (gerrymandering). His solution is term limits on all public servants. He rails against progressivism, which, as he defines it, seems like another word for leftist statism. He points out the absurdity of government intervention regarding the environment, but doesn't bother to actually debunk the need for environmental regulations. Glenn talks about the 2nd Amendment and property and privacy rights and offers rebuttals for readers to use, and then discusses religion.

This book is a wake up call, a call to action, whatever that action is. There are two and a half pages containing the 9 principles of the "9/12 Project" (based on the premise that we felt the U.S. changed for the better after the attacks on Sept. 11), "The 12 Values" (sincerity, honesty, reverence, etc), and a reading list of other books.

While there are many eye-opening facts in the book, I would really only recommend this book to people who have no idea of what is going on in our country politically. And at that, I would just borrow it from somebody else, as Glenn himself suggests on his radio show.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

I won't lie. T.P.'s Common Sense is kind of a dry read for today's standards. If you are like me, you'll need a dictionary to understand what many of the sentences even mean. I do like the beginning where he describes the origin and role of government. He uses deserted-on-an-island types of examples, and takes us back to some of the basics. He discusses the weaknesses of the constitution of England at the time and derides monarchies and hereditary succession.

He then shares his thoughts on American affairs, which is an argument for why the colonies should separate from England. Some of the reasons are the sheer size of the continent in relation to the island of England, the continent's vast resources, maintaining neutrality in European wars, and the physical distance from each other. Many of his arguments do seem like common sense, but others are less clear to me, as I don't have much knowledge of the history.

It is worth the purchase price to have a hard copy of Paine's version alone, though the text is also freely available online. While I don't question his sincerity, I am slightly skeptical of Mr. Beck's intent with this book. This seems like a half-hearted attempt to profit off of his own popularity and the popularity of Paine's version. As I've noticed listening to his radio show, Beck is very taken with being a bestseller and though he denies any comparisons, he clearly is branding himself as a modern founding father. Compare that to Paine who wrote anonymously and donated the proceeds to the Continental Army.

I currently largely agree with many of Beck's ideas, though I would be more inclined to support someone who influences the liberty movement more directly, such as Ron Paul. I recommend "A Revolution" instead. My review of that book: Is Ron Paul's "A Revolution" any good?

Cheapest Shaving Products

If you're done dumping your money on expensive Gillette blades (seriously, $20 or $30 for ten blades?!) and you still cut yourself and bleed with them anyway, just buy the cheapest blades that get the job done and spend your money on something more worthwhile. The below prices may be too high to order from Amazon after shipping costs, but I've included them here anyway in case you don't live near a Walmart or would rather order them in bulk.

Cheapest Shaving Cream. The best, cheapest shaving cream I've used is Barbasol. It's a thick cream that spreads easily and feels good on your skin. The second listing here is bulk price for 12 cans.


Cheapest Blades. Electric razors don't cut close enough and unless you're okay with the hassles of a straight razor, you'll have to go with disposable blades. The cheapest disposable blade I've used is Personna Twin Blade. In Walmart, it's even cheaper than Bic. I think I paid like $1.70 for 12 blades. The second listing here is bulk price, for 50 razors.


Cheapest Aftershave. Old Spice and other brands may smell nice, but if you've got sensitive skin, they sting, and worse yet, leave you with red razor burn. I've switched to Gillette After Shave Gel- Sensitive skin. No sting at all, much less razor burn, and no overpowering aroma. You also only need a tiny dab of gel with each shave, so even the small 2.54 fl. oz. goes far.

Free Market Video Games

Here is a list of computer games (and console games and downloads as well) that promote business principles in a fun way. They teach largely free market principles in that the goals are creation or accumulation of products, services, goods, or lands and selling them at a profit. These are all child-friendly business-educational games.

Theme Hospital


Theme Hospital is just a fun, wacky game where the goal is to run a hospital and meet certain objectives before moving on to bigger hospitals. You build your hospital with many kinds of different rooms and machinery. You hire doctors, nurses, receptionists, and handymen to manage your hospital and diagnose and cure diseases. You must make sure that your design is patient-friendly and able to handle emergencies as you decide which items and machines to place in rooms, regulate prices, train doctors, and control research. Cure imaginary fun diseases such as Bloated Head, Invisibility, Slack Tongue, Uncommon Cold, Heaped Piles, etc.

This is good for a child but also very fun for adults who enjoy micromanagement. You can control the price of your operations and there are competing hospitals. The objectives are based mostly on performance and not necessarily receiving a % of market share. This becomes a challenging game as you progress.

Capitalism 2



This is probably the most realistic business building game I've played so far. Make billions of dollars as you create factories, farms, stores, mining and lumber yards, advertising buildings, and apartment investment properties. There are over 60 products to create, from bread to automobiles. You can control the whole distribution process, or you can grow, mine, and sell your raw materials to your competitors. Each product sells differently based on quality, price, and brand (quality is more important when producing wine, brand is more important when selling cola). There is also a live stock market to invest money as well.

This is a great game but less for its graphics and navigation, and more for its options. You can control as much or as little of a products manufacturing, marketing, and distribution as you want. You toggle between a few different cities in the world and can place your businesses wherever you'd like in the city. Tutorial walks you through how to play and there's different difficulty settings as well. Great all around game, especially for young adults and adults. The closest to a real free market game that I've played.

Monopoly 3

This is exactly like the classic board game Monopoly, but with many rule change options and different map themes which are Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Washington D.C., and of course the Classic Monopoly board. You can also choose your computer's negotiating skill levels, First Time Buyer, Entrepreneur, or Tycoon.

Monopoly of course is not a true free market game, as you're forced to pay rent to others based on pure chance, but this game has taught the very basics of rental properties to millions of people. There is a good deal of luck involved but still some skill when negotiating deals. Perfect for kids or for anyone who loves Monopoly but doesn't have multiple players to spend hours at one time (of course the Save Game function solves the time issue). Not the best of business-minded games, but a classic.

Roller Coaster Tycoon



Roller Coaster Tycoon is another very fun game where you design your own theme park. Choose from thrill rides, mild rides, water rides, food vendors, and souvenir stands. The roller coasters are of course the most fun to build but remember to design safely (you can kill your customers!) and economically, as sections of track cost money. It costs money to hire employees (handymen, security, and entertainers), build rides, build kiosks and bathrooms, change the terrain, destroy buildings, and build queuing areas for the rides. You will also invest in future rides and technologies and basic marketing efforts. You can charge people per ride, an admission to the whole park, or both. The more fun your rides, the more you can charge. Game objectives are based on attendance and profit.

Roller Coaster Tycoon is great for kids and also adults. Designing roller coasters and amusement parks is a fun way to learn basic principles of making money, and even if you already have the basics down, it's still fun to emulate Walt Disney for a few hours.

Note: I have not yet played Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 but the reviews of it are very good, so I added a link to the RCT 2 Triple Pack above because there looks like more theme park options. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 does not have very good ratings, though, so I'd probably just stick with part 1 or 2.

Is "The Revolution" by Ron Paul any good?

"The Revolution" A Manifesto
by Ron Paul
167 pages

As mentioned, I'm still newer to politics, so I first heard of Ron Paul during the 2008 elections. During the debates, I remember him being laughed at on stage by the other Republican candidates, as he was the only GOP candidate opposed to the Iraq war. The major difference between Ron Paul and most other conservatives is his stance on foreign policy. Dr. Paul believes, as did our founding fathers, that we should do everything in our power to avoid intervening in the concerns of other countries. As Thomas Jefferson wrote "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none." Right wing radio-talk and sound byte conservatives mislabel this as "isolationist", and move on to entangle us in hundreds of billions dollars foreign wars (which are declared unconstitutionally).

In my opinion, "The Revolution" is a must-read. It is a wake up call to all Americans, liberals and conservatives. While we argue over pork-barrel spending (0.00045 percent of the federal budget), $400 haircuts, how to add or tweak entitlement programs, or how to re-arrange our tax structure, we are going broke. Both political parties, Republicans and Democrats are to blame. Both parties sell their country out by spending more and more money and pass the buck on to the next generation. But the dollar is becoming worth less and less, and the economy is becoming exhausted, gasping for air and water, while politicians kick the spurs even harder, yelling faster, faster, as they create more wars, pay more corporate lobbyists, and add more entitlements than will ever be paid for.

Congress adds hundreds of billions of dollars and trillions of dollars to our debt. The Federal Reserve prints money out of thin air, which is essentially stealing money from us because that devalues our dollar. Politicians promise no tax increases but when they create more money, that is basically what they're giving you.

The book is divided into 7 chapters.

Chapter One- The False Choices of American Politics. What mainstream debate focuses on, the political choices we make and why nothing changes, the current conservative right and the liberal left, some on his 2008 political campaign.

Chapter Two- The Foreign Policy of the Founding Fathers. Quotes George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, as well as modern authors, how modern politicians ignore or sidestep the constitution, explains difference between non-interventionism and isolationism, nation building, George W. Bush's campaign promises of humble foreign policy and arguments against nation building, Afghanistan Iraq 9/11 blowback and the spreading of terrorism, past American involvements in the Middle East, the American media's role in the war of Iraq, Iran and nuclear weapons, Israel, foreign aid, how much wars cost.

Chapter 3- The Constitution. Contrast between how earliest Americans viewed Constitution and how we view it today, the large power increase of the executive branch, the executive order today vs. then, presidential signing statements, 10th amendment Article 1 sections 8 and 10 and the federal government's and state's roles, the "general welfare" and "necessary and proper" clauses, amending the constitution, war powers, the "living" constitution, the draft/raising armies/compulsory national service, the federal government's role in abortion, racism, and the war on drugs.

Chapter 4- Economic Freedom. Legal plunder, bailouts, lobbying with an example of sugar quotas, how it affects the "forgotten man", repealing bureaucracies and their budgets, National Endowment for the Arts, voluntary associations in early American history, the income tax, social security, medicare, medicaid, HMOs, welfare state, immigration, regulation and the post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy, productive capacity, standards of living, the Federal Reserve, inflation, trade agreements and foreign aid, poverty, Austrian school of economics and Ludwig von Mises, the environment, campaign finance reform.

Chapter 5- Civil Liberties and Personal Freedom. Warrantless surveillance of Americans international telephone conversations and the media, FISA warrants, NSA, 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) interpretations, President Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales double-speak, Terrorist Surveillance Program, threats of officials resigning, Patriot Act and violation of the Constitution, warns what the federal government is now allowed to do, the use of torture, habeas corpus abandonment with the Military Commissions Act of 2006, detainment of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, detainment of AP photographer Bilal Hussein, some details of Ron Paul's own American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007, history of the War on Drugs, other personal liberties including homeschooling and children mental health screening.

Chapter 6- Money: The Forbidden Issue in American Politics. Fundamental problems with our unstable financial structure, the Federal Reserve, Congressional responsibility to maintain the value of money, founding fathers ideas of paper money, going off the gold standard in 1933 and foreign ties in 1971, how the Federal Reserve manipulates the economy, Cantillon distribution effects, inflation, false prosperity or malinvestments, Japan in the 1990s, Greenspan's views on the gold standard and his public denial, the case for commodity-backed currency, the German mark in 1923, financial bubbles and cheap credit, solutions to change the system.

Chapter 7- The Revolution. Disbelieves the notion that Americans don't want liberty but that Americans were not sufficiently taught liberty, recommends additional sources, summarizes the ideas throughout the book clearly stating that the present course is not sustainable economically, how America can gradually drop our dependency on reckless federal dependency programs, what the president in 2008 (apparently not yet elected as of its printing) can do on many issues including the Iraq war.

Mr. Paul also includes a reading list to further study the principles in the book.

As for negatives of the book, I must mention an obvious one. While there is a recommended reading list in the back and he mentions a few websites in the text, there are no source notes throughout the book. Mr Paul has spent a long time in politics and has obviously done a lot of research, but the objective reader should want to follow up directly on some of his facts and statistics. Also, I wish he would have gone into a little more detail in some aspects, such as how a gold standard really works in every day terms, more on pollution, and more on health care. I would love for this book to have been another couple hundred pages.

These discussions have to get out in the mainstream. Other than politicians, I don't know anybody who thinks that auditing the Federal Reserve is a bad idea. I don't know anybody who wants to burden their children and grandchildren with out of control debt or put their security in harm through bad foreign policy. For anyone who has followed the Democrats and Republicans for any period of time or has listened to conservative talk or mainstream media and is frustrated with their inconsistencies, this book is incredibly refreshing.

Is "Liberty and Tyranny" any good?

Liberty and Tyranny- A Conservative Manifesto
by Mark Levin
256 pages

As I said in my 5,000 Year Leap review, I'm still a political newbie, so this is not a be-all end-all review of the book. I first heard of Mark Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny" on the Rush Limbaugh talk show. There was a lot of buzz going on about this book and Rush gave it a glowing review, saying every page was chock full of information. I thought the book was okay, but I wouldn't call it true conservatism.

A big problem I notice in the book (and right wing talk radio in general) is that they always refer to "leftists" or "liberals" as big government statists, ignoring the fact that the typical modern Republican Conservative is big government statist when it comes to military intervention and personal liberties (the left is guilty of this as well). Mr Levin doesn't address many social issues in the book such as civil liberties, abortion, or the war on drugs.

There is a lot of good vs. bad, Conservative vs. Statist [randomly opening the book]

"The Statist must also rely on legions of academics to serve as his missionaries." (pg. 19)...

"The Statist is also assisted by the media, for the media are parasites of the Statist-not the government per se but the Statist." (pg. 21)...

"For the most part the Statist's enemies are the media's enemies, as reflected in their hostility to individuality and private property, and the Statist and the media have kindred spirits in academia and Hollywood." (pg 22)...

Much of Levin's economic arguments make sense to me, but when it comes to Chapter 10 On Self-Preservation, I just can't follow his logic on why the Iraq war was necessary. He downplays George Washington's neutrality arguments, points to the Marshall Plan of 1948 as a successful example of nation building, and suggests that Democracy in Afghanistan can still be a sound objective even if it doesn't take hold. Nowhere did I find a clear explanation of how invading Iraq was essential to our security. Here is all that he says specifically about Iraq:

"Saddam's Iraq had a history of aggressive behavior against America's ally Kuwait (and threatened Saudi Arabia) and had actively pursued nuclear weapons (such as Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, destroyed by Israel in 1981). The United States and its allies no longer face the prospect of a nuclear Iraq under the control of a megalomaniac. For now, at least, it is one less destabilizing threat to American interests." (pg 181-182)

"And does such a purpose and mission exclude Iraq, where Saddam Hussein was terrorizing and brutalizing large segments of the Iraqi population?" (pg 186)

And that's it. The rest is mostly just pointing to other examples of U.S. foreign policy for justification and bashing the Statist's foreign policy. His logic is just unsound to me. Even though the same people that he quotes, like George Washington, says that making allies and enemies is a last resort, that war is an absolute last resort, he more or less sums up his philosophy as:

"The Conservative does not seek rigid adherence to any specific course of action: neutrality or alliance, preemptive war or defensive posture, nation building or limited military strike. The benchmark, again, is whether any specific path will serve the nation's best interests." (pg 183)

Wow, that sounds a lot like the Statist's domestic policy that he rails so much against. No principles, no rules, just force what you want, when you want, in the name of the nation's ambiguous and ever-changing "best interests".

I found this book to be much like that. He makes some good arguments, but his conclusions and how he ties things together don't always make sense. Mr. Levin is very articulate, yet also incredibly simplistic at times, which leaves me wondering what he's leaving out. So if you are unfamiliar with the right wing talk radio version of neo-Conservatism, this is a good book for you. If you are interested in a more principled version of Conservatism, read "The Revolution" by Ron Paul.

Is PLAID clear acrylic sealer good for pencil drawings?

I'm a casual artist and I've always had problems with my finished pencil drawings smearing. The graphite rubs off of my fingers and smears the drawings. To prevent that, I purchased PLAID Clear Acrylic Sealer Matte and tested it out. Note: They also make a GLOSS sealer, which as I understand will make your drawings shinier. This review is of the MATTE.

Here are three dark graphite pencils (3B and 9B) on a plain sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" copy paper. Notice the slightly darker shade of the paper on the right side where the sealer was applied. This darker shade is consistent with other sealers I've used before, even on thicker drawing paper.

As you can clearly see in this photo, PLAID Acrylic Sealer prevents smearing very well (in fact, after I wrote this, just to make sure, I've vigorously rubbed my finger back and forth over the sprayed part and it still didn't smear).

As most artists know, when you scan an image into the computer, it appears differently than it does in actuality. Here is what the same image looks like when scanned into the computer. Notice the slightly darker paper isn't even recognizable (my scanner is set to default settings).

So for casual artists who want a good, inexpensive fixative spray, PLAID's Clear Acrylic Sealer Matte does the job very well. Oh, plus it's made in the U.S.A., which I think is good anyway.



Directions (off of the spray can):

Use on clean, dry surface. For best results, use at room temperature (77 degrees F). Shake can vigorously for 30-60 seconds to mix thoroughly. Spray on scrap piece to test heaviness of spray. Hold can upright 10-12" from surface. For 1st coat, spray in quick, short mists over entire piece. Let dry 15 minutes between coats. For additional coats, spray lightly with a smooth side-to-side motion. Heavy coats may sag or run. After completing project, turn can upside down and spray to keep nozzle from clogging. Before using lacquer over prints, apply 4-5 coats of Clear Acrylic Sealer to prevent prints from bleeding.

Is "The 5,000 Year Leap" any good?

"The 5000 Year Leap"- Principles of Freedom 101
W. Cleon Skousen
310 pages

I am awakening to U.S. politics way later than I should be, even though I voted in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 elections. In every election, I voted against the big government Democratic candidate, naively believing that the Republican choices were any different. I heard about the 5,000 year leap from the Glenn Beck Show, which is someone that I used to watch fairly regularly. Glenn said it's a must-read, so I ordered it. My knowledge of the constitution is shaky at best. I know more of it than most Americans, but that's not saying much. So to me, The 5,000 Year Leap was a pretty good read.

From the beginning, there is a good section describing anarchy-tyranny politics as opposed to the left-right divide we are in. Before the 5000 Y.L., I had only heard of the terms Ruler's law, People's law, or Natural law. It discusses where these terms came from and how our founding fathers implemented them into the Constitution, among many other ideas.

The rest of the book (the brunt of it) is divided into 28 founding principles. Each principle is covered in usually 5-15 pages, sprinkled with quotes from the founding fathers.

1. The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural law.
2. A free people cannot survive under a Republican Constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong. This chapter was interesting to me. After reading it, I realize that any form of government we create will always turn into tyranny if we become immoral and corrupt.
3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders. From the book "...public officials should NOT be chosen if they are lacking in experience, training, proven virtue, and demonstrated wisdom."
   
4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained. I disagree with this one, as I believe morality can be upheld without religion.
   
5. All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible.
6. All men are created equal.
7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
8. Men are endured by their creator with certain unalienable rights.
9. To protect man's rights, God has revealed certain principles of Divine law.
10. The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12. The United States of America shall be a Republic.
13. A Constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14. Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations. Also briefly discusses fractional banking, the Federal Reserve, and our economy of debt.
16. The government should be separated into 3 branches- legislative, executive, and judicial.
17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people.
20. Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
21. Strong local self-government is the Keystone to preserving human freedom.
    
22. A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
23. A free society cannot survive as a Republic without a broad program of general education.
24. A free people will not survive unless they stay strong. Some of the founders' views on national defense.
    
25. Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations- entangling alliances with none. This is probably the most important lesson I took from the book.
    
26. The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27. The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
28. The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to an entire human race.

I don't pretend to be an expert in any of these principles, but this book is probably a great overview of what our founding fathers envisioned for this country. It is amazing to me how much we have turned away from our founding principles and trampled on the Constitution. As far as down-sides to this book. While I have no reason to distrust the author, some of the quotes used seems random or incomplete, so a double-check of the cited sources is probably a good idea (I guess that's true with any book though). There is also a decent dose of religion, so non-believers keep this in mind. Also, since these principles are so numerous, this is more of an idea overview book as opposed to a detailed study (not necessarily a downside, just worth mentioning). So, is the 5,000 year leap any good? Yes, it's a good book, especially as an introduction to the U.S. Constitution.

If you liked this review, you might also like my review of the "The Revolution", Is Ron Paul's "The Revolution" any good?