NationStates Jolt Archive

Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Constitution of the United States of America (1789-1992)
Rights of Man (1791) by Thomas Paine
The Conscience of a Conservative (1960) by Barry Goldwater
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States Senate, Ninety-seventh, Second Session (1982)
The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) by Rush Limbaugh
See, I Told You So (1993) by Rush Limbaugh
A Charge to Keep (1999) by George W. Bush and Karen Hughes
Bush at War (2002) by Bob Woodward
The Threatening Storm (2002) by Kenneth M. Pollack
The Right Man (2003) by David Frum
We Will Prevail (2003) by George W. Bush
A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush (2004) by Ronald Kessler
Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)
Thank You, President Bush (2004) Edited by Aman Verjee and Rod D. Martin
Unfit for Command (2004) by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi

http://www.AWbansunset.com
http://www.communistsforkerry.com
http://www.GrowthDebt.com

I'll agree with everything up to Goldwater. I can respect the man and his opinions, but Limbaugh really doesn't know what he's talking about

george w bush can write? i've heard the man talk, i don't want to try to wade my way through what he's written.

george w bush can write? i've heard the man talk, i don't want to try to wade my way through what he's written.
Here's a sample passage:


"I am the President, George Dubya Bush. And...I am deeply...satisfied....to be...here...on this....glorious...day."

Dakini, my sentiments exactly.

Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Constitution of the United States of America (1789-1992)
Rights of Man (1791) by Thomas Paine
The Conscience of a Conservative (1960) by Barry Goldwater
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States Senate, Ninety-seventh, Second Session (1982)
The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) by Rush Limbaugh
See, I Told You So (1993) by Rush Limbaugh
A Charge to Keep (1999) by George W. Bush and Karen Hughes
Bush at War (2002) by Bob Woodward
The Threatening Storm (2002) by Kenneth M. Pollack
The Right Man (2003) by David Frum
We Will Prevail (2003) by George W. Bush
A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush (2004) by Ronald Kessler
Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)
Thank You, President Bush (2004) Edited by Aman Verjee and Rod D. Martin
Unfit for Command (2004) by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi

http://www.AWbansunset.com
http://www.communistsforkerry.com
http://www.GrowthDebt.com
IMHO I think you do your country a disservice posting deceitful propaganda. Communists for Kerry....get real.
Unfit for Command has kinda been discredited.
Growth.com hasn't been updated since 2001 (I can't imagine why :eek: )

Just a bit on the conservative side, are we?

I'd agree with Pyta, everything after that is the equivilent of propoganda from the right wing. Of course there's liberal propoganda too, but I don't see any of it on your list.

I've skimmed through some of those and most are faily worthless as political commentary or enlightenment material. Beyond Right's of Man it's either fawning boot-lickers or anti-liberal rabid (usually) lunatics. (Rush for example).

I'll agree with everything up to Goldwater. I can respect the man and his opinions, but Limbaugh really doesn't know what he's talking about
Yeah--that sounds about right. At least Goldwater came at you from in front--even though I disagree with much of what he stood for, I can respect that he was man enough to state what he believed, instead of hiding behind empty phrases like "compassionate conservatism."

Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)George W Bush was against the 9/11 Commission. Why did you post that?

George W Bush was against the 9/11 Commission. Why did you post that?
Perhaps Paxania feels--wrongly--that the 9/11 Commission report somehow exonerates President Bush?

i was expecting a list of good classic books everyone should read, but i expected too much from Paxania, i guess icant expect any more than partisan foolishness from those i have on my ignore list, well thats why they are there isnt it

Required reading because we don't get enough conservative propaganda already?

Here, I can sum up the list in one word... BORING! *shudder*

Declaration of Independence (1776)
This is only essential reading for Americans, really. Doesn't hold much interest for anyone else, I'd wager.
The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Meh, some of it's good, most of it is very, very outdated. There are much better things to read if one is interested in the theory or practice of federalism. Interesting historically, but certainly not terribly relevant.
Constitution of the United States of America (1789-1992)
Same as the declaration; obviously Americans should read it, but really, does anyone else need to know the composition of the US government? Probably not.
Rights of Man (1791) by Thomas Paine
Again, outdated. There are much more interesting and relevant works in rights theories. Historically signficant, otherwise not very important (IMO).
The Conscience of a Conservative (1960) by Barry Goldwater
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States Senate, Ninety-seventh, Second Session (1982)
The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) by Rush Limbaugh
See, I Told You So (1993) by Rush Limbaugh
A Charge to Keep (1999) by George W. Bush and Karen Hughes
Bush at War (2002) by Bob Woodward
The Threatening Storm (2002) by Kenneth M. Pollack
The Right Man (2003) by David Frum
We Will Prevail (2003) by George W. Bush
A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush (2004) by Ronald Kessler
Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)
Thank You, President Bush (2004) Edited by Aman Verjee and Rod D. Martin
Unfit for Command (2004) by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi

http://www.AWbansunset.com
http://www.communistsforkerry.com
http://www.GrowthDebt.com

I'm sure if you buy into conservatism, these are fascinating. Sceptics beware, however, because not much of substance here. I've seen Frum speak, and if his book is on the same level, brace for rhetoric.

If you're going to post writings of Thomas Paine, you should include "The Age of Reason" which debunks christian dogma.

Also, I don't see how someone can be a social conservative and still claim to value liberty.

I'd like to have something witty to say here...but I'm a little shocked. Pax...do you really wish those books to be inflicted on everyone? The early books you mentioned are perhaps an abbreviated list of some of the founding documents of the US.

But...Rush Limbaugh?

...Its true that reading the classic, early works of any political movement is considered "getting back to the roots" of a philosophy. Many cultures have their required texts for basic understanding; I've studied Confucian thought to a degree, and I understand that some books achieve a status as cultural foundation far beyond their induvidual merits. That is certainly the case with the Founding Father's works.

But...Rush Limbaugh?

Perhaps if you had filled that list with works that date back no sooner than the 1800's I would've been okay with it. Personally, the farther back a philosophy goes, the harder it is to be riled up about it. Also; there is merit in reading the thoughts and ideas of those you disagree with; just as much as there is merit on brushing up one's own arguments.

But...Rush Limbaugh?

Seriously...Rush Limbaugh? You've got to be kidding me.

Right?

Okay, now somebody compile a liberal list and a libertarian list of "must read" stuff.

Well now your malfunction is out Pax, your simply reading the wrong books. You're still harping Stroms meaningless subcommitee report and Rush Limbaugh? You got to be kidding. After that your list just goes in the toilet. So here's a new list.

Required reading for Pax

The Prophet Kahil Gibran
Johnathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach
Schroedinger's Cat Robert Anton Wilson
The Game of Life Timothy Leary
Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Bio-computer Master and Houston
Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain

Well I could be here all day so lets just say if you come across anything by the following authors; Asimov, Bradbury, Joyce, Salinger, Heller, Kafka, Vonnegut, Read It!

The list above will help start you on a journey of discovery and evolution from someone who cares only about themselves and what they can get for themselves to someone who cares about humanity and what they can do for mankind.

If anyone cares to add to my list, go for it.

I can't believe you guys have left out:

Catch-22
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Slaughterhouse 5 & Cat's Cradle
Brave New World & Animal Farm
1984
Chariots of the Gods
Farenheit 451
The Foundation Trilogy
The Loved One
The Tin Drum
The Time Machine
Frankenstein (forget about the movies, read the book, learn about what it means to be alive and human.

Windows XP inside and . . . wait a bit, scratch that last one. :)

Some other authors I'd recommend: Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, Aldous Huxley, Orwell, Tim Leary, Terrence McKenna, Thomas Paine, and.... I know I'm forgetting a few.

Hell, throw in Anton LaVey, Crowley, and Ragnar Redbeard for shits and giggles. (Fun reads, but take with a handful of salt) ;-)

I've read some of those (Vonnegut, Orwell, Bradbury), I'll see what I can do about the rest.

How about The Iliad and The Odyssey? Or Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, or if you really want a political book, The Prince by Machiavelli. Most of what you listed are barely worthy of being used as toilet paper.

Could you be more specific?

Could you be more specific?

Me?

Yes.

The Rush Limbaugh ones are a joke, yes?

And I thought people would think I was kidding when I wrote to read the Constitution!

That one's quite obvious, though. ;)

Goethe: Faust I and II
Shakespeare: several good books from him (The Plays and Sonnets) such as Romeo & Juliet, Mac Beth, Hamlet
Jules Verne: Voyage au centre de la Terre (Voyage to the center of Earth), Vingt Mille Lieues sous les mers (20.000 miles below the sea)
Homer: Ilias, Odyssey
Smith: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
Emanuel Kant: several books on Ethics
Mark Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (& Tom Sawyer)
Charles Darwin: The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: Manifesto of the Communist Party, Capital
Tolstoy: War and Peace
Nietzsche: On the Genealogy of Morals
Lenin: Imperialism, State and Revolution
Stephen Hawking: A Brief History of Time
Douglas Adams: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Traditional Literature:

The Thousand and One Nights (Oriental)
Ramayana (Indian), The Kama Sutra :)
The Analects (Chinese, Confucius)



The above mentioned books are worth reading about a hundred times more than the original thread starter's list :)

Anyway, call it propaganda if you want, my goal is to make people think like me because I am right. I think these documents are very good at arguing my points, the greatest advantege being that for most of these, you can't argue back!

Now, here is my revised and expanded required political reading list:

Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Constitution of the United States of America (1789-1992)
Rights of Man (1791) by Thomas Paine
"Civil Disobedience" (1849) by Henry David Thoreau
Walden (1854) by Henry David Thoreau
The Conscience of a Conservative (1960) by Barry Goldwater
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States Senate, Ninety-seventh, Second Session (1982)
The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) by Rush Limbaugh
See, I Told You So (1993) by Rush Limbaugh
A Charge to Keep (1999) by George W. Bush and Karen Hughes
Bush at War (2002) by Bob Woodward
The Threatening Storm (2002) by Kenneth M. Pollack
The Right Man (2003) by David Frum
We Will Prevail (2003) by George W. Bush
A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush (2004) by Ronald Kessler
Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)
Thank You, President Bush (2004) Edited by Aman Verjee and Rod D. Martin
Unfit for Command (2004) by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi

http://www.AWbansunset.com
http://www.communistsforkerry.com
http://www.GrowthDebt.com

And yes, I know GrowthDebt.com hasn't been updated since 2001. Mr. Conover writes in an e-mail that he took a new job 3 years ago that has kept him busy.

You still have the Limbaugh books there yet you insist that people won't be able to "argue back" having read them?

Seriously?

You can seriously see people yelling at a book? :/

I do it all the time.

I do it all the time.

I end up throwing the book. Like when I read Ann Coulter's belchings.

Ok, just for fun here is my required reading list, in part:

Required:
The Art of War by Sun Tsu
The Republic by Plato
The History of the Peloponesian War by Thucydides
Nicomachean Ethics and Politics by Aristotle
The Prince and Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius by Nicolo Machiavelli
A Book Of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi
On War] by Carl von Clausewitz

You really should have known what kind of crap that psychotic bitch would come up with.

Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Constitution of the United States of America (1789-1992)
Rights of Man (1791) by Thomas Paine
The Conscience of a Conservative (1960) by Barry Goldwater
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States Senate, Ninety-seventh, Second Session (1982)
The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) by Rush Limbaugh
See, I Told You So (1993) by Rush Limbaugh
A Charge to Keep (1999) by George W. Bush and Karen Hughes
Bush at War (2002) by Bob Woodward
The Threatening Storm (2002) by Kenneth M. Pollack
The Right Man (2003) by David Frum
We Will Prevail (2003) by George W. Bush
A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush (2004) by Ronald Kessler
Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)
Thank You, President Bush (2004) Edited by Aman Verjee and Rod D. Martin
Unfit for Command (2004) by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi

http://www.AWbansunset.com
http://www.communistsforkerry.com
http://www.GrowthDebt.com

Wow, remind me to never read any of these. I steer clear of political books, boring and opinionated.

Anyway, call it propaganda if you want, my goal is to make people think like me because I am right. I think these documents are very good at arguing my points, the greatest advantege being that for most of these, you can't argue back!

Now, here is my revised and expanded required political reading list:

Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Constitution of the United States of America (1789-1992)
Rights of Man (1791) by Thomas Paine
"Civil Disobedience" (1849) by Henry David Thoreau
Walden (1854) by Henry David Thoreau

Having stood the tests of time, these are worth reading.

The Conscience of a Conservative (1960) by Barry Goldwater
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States Senate, Ninety-seventh, Second Session (1982)
The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) by Rush Limbaugh
See, I Told You So (1993) by Rush Limbaugh
A Charge to Keep (1999) by George W. Bush and Karen Hughes
Bush at War (2002) by Bob Woodward
The Threatening Storm (2002) by Kenneth M. Pollack
The Right Man (2003) by David Frum
We Will Prevail (2003) by George W. Bush
A Matter Of Character: Inside The White House Of George W. Bush (2004) by Ronald Kessler
Final Report of the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (2004)
Thank You, President Bush (2004) Edited by Aman Verjee and Rod D. Martin
Unfit for Command (2004) by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi

http://www.AWbansunset.com
http://www.communistsforkerry.com
http://www.GrowthDebt.com

And yes, I know GrowthDebt.com hasn't been updated since 2001. Mr. Conover writes in an e-mail that he took a new job 3 years ago that has kept him busy.

A bunch of current events crud that I doubt will be on any required reading list 20 years from now. None of it could be imaginably be considered required. :rolleyes:

Did I ever say they were classics? I'm trying to reeducate the liberals and compassionate conservatives. If you want classics, talk to Chess Squares.