1 Rockefeller's reputation has a hard-assed businessman is only true up to a point -- he was a real character, and was quite a kind man in many ways, and a philanthropist.

The idea of John D. as an evil "robber baron" was a myth created by the progressives to justify fascist and communist anti trust regulations.  The only "crime" he was really guilty of was reducing the price of gasoline and kerosene.

And yes, Doc Watson is a nice guy and one of the best guitar players who ever lived. LOL, but I still like Chet Atkins, who BTW, was also a nice guy.  I have albums by both.

Maybe there is something in being a Southern guitar hero.

2 Oh Good Morning Monty and happy 4th. I did yard work and bourbon yesterday so I missed the flame war.

LOL, by coincidence what I am currently reading (re-reading) is "Guns of The South" by Harry Turtledove.

3

I had even more contempt for Ben Bradlee after I read his autobiography.  Give it a tumble!

4 I think biographies follow Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crud.   David McCullough's John Adams is definitely one of the 10-percenters  I tend to read more history than straight biographies though.

5 Read the 'Soul of Battle' by Victor Davis Hanson, recently. It's basically three short biographies tied together with a common theme. Good reading, but slow going. The section about Patton is quite significant, especially today. Happy 4th.

6 The book about Colonel John Boyd, while a little uneven, is one of the books that actually affects how I see the world. His OODA loop concept (Observe- Orient- Decide- Act) is very insightful. His personal life may not have amounted to much, but the impact of his intellectual and professional life hasn't trickled out yet.

7 About a family rather than an individual, The House of Krupp is an interesting read.

8 Oh Good Morning Monty and happy 4th. I did yard work and bourbon yesterday so I missed the flame war. Yeah, I know -- I oughta know better than to open a thread about the American Civil War and not expect a flame-war to ensue. And then get involved in it, which is even worse.

9

MJ:  I loved "The Soul of Battle".  I knew nothing about Epaminondas until I read that one.  That and VDH knows how to tell a story.

I read the David McCullough bio of John Adams a few years ago.  I got a whole new appreciation of what Adams was all about.

 

10 The Rockefeller book was superb, but not as amazing as its subject. He was the greatest businessman who ever lived, by a mile.

11
Wow. Google is actually celebrating Independence Day complete with an American flag. Color me shocked.

12 Has any of the Morons read "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers" by Brion Mcclanahan?

Our library does not have it and I would like to read it but it cost $15 for the paperback. If it is a stinker it would be nice to know.

13 Vic, ask at your library about inter-library loans. I've gotten books from university libraries through my local public library that way. Great way to read obscure books without having spend a small fortune buying them.

14 Does "The Complete Filmography of Seka" count as a biography?

15

"Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies"

http://amzn.to/93pZ8H

I'm halfway through it, but so far it's a great book that falls into the "everything you thought you knew about the subject is wrong" category.

16 Vic, ask at your library about inter-library loans. I've gotten books from university libraries through my local public library that way. Great way to read obscure books without having spend a small fortune buying them.

Yes, they do have that here.  All the libraries state-wide are tied in together on a computer database. You can order and place on-hold any book from any library in the State via that on-line database. I have often made use of that feature.

Unfortunately none of the libraries in the state have that book.

17 I read the David McCullough bio of John Adams a few years ago.

That was fantastic, as was his biography of Truman.

18 "everything you thought you knew about the subject is wrong" category.

LOL, my recommendation for that category last week was Michelle Malkin's "In Defense of Internment". If you read the reviews for that one on Amazon you would think she is Adolf Hitler reborn.

That was an outstanding book and it will truly make you mad to read it. 

19 Does "The Complete Filmography of Seka" count as a biography?

Good Morning Herr Morgenholz; is that a real book?

If it is I am sure it would be a Moron best seller.

20 Good Morning Herr Morgenholz; is that a real book?

Mornin', Vic.  Actually, it's a 4 DVD set with commemorative program and bonus bloopers section. 

21 Kicking it old school, I just reread Boswell's Life of Johnson, along with Jackson Bate's bio of the Sage of Lichfield. I still think Boswell may have written the most perfectly realized bio in the history of English literature.

22 That was an outstanding book and it will truly make you mad to read it. 

Posted by: Vic at July 04, 2010 09:18 AM (6taRI)

Yes I grabbed that from my local library a couple of years ago. Great read.

My local library really kicks ass. It's like a "Borders" that lets you take things home for free. They always have everything (lots of conservatives here and they all donate heavily to the library). They have even purchased books that I requested that they did not have. I have never had any other library do that for me.

23 .....and bonus bloopers section.

How can anyone live without the "bloopers" section for porn?

24 MJ: I loved "The Soul of Battle". I knew nothing about Epaminondas until I read that one. That and VDH knows how to tell a story. I read the David McCullough bio of John Adams a few years ago. I got a whole new appreciation of what Adams was all about. ___________________________________________________ John Adams was pretty good. My dad and I have read a biography of most of the main players in the Revolution over the past few years. His favorite was John Adams, but I liked 'His Excellency', which was about Washington. He towers over, and casts a huge shadow across, the country.

25 My local library really kicks ass. It's like a "Borders" that lets you take things home for free. They always have everything (lots of conservatives here and they all donate heavily to the library).

That is another one our library doesn't have. I wound up ordering it from a used book store via Amazon because it was considered a "textbook" at B&N and they wanted a fortune for it as well.

When I get around to cleaning up my book cases I will probably donate it to the library myself. Believe it or not the library here in this small southern town is fairly liberal in outlook.

At least they do carry a lot of the good SF authors.

26

Years ago I read Charlton Heston The Actor's Life Journals 1955-1976. While mostly about his career, he also spoke openly of his family life. There was plenty of insight into how Hollywood worked back then, including his conversations with some of the industry's legends and what it was like to work with various stars. The writing was gracious and humble and eminently readable. It was also, being journals and not "a book," immediate and unstructured, which added to its charm. One comment he made has always stuck with me: that he got so many good roles simply because he could ride a horse.

Unfortunately, it's now out of print.

 

27

Does "The Complete Filmography of Seka" count as a biography?

 I thought that fell under the "Do-it-yourself" books category. 

28 Gospel with Brother Jesse over at wwoz.com y'all. Listen and post at the same time? Even I can do that.

29 My favorite biography is "The Life of Emily Dickinson" by Richard B. Sewall... it was my bible when I was working as a tour guide at the Emily Dickinson Homestead (now the Emily Dickinson Museum) in Amherst, MA.

Second favorite is McCullough's "John Adams." I picked it up after the HBO mini-series and it made me fall a little bit in love with that tubby, conceited, brilliant little man. (I mean Adams, not McCullough!)

Anyone read "Theodore Rex"? That's next on my list for biographies... 

30

I would tend to agree with Monty's assessment of autobiographies. Most of the time the person glosses over the shortcomings to advance what they feel are the "positive" aspects of their lives. Many religious biographies do the same as well, especially if they are written by devoted followers of the book's subject. A few that I have read have bordered on nauseating in terms of the near-sainthood to which they elevate their subjects. One of the exceptions is Daughter of Destiny by Jamie Buckingham, about the late female evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman. While a believer in her ministry, he did not hesitate to point out her shortcomings and insecurities. She could be inflexible and rigid, and prone to being a bit of a hack at times.

Still, even with these pitfalls, I do like to read stories of "real-life" people, because sometimes truth can be stranger (and therefore more interesting) than fiction.

31 I also find biographies of actors or artists or musicians to be amazingly boring and trite I agree for the most part, but there's a biography of Jimi Hendrix called 'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky that's actually really good.

32 Best biography I've read is "With Malice Towards None" by Stephen B. Oates.   It is obviously a Lincoln biography and reads almost like a novel.  Unlike other bios it is not intellectually detached, and ends with a profound sense of loss.

"Stalin: The Red Czar" by Simon Sebag Montefiore is full of wild stories about the perverse dysfunction of the ruling elite in the Kremlin during the 1930's.

IMHO, McCullough's "Truman" is the equal to "John Adams".

33 Happy 4th Fellow Morons! You may never read better biographies than these 2 books written by William Manchester: The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Visions of Glory by William Manchester (1874-1932) The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940 by William Manchester Especially good now that we all seem to be living in our own "wilderness years" with the Obama administration in power. Here's hoping we can mitigate that in Nov 2010 and completely throw the bums out in Nov 2012!

34 I read Surrender is not an Option, John Bolton's bio last year. More interesting than his life were the parts about the goings on at the UN. What a disaster in the making that place is. 

35 Celebrate our birthday like a real founding father. I lost my first copy in a car wreck. How did that happen? Moonshiners Manual , by Michael Barleycorn ... This review is from: Moonshiners manual (Paperback). Moonshiner's Manual is more than just an instruction book for distilling alcohol. Available at Amazon

36 @32 - my older brother took a few courses in college taught by Oates. I always wanted to, but could never get in since I wasn't a History major. Guy's brilliant.

37 Good Morning and Happy Fourth, M&Ms! 

Tuchman's Proud Tower, anything by W. Manchester, Farago's Patton, Reach for the Sky, Hanson's Soul of Battle....and the best autobiography (and my favorite book ever), Beryl Markham's West With The Night.

Thanks and have a great day.

38 well, how do you know this watson character lived an "exemplary life"- it DOES sound like the book is a hagiography if you get that impression, because unless your initials are J.C. none of us are perfect or particularly "exemplary" enough to merit this adulation. My guess would be some of his warts didn't make it into the book, either by design or omission due to inavailability.

39 The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'Ud by Robert Lacey Written in 1983 but very well done.

40 For a biography, The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone is well worth reading. It's actually one of those "novelized" biographies (Michelangelo) with made up dialogue, dramatic arcs, etc., but it hews pretty closely to historical truth in a broad sense. But the real book I want to mention is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. (It's been at the top of the bestseller lists for a while, so it may have already been mentioned ad nauseum.) Anyway, I finished it last night. For it's genre, which I'll call mystery/thriller, I'd give it 4 stars out of 5. The only thing preventing it from being a five is the rare clunky translation. Other than that, it's a very enjoyable read. In a no-spoiler nutshell, it's set in modern Sweden and the protagonist is a Swedish journalist who ends up embroiled in figuring out a corporate/old money/murder mystery. The cast of characters is believably rich without resorting to "types", and one of the secondary characters rapidly becomes the star. She is one of the more compelling fictional characters I've read in a long time. The length is about right, and there are two "continuation" books available, though I have no idea how much overlap the books will have. Be aware that the author is a dead Communist. His contempt for industry, Religion, etc. is clear throughout, but it makes sense in context. There's no "sneaky" Commie subtext, it's quite upfront.

41 As for Churchill, though not biographical, read "The Second World War", Churchill's 6 volume history. 

42 "The Years of Lyndon Johnson" by Robert Caro.  Three volumes and counting, but well worth the trip.
"Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" also by Robert Caro.

"American Caesar" a biography of Douglas MacArthur by William Manchaster

43 I'd like to reccommend Intrepid . It's generally about the original "M" William Stephanson, by a guy of the same name-no relation, the originator of modern British intelligence.  Apparently, Stephenson hadn't wanted the book to just be about him, so the time-line and narrative jump around a little.  Over all it was quite interesting, and a little eerie as well,  as you see the machinazations of the Nazis and what a lot of dedicated people had to go through to be allowed by their government to protect the country they loved.

44 The Rockefeller book was superb, but not as amazing as its subject.
He was the greatest businessman who ever lived, by a mile.

Posted by: TexasJew in Israel at July 04, 2010 08:56 AM (uCXFC)

A number of years ago I received a letter in the mail from my commie city's housing department.  My first reaction was "What are these cocksuckers doing to jam me up this time" but when I opened it, it turned out to be a notification that somebody was doing some research on the life of John D and had documented proof that my house had been the home of his pastor, and that without a doubt Rockefeller had been in my house multiple times.

An Invisible Spectator, the biography of Paul Bowles is an excellent read about one of the strangest fucks who ever lived and also wrote some of the most disturbing short stories I've ever read.

45

I'll have to get the VDH book mentioned above. I've read 2 others of his (and about a million collums), but he's written so many books it's hard to decide when I go to his Amazon page.

I'm also part way through Blacklisted By History - lots of good ammunition to beat up my liberal family members with.

46

Reading?  Yeeaaach!

Travel, on the other hand?  Ohhh yeah!  To Latvia!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/2g6vgwl

 

47 Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Rice .
Burton was one of the most complex and fascinating men in the history of the world .

48

An Invisible Spectator, the biography of Paul Bowles

Who is Paul Bowles?

49 well, how do you know this watson character lived an "exemplary life"- it DOES sound like the book is a hagiography if you get that impression He's not perfect, and the book doesn't make him out that way: he has temper tantrums, and he had a hard time reconciling the public-assistance for the blind that he had to take to support his family. But even his "warts" were admirable because they usually related to his efforts to support his family, and his frustration at not being able to do so. I've met him in person (though a long while back; he's very elderly now), and I've spoken with people who know him quite well. I get the sense from most who know him that he's one of the good 'uns. I'm thankful that there are still a few like that around. I read a biography of bluegrass legend Bill Monroe called Can't You Hear Me Callin' by Richard Smith. It was a decent-enough book, though it tended towards the "dirt-dishing" aspects of the biographic art. In particular, I was surprised to find what a womanizer old Big Mon was. I never got that vibe from him.

50

Who is Paul Bowles?

Posted by: Tunafish at July 04, 2010 09:56 AM (n0ysN)

A writer and musical composer

51 O/T but couldn't resist Monty

This is a must see memorial over at Flopping Aces

http://tinyurl.com/3yox4k8

52 OT:  Ya know why we're boned?  This is absolutely infuriating.

Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko, his budget under pressure in a weak economy, has laid off staff, reduced patrols and even released jail inmates. But there's one mission on which he's spending more than in recent years: pot busts, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

The reason is simple: If the California lawman steps up his pursuit of marijuana growers, his department is eligible for roughly half a million dollars a year in federal anti-drug funding, helping save some jobs. The majority of the funding would have to be used to fight pot. Marijuana may not be the county's most pressing crime problem, the sheriff says, but "it's where the money is."

http://tinyurl.com/38ot2h9

The article further states that he has a budget of 35M dollars.  There are about 180,000 people in Shasta Co.

53 In particular, I was surprised to find what a womanizer old Big Mon was. I never got that vibe from him.

Posted by: Monty at July 04, 2010 10:00 AM (jM/Et)

I'm absolutely shocked by that since bluegrass is such a family-centric genre that depends on staying on the good side of its audience.  Jimmy Martin snaking every bit of cooch he could snag I'd easily believe but Bill's another matter.  Wow.

54 I read a biography of bluegrass legend Bill Monroe called Can't You Hear Me Callin' by Richard Smith.

Looks like you and I have the same taste in music Monty.

55 Ray Charles doing America now at WWOZ

56 I've got The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex in my reading queue.

57 The only musician's bios I read were on Chuck Berry and David Crosby-it was over 20 years ago, I dont remember the titles of either book, but I came away with more respect for Chuck and less for Crosby than when I started.

58

I dare anyone who has read the LBJ trilogy by Caro (fantastic reading) and not come out of it with the feeling that Johnson set-up, then covered up JFK's murder.

Barr McClellan said this in his book about Kennedy's murder and he was blacklisted by the MSM.  McClellan was a young attorney in Ed Clarke's law firm in Ft Worth in 1963. He says Clarke confessed to him, many years after the fact, that he was paid 2 million dollars for his part in the Kennedy murder.

 

59

Marijuana may not be the county's most pressing crime problem, the sheriff says, but "it's where the money is."

They call that collars for dollars.

60 The only musician's bios I read were on Chuck Berry and David Crosby...

The only ones I have read were about Hank Williams Sr. and Elvis Presley. Both were in the category that Monty described as "excuse-making and myth-building".

IOW, they both sucked.

61 Posted by: VoteOutIncumbents at July 04, 2010 10:14 AM (DezMz)

I'll let the rest of you handle this while I have a drink on the veranda.

62
They call that collars for dollars.

I call it a damn fine case for throwing out a shit-pot full of convictions for unconstitutionally arbitrary enforcement.

63 Favorite biographies?

Suetonius 12 Caesars and Plutarch's Lives.

Think about all the wonderful gossip we would have missed out on without Suetonius. He was the Lytton Strachey of the Julio-Claudian line.

With Plutarch, starting with the Gracchi and reading through the lives of Marius, Sulla, Sertorius, Pompey, Caesar, Cicero and the rest you get a pretty good feel for the degeneration and collapse of the Roman political class and the Republic in terms of biography. It is quite an achievement on Plutarch's part, even if it was unintentional.

64 I read The Soul of Battle a few months ago, and it was excellent too.  I'd never heard of Epaminodas either. For those who haven't read it, it is the story of three generals (Epaminodas, Sherman, and Patton) who all led democratic armies on campaigns through the heart of slave-holding societies.

My only quibble with it was I thought VDH gave pretty short shrift to U.S. Grant.  Sherman's march was indeed epic, but he wasn't facing Bobby Lee. Never bring an epee to a bottle fight.

65

With Plutarch, starting with the Gracchi and reading through the lives of Marius, Sulla, Sertorius, Pompey, Caesar, Cicero and the rest you get a pretty good feel for the degeneration and collapse of the Roman political class and the Republic

Why read about it when we're about to relive it ?

66 Its not a biography, but The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich is perhaps one of the most important historical accounts ever written.

67 Any music fan -

Tom Dodd and the Language of Music

http://www.thelanguageofmusic.com/

Tom Dodd was a producer who worked with pretty much everybody from the fifties through the eighties.  He also invented the modern mixing board, worked on multi-track recording, sound engineering, and damn near everything you can think of.

including the Atom Bomb as part of the Manhatten Project - he was a physics major in the early forties.

I caught half of this on a PBS documentary and made damn sure I recorded it the next time around.  It's simply superb.

A Battle from the Start - Nathan Bedford Forrest
Great read - gives the Southern (obviously) side of the Civil War and the motivations and actions of Forrest.  It's not pro-South, but you definitely gain an appreciation of a guy who killed 32 union calvary men  in horse-to-horse fighting and had 31 horses killed from underneath him.

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton
Burton's take on Muslims and Islam is more relevant than you'd think  The urAOSHQ Lifestyler.  Taking a Zulu spear through the face only made him .... angry.  The book does an excellent job at conveying the basic facts of life during The Great Game. 

A Distant Mirror - Barbara Tuchman's biography of Eduard de Coucy the VIIth.    The guy was born to be wrtten about six centuries later - Plagues, Crusades, Intrigue, Killin', Wenchin', and such..  This was France before France got all pussified.  It's a bit of a big book, but the details are fun. 

Chuck Amuck - Chuck Jones, the animator for WB and and other really good full animation stuff, talks about his life, his work, and you get a sense that great art and humor comes from working with other talented people for a horrible boss.   Good life lessons are interspersed throughout - "The ocean does not care" being one of them.  A funny as hell story about the final resting place of Tedd Pierce's mother's cremated remains.  And how we can all learn from the mating habits of actual road runners.

-

But the Tom Dodd documentary is gob-smackingly (in the good sense) good.

68 Believe it or not, I'm reading Stuff Jefferson Said by Christopher Hitchens.

69

Amazon link to Jefferson book:

http://amzn.com/0060598964

 

70 The Starship and the Canoe, about physicist Freeman Dyson and his naturalist son, George.

71 I got nothing, Road to Serfdom.  What else, Wealth of Nations.

OK that will keep you busy for the summer.

Is it too early to start "celebrating"?

72 A Battle from the Start - Nathan Bedford Forrest

OK, a book about a very misunderstood man from the late war of 1861 that I actually haven't read. And our library does have so I have written it down for my next trip

Thanks for the info.

73 Commie green from Energy Probe rips "US government" (but doesn't have the balls to name Obama) over effed-up Gulf spill reaction.

74 Monty, thank you so much for the book threads where I've finally had the nerve to post comments. I'm here at AoSHQ every day-I read almost every thread, but since I'm economically illerate I haven't got much to contribute most of the time. I'm trying to build up some cred here so I can wrangle an invite to the L.A. moron meetup. I work in a TV related field in Los Angeles, so I am starved for conservative conversation/companionship. I've played guitar for 46 years, so I'd like to see a moron's guitar/musicians thread someday.

75
When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect." - Adlai Stevenson
Happy Independence Day Morons !

76 OT and pretty funny

77 I've got The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex in my reading queue. Posted by: Techie at July 04, 2010 10:10 AM

Excellent books! Move 'em to the head of your queue....

TR is maligned these days for "usurping" power, in the same way that drunken fool Joe McCarthy is enjoying revisionist praise for having gone after them eeeeevil commies. Roosevelt simply said "if you won't do it, I will," and bypassed lazy, self-serving politicians whenever he could.

The truth? TR actually got things done, things that were good for the nation. And he loved his country.

If only Osama Obama was .0001% of the man TR was! We need Teddy Roosevelt today. The crusty old bastard would have dealt with our problems instead of making endless inane speeches about them.

Martin Blumenson's bio of Patton is another gem.

78

Yeah, I know -- I oughta know better than to open a thread about the American Civil War and not expect a flame-war to ensue. And then get involved in it, which is even worse.

sorry Monty, your involvement made that exchange all the more intresting.  Who knows, maybe you swayed an opinion, and opened someone's eyes    

I burned lunch reading that.  thanks

Haven't read an autobio in years, in fact, *gasp* as I weed through the shelves,  It Doesn't Take a Hero : Schwarzkopf           that's bad.really bad.   Will start, again, with some of the titles, above.  

79 If we are talking Adolf bio, Portrait of Tyranny still holds up. As for Plutarch, you can watch him on stage under the penname, William Shakespeare.

80

It's not pro-South, but you definitely gain an appreciation of a guy who killed 32 union calvary men  in horse-to-horse fighting and had 31 horses killed from underneath him.

He said that he was one horse ahead when the war ended. He had a sense of humor.

81 @#65

Jeezus, pretentious much? :p that entire paragraph smacks of "ooo, I am so smart, look what I read!"

82 Hamilton by Chernow, The Real Zappa, and Miles by Quincy Jones and Miles.

83 I am nearing the end of the 5 book D'Artagnan series.

This series is a perfect representation of pre-TV, pre-Radio light entertainment.  There is much more romance and MUCH more comedy in the series than you can ever imagine.  Something for everyone.

I'm reading it on Kindle with WIKI open on my computer to research all the characters.  Historical fiction was alive and very well back then.

84

Jeezus, pretentious much? :p that entire paragraph smacks of "ooo, I am so smart, look what I read!"

It made me feel stupid for my ignorant choices - in reading and in my life.

85

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

. . .

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

. . .

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation

. . .

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

. . .

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

86

I read more biographies than novels.  Some of my favorites:

Bad Boy, biography of Lee Atwater by John Brady.

President Reagan: The Role Of A Lifetime  by Lou Cannon.  Best Reagan bio IMO.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris.  Don't bother with Theodore Rex.

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose.  Not a total bio, but the definitive history of the Lewis and Clark expeditions.

Queen of Scots by John Guy.  So good I immediately read it again.  If you think you know anything about Mary, Queen of Scots, you don't.  She is my personal heroine and this book only made her moreso in my eyes.

A History of God by Karen Armstrong.  She is criticized nowadays for her naive defense of Islam, but this book is a stunner, sort of a biography of God and the history of monotheistic religion. 

Ted Williams by Leigh Montville.  One of the best sports bios ever. 

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand.  A biography of a horse that is as good as any ever written about a human. 

I just finished a fantastic brand new bio of Henry Clay called Henry Clay: The Essential American.  If you are tired of the cult of Andrew Jackson, this book will be a tonic for you.  Jackson and Clay hated each other's guts and their political battles make today's politics look like patty-cake.  Clay was alarmed by Jackson's tyrannical anti-democratic rule and the corruption of his Administration.  He was amazingly prescient about the growing and insidious power of the federal government.

87 Speaking of Jefferson who was the author of the Declaration of Independence that we are celebrating today, let is not forget that he died on this day in 1826.

He was undeniably the best President in history regardless of what those liberal historians say about FDR (the worse). 

88

He was undeniably the best President in history regardless of what those liberal historians say about FDR (the worse). 

We may have a contender now. (For worst that is)

89

_{He was undeniably the best President in history regardless of what those liberal historians say about FDR (the worse).} 

I'll deny that.  Jefferson was not a leader of men nor was he a man of action.

90

Tom Dodd and the Language of Music

That sounds right up my alley. I'm reading Flowers in the Dustbin, a somewhat long winded account of the genesis of rock and roll but I'm a huge music dork so I eat shit like that up.

As far as biographies go, I'm also a sucker for pirate stories. I just recently finished Empire of Blue Water, a biography of Henry Morgan that also delves into the geo-political crossfire between Britain, Spain and France during the 17th century and details the brief history of the pirate haven in Port Royal, Jamaica.

It's enormously entertaining and doesn't hold back on the bloody details.

91

Oh, yeah.

Happy Independence Day to all of you filthy racist tea-baggin' morons!

92 We may have a contender now. (For worst that is)

True, right now I consider LBJ the second worst with the current Obama at 3rd. I am sure that by the end of his term he will have beat out LBJ and will be knocking at number 1 on the bad-o-shit meter.

93 89 Speaking of Jefferson who was the author of the Declaration of Independence that we are celebrating today, let is not forget that he died on this day in 1826.

He was undeniably the best President in history regardless of what those liberal historians say about FDR (the worse). 

Posted by: Vic at July 04, 2010 11:12 AM (6taRI)

--I disagree.  That would be the Daddy of our country, George Washington.  You got the right state, though.

94 Don't you stupid CONS understand words?!?!?!

95
It's America's birthday once again.  Happy Fourth to all you Morons™. For many of us, that means a three-day weekend. Time for parades, barbeques and fireworks!

Celebrating our nation's founding is a good thing. But the Fourth of July is about more than having a party. It's also a time to remember why our nation was founded.


Syphilis was common to the troops under General George Washington's command. The malady came from prostitutes who plied their wares on the outskirts of the Continental Army's encampments. Washington ordered that the penalty for any of his troops contracting syphilis was that soldier had to pay for his own medical treatment.
 
That was four dollars for enlisted men. Ten dollars for officers.
 
Something to think about on Fourth of July. War was and always will be hell.

The Best to you Guys..always,
SiM

96

prof clocks in with the Truth.

Washington Defined the Role of President, he also shed the would be mantle of the 'American King'. 

Jefferson would not have been so keen to step down.

97 Damn it Raykon, you were supposed to study your notes for the Russian Lit exam, not get stoned and listen to Led Zeppelin, you fuckin' idiot!

98 --I disagree.  That would be the Daddy of our country, George Washington.  You got the right state, though.

I take off a few points on old George because he was a "Federalist" (even as he decried parties). They were the big government advocates of the time.

99 My wife and I recently read an autobiography that we expected to be some light haha and bullshit, but turned out to shockingly powerful and moving. Craig Ferguson's American On Purpose is a damn good book. He's a bit of a lefty, but I wondernif his heartnis really in that, given the content of his life and general view of people.

100 Speaking of Jefferson who was the author of the Declaration of Independence that we are celebrating today, let is not forget that he died on this day in 1826.

As did his very good friend and foe, James Monroe.

101 As did his very good friend and foe, James Monroe John Adams.

Posted by: huerfano at July 04, 2010 11:25 AM (rqC5o)

102 Fuckin' sock!

Well, I figured Raykon's roommate was smarter anyways. . . .

103 Four of the first five presidents were Virginians, and did not go to Harvard.

Just sayin', is all . . .

104 Happy Independence Day M&M's.


Be safe and eat well and God Bless our Brave Troops and their Families.

105 Best biography I ever read was about the life of U.S. Marine General "Chesty" Puller.  Amazing man.

106 but I still like Chet Atkins, who BTW, was also a nice guy. One thing that I always admired about Chet Atkins is his humility. He always described his jaw-droppingly awesome guitar ability as "a little bit above below average".

107 Posted by: Vic at July 04, 2010 11:20 AM

Dude.

LBJ worse than Osama Obama? No-freekin'-way.

Even Franklin Pierce was better than the Traitor-in-Chief.

Granted, Pierce was an incompetent and Landslide Lyndon was a crook, but they were, at a minimum, patriotic Americans, no matter how reprehensible in other ways.

Can't say that about the Mohammedan Mouthpiece. Read the Declaration of Independence -- if enough modern-day Americans understood what it says and were willing to stand up for it, the Chicago Jesus would be led away from the White House in handcuffs. Today. A majority of Congress would have to go, too.

108 I just finished Eric Clapton's autobiography. It was actually a good read. I never would expect a musician to be able to put 2 sentences together coherently but he pulled it off.

And Happy 4th to all Americans even if 26% have no fuckin clue why we're celebrating today.

109

As a reminder, you can't do better than The Declaration of Independence. It clearly establishes the principles America was created to protect and promote. It is one of the defining documents of our history.

The National Archives has a digital copy of The Declaration on display. It also provides a full transcript and interesting historical information. I strongly encourage every Moron™  to visit the Website this weekend.
I hope you and your family have a safe, happy Fourth!

110

I'd like to second "A Distant Mirror" by Tuchman, already mentioned above.  It's an amazing piece of scholarship, like most of Tuchman's works, but it reads like a beach novel. Meaning, you won't be able to put it down, if you have any intellectual curiousity left in this postliterate Age of Twitter.

Another masterpiece is Mira Sandoz' "Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas."  You think you know something about the American Indian's response to his lands being ripped away from him by the Europeans?  Step into this great man's moccasins, and see if you can handle the truth.  You can't handle the truth! 

111 LBJ worse than Osama Obama? No-freekin'-way.

My gauge is who did the most lasting harm to the country. Obama has only been in office 18 months and hasn't had time to destroy us yet.

112

_{They were the big government advocates of the time.}

Federalism was a necessary step to creating the Country.  The one thing that tempered the Federalists was Honour and Duty.  When you remove the individuals from the Federalist perspective they seem to be pro-government; in reality, they were Pro Success.  The Federalists understood the necessary evils of Big Government, but also understood that our nascient gov't needed to be succesful beyond all else.

This is the problem with labeling Hamilton as such.  You need to temper the accusations of/towards Hamilton with slander he suffered at the hands of Jefferson.  Jefferson violated the rules of the Continental Congress in order to snipe at Hamilton and labeled him for all of history as something he was not.

113 It is one of the defining documents of our history.

And it has a map for finding hidden Templar treasure on the back!

114
There are idiots out there who cannot figure out who the bad guy is.


Who is it?

115

but I still like Chet Atkins, who BTW, was also a nice guy.



One thing that I always admired about Chet Atkins is his humility. He always described his jaw-droppingly awesome guitar ability as "a little bit above below average".

I have a great video of Chet jamming with George Benson and Earl Klugh on Mahna de Carnival.

116 My gauge is who did the most lasting harm to the country. Obama has only been in office 18 months and hasn't had time to destroy us yet.

Posted by: Vic at July 04, 2010 11:31 AM (6taRI)

--Is it true, or only apocryphal, that LBJ said something to the effect of: "If we get this Great Society passed, the n*****s will be ours for life"?

117

Biograpies, huh Monty? The most recent one was Eric Clapton's. Less a focus on music than on his spiritual journey. He writes like he talks. And glosses over stuff like banging Carla Bruni. Next time, Mr. Slowhand, more music and babes, please.

If you're into modern jazz and hearbreak, Jaco Pastorius's bio by Milkowski chronicles the rapid rise and tragic descent into mental illness and drug abuse of the "world's greatest bass player." He was right about one thing: it ain't braggin' if you can back it up. And he could back it up.

I read David Crosby's autobiography (signed, no less). He just wanted everyone to know that he himself was singlehandedly responsible for the hippie movement in the US, just in case you didn't already know. That and he had the ability to smoke a crack bong on an airplane without getting caught. A true role model if there ever was one.

118

_{Is it true, or only apocryphal, that LBJ said something to the effect of: "If we get this Great Society passed, the n*****s will be ours for life"?}

That was me, and it's a misquote.

119 Is it true that Crosby's bio was written on his 1st Liver?

120 A strong seconding of William Manchester's unfinished Churchill biography. The second book, The Last Lion, is my favorite piece of biographic writing of all time. It chronicles Churchill's lonely years of speaking out against appeasement to an audience that did not want to hear it -- and which finally turned to him when events made it clear he was right all along. It seems odd to recommend a Churchill bio which will leave you hanging just as Churchill assumes the prime minister position, but this is really not to be missed.

I'd make nearly as strong a recommendation of Manchester's biography of MacArthur, American Caesar. The guy can really write, and put a compelling narrative to events. Of his other books, I'd especially point to his personal memoir of the Pacific war, Goodbye, Darkness.

121 LBJ was a slimeball's slimeball.  He fucked up a war and ruined a generation.  He brought us Medicare.

FDR was a socialist, womanizing bint.  A blue blood shitstain.  May urine flow on the ground that holds his rotting bones.

Jimmy Carter was just that.  Jimmy Carter.  A joke of a human being.

Woodrow Wilson was a fascist that didn't have the advantage of a critical mass of Jews to blame. 

Obama is a Communist, or would be if his intellectual prowess rose past the infantile ramblings of the average sophomore Womyn's Studies major.  He has now been President for 18 months, the longest he has ever held a single job.

It's a tough call.

122 On Writing by Stephen King is quite good.

123

You & Your Johnson

124 As did his very good friend and foe, James Monroe John Adams.

Psst, James Monroe also died on July 4.

_{Although, I did conflate Adams and Monroe.}

125 Sing "God Bless America" at least once.  The Scouts need the money (don't tell the democrats about this).

"In 1940 Irving Berlin established the God Bless America Foundation, with all royalties from its performance earned by either Berlin or Miss Smith going to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America"

126

 Is it true that Crosby's bio was written on his 1st Liver?

Why yes, yes it was. It ends with his reunion with his son, which was kinda nice. Other than that, meh.

127 #126

I like your tone!  Preach it brother!!

128 Jimmy Carter was just that.  Jimmy Carter.  A joke of a human being.

Jimmy Carter was too incompetent to do a lot of lasting harm. His great harm was Iran and the Panama Canal.

But one thing, he is getting a lot worse with age. Hell, if he doesn't do us a favor and die soon he may even catch up with LBJ.

129

_{On Writing by Stephen King is quite good.}

Is there a Chapter on Ending a Book properly, or does he phone in the ending on that one, too?

 

130 My gauge is who did the most lasting harm to the country. Obama has only been in office 18 months and hasn't had time to destroy us yet.
Posted by: Vic at July 04, 2010 11:31 AM

Ya think?

I'd say history will be far harsher on Osama Obama than on Johnson. And justifiably so. I just hope we're around to read an honest historical view of the man who is on his way to reducing this country to Third-World-hellhole status.

131

Herr Morgenholz at July 04, 2010 11:40 AM (LJV+2)

While it's not a biography, Men in Black by Mark Levin showed me that in addition to some awful Presidents, we've had some real nutcases on the Supreme Court.  

How did we make it this far?

132 Tunafish,
Why read about it when we're about to relive it ?

Yeah, I get that feeling too.

133

And a happy 4th to all!

 May your booze flow freely, your grill not burn the shit out of whatever you're cooking and law enforcement pass you by with a wink and a nod!

Me, I'm already half in the bag and it's not even noon. I'm celebrating our nation's independence by drinking heavily, grilling some dogs and shooting bottle rockets at my pain-in-the-ass neighbors.

God Bless!

 

134 we've had some real nutcases on the Supreme Court. 

When you have nine in black robes, posterity demands you refer to them as "The Nazgul".

135 I am a little short on Hobo Ribs, anybody got extra?

The dog next dog, the one barking, is looking mighty tasty.  If his owners don't get back from church soon, my problem might be solved.

136
This song brings me to tears as I think of our brothers, fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers that have fought for our freedom. God Bless America.
Fuuuck, I can't deny this song makes me proud to be an American. I'm a born Yankee, and PROUD American!
Fuck OVomit!

137

Posted by: ErikW at July 04, 2010 11:48 AM (8RNJv)

No, no.  Just something in my eye.  It's OK.

138

Stephen King is an irredeemable moonbat now.  I'm a fan, too, at least I enjoyed the bulk of his books.  I'm looking forward to seeing him attempt to explicate the evil of this administration, the way he blamed everything bad in America on The Bush-Cheney Axis of Pure Evil. 

Asswipe.

139 Best biography I ever read was about the life of U.S. Marine General "Chesty" Puller.  Amazing man.

If I didn't know anything about who he was, with a name like that, I would've sworn it was the name of a porn starlet.

140
This song brings me to tears as I think of our brothers, fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers that have fought for our freedom. God Bless America.
Fuuuck, I can't deny this song makes me proud to be an American. I'm a born Yankee, and PROUD American!
Fuck OVomit!

Posted by: sickinmass at July 04, 2010 11:48 AM (tamie)

Excellent song sim, one of my favorites from Cash.

141 If his owners don't get back from church soon, my problem might be solved.

Sweet and sour or teriyaki?

142 Is there a Chapter on Ending a Book properly, or does he phone in the ending on that one, too? Said chapter being distilled down to "space aliens did it".

143 O/T

Great July 4 news:

The estimates keep climbing --freed Lockerbie bomber may live as long as 10 years

144
Great July 4 news:

The estimates keep climbing --freed Lockerbie bomber may live as long as 10 years

Posted by: logprof at July 04, 2010 11:50 AM (BP6Z1)

Not too bad for being terminally ill.

145 Said chapter being distilled down to "space aliens did it".

It's the coke.  We just point and laugh.

146 #148

Watford's BBQ sauce from Bishopsville, SC. 

You know the home of the SC Cotton museum?

147 While it's not a biography, Men in Black by Mark Levin showed me that in addition to some awful Presidents, we've had some real nutcases on the Supreme Court.

Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court by Jan Crawford Greenburg is another good one that will open your eyes. It also explains why Kennedy flip flops so much.

It is well worth checking out from your local library.

148 Not too bad for being terminally ill.

Posted by: Blazer at July 04, 2010 11:51 AM (t72+4)

According to the stats, I'm terminal and only have 39 years.

149 Whhoooopthieeee.

150 Not too bad for being terminally ill. A Barrett M82 has an effective range of around 1800 meters, give or take. I'm just sayin'.

151 It also explains why Kennedy flip flops so much.

I'm surprised he hasn't choked on his tongue.

152

Great July 4 news:

The estimates keep climbing --freed Lockerbie bomber may live as long as 10 years

Posted by: logprof at July 04, 2010 11:50 AM (BP6Z1)

Not too bad for being terminally ill.

Posted by: Blazer at July 04, 2010 11:51 AM (t72+4)

I used to pull that terminally ill stuff on dates in my 20's  it never worked for me!

153 The Lockerbie bomber and Elizabeth Edwards both will be in their eighties when they finaaly kick it.

154 "dale's Seasoning" (don't add salt) great for any type of meat but best for chicken or ribs.

155 #150

Would make for a fun Special Ops. Terminal could be terminal.  Chickenshit Brits won't do a thing, except sell them more oil equipment

156 Posted by: 'Nam Grunt at July 04, 2010 11:55 AM (VunGZ)

If you give one more description of what your ass is grilling or shucking or working on for chow, I'm gonna fly down there and burn your house!

But not the part with the freezers.  That would be a waste.

157 How about some more music from a true American original?

158 166,

Just sharing my enjoyment of life from time to time, I earned it the hard way.

159
Would make for a fun Special Ops. Terminal could be terminal.  Chickenshit Brits won't do a thing, except sell them more oil equipment

Too bad Samuel Whittemore isn't still around. "Yeah, I got this ballsac down in northern Africa. The owner? Alas, he died suddenly."

160 Watford's BBQ sauce from Bishopsville, SC. 

You know the home of the SC Cotton museum?

CHS BBQ sauce from Florence, SC is better.  And the Cotton Museum??? I actually stopped in that place years ago on my way back from I-20. I was vastly underwhelmed. 

Maurice's BBQ sauce from Columbia is also good if you can find it. The NAACP has forced most stores to pull it from their shelves. 

161 Just sharing my enjoyment of life from time to time, I earned it the hard way.

Posted by: 'Nam Grunt at July 04, 2010 11:58 AM (VunGZ)

Happy 4th, y'old bastard.  So what ARE you getting ready to burn?  You always make the best shit.

162

Washington's General by Terry Golway looks at another self taught soldier, the Quaker General, Nathaniel Greene.  I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed A Battle from the Start.  

I can't say enough about Wellington: The Years of the Sword, by Elizabeth Longford.  Her second volume, Wellington: Pillar of State is also very good, but as it covers his later political career the material isn't as intrinsically interesting to many readers of Sword.

For a highly enjoyable change of pace, try Bring on the Empty Horses by David Niven.  It isn't a standard autobiography. (Niven told his own story in The Moon is a Balloon.) Instead it is a compilation of stories you know the gossip loving Niven had been telling for years. In four decades in the film business, Niven brushed shoulders with a great many characters.  He portrays these encounters with grace, style and immense good humor.   I seem to recall that he said about Errol Flynn, with whom he briefly shared a house  "He was a wonderfully reliable friend. No matter what, he always let you down."

163
>>It's the coke.  We just point and laugh.

First it's those damn vuvuzela horns that make watching the World Cup games like our psy-ops troops using loud music at Waco or to bring Manuel Noriega out of hiding.
 
Then there's these brightly painted World Cup trophies made out of cocaine.
Hey, it's soccer. What else is there to say about the Third World's most watched sport?
 
Oh, yeah. Have no fear. Everything's just fine on the Mexican border.

164

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at July 04, 2010 11:49 AM (LJV+2)

I'm raising a PBR to you, Morgenholz. Are you getting wasted or do you have to be a responsible today? Or is that a dumb question?

165 If you want some kick ass hot BBQ sauce, this is it. 

Black family's secret recipe and it's cheap.  It's Eastern NC vinegar based.  No mustard, a little tomato sauce.

http://tinyurl.com/28qrocp

166 I found this book online a while ago and read it.  Pretty fascinating stuff.  It about Duane Thorin and his time as a POW during the Korean war.

A Ride to Panmunjom

167 173,

Pork ribs (2 racks) are smokin' now and later I'll throw a huge hen on, homemade tater' salad and pintos w/onions and stuff, and homemade cornbread. Lots of beer throughout the day.

168

"Dale's Seasoning" (don't add salt) great for any type of meat but best for chicken or ribs.

Sauce of the gods. Made in Birmingham, AL. Put it on anything (especially your neighbor's annoying dog), but only do it once. If you put it on a thick steak, be sure to paint the sides too, not just the top and the bottom.

*ahem*  And I am proud to say that I introduced Dales' to O'town when I moved down here in the late Eighties. I took a bottle to a Publix store manager and asked him to please stock it. Two years later, it was found in Publixes everywhere.

You're welcome.

169 How about some more music from a true American original?


How about that same American Trilogy from the guy who put it together?


_{Better version, IMHO.}

170 I'm raising a PBR to you, Morgenholz. Are you getting wasted or do you have to be a responsible today? Or is that a dumb question?

Time will tell on the wasted part.  Nowhere to go.  Watched the big fireworks show last night.  My dog just now came out from under the neighbor's deck. Heh.

Damn.  I rate a PBR?  Sweet.  A happy 4th to all of you unwanted, unkempt heathen.

Just trying to determine what animal will be permanently disfigured by a healthy application of propane, oxygen, and heat.  I've got a dozen meat chickens to do in today, which Frau wants to boil down and can for winter, so I'm leaning toward a beef product.

171 I've read Bios on Hitler, George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Col. David Hackworth, come to mind, maybe a few others that don't.

172 Er, Nam Grunt?  What was that address again??

173 How about that same American Trilogy from the guy who put it together?


_{Better version, IMHO.}

Posted by: huerfano at July 04, 2010 12:03 PM (rqC5o)

--Never heard of 'im.  Inneresting.

174 Pork ribs (2 racks) are smokin' now and later I'll throw a huge hen on, homemade tater' salad and pintos w/onions and stuff, and homemade cornbread. Lots of beer throughout the day.

*shakes fist*

175 I also find biographies of actors or artists or musicians to be amazingly boring and trite. For a book that is neither trite or boring, check out X Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Ray Davies Yes UNAUTHORIZED AUTOBIOGRAPHY. It is exactly what you would expect from the former leader of the Kinks.

176 How's my ass taste General? Posted by: Sitting Bull at July 04, 2010 11:55 AM (5I8G0) Fuck you, jackass. You never left your tent that day.

177

We have 16 liberals coming over for dinner and fireworks. We have a great view of the community fireworks show from the backyard. I will pretty much keep quiet while surronded by the enemy, and keep busy cooking Jambalaya and such.

Have a wonderful Independence Day morons!

178 Oh, and speaking of 'Nam Grunt and CDR M and all the rest of you lowlifes, cattle rustlers, retards, and shitstains that not only inhabit this basement of a blog, but also served our nation honorably in uniform, please know that this day is yours too, and that a certain family in Ohio thanks you profusely for your service, and I personally thank you for the fact that my children are growing up in freedom.

May God bless you.

179 For a book that is neither trite or boring, check out X Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Ray Davies Yes UNAUTHORIZED AUTOBIOGRAPHY. It is exactly what you would expect from the former leader of the Kinks.

Posted by: jimmytheleg at July 04, 2010 12:07 PM (m76xv)

--The first book I saw characterized as an "unauthorized autobiography" was "Once Around the Bloch" by Robert Bloch (creator of Psycho, among other things).

180 I've never thought of myself as much of a biography fan.  After reading through this thread, I'm surprised at how many of the books mentioned I have read.  Guess I'm more of a bio fan than I thought.

181

@187

Now that thar is jus about as perfect an ass as I ever saw. A man could write poetry about that ass. A man could tear up looking at that ass. That ass could launch a thousand ships...

182

Ok, here's a pic to get the 4th started!  Better than the new Wonder Woman in the side bar.

In my mind I see Sarah Palin in that costume.

183 Damn 'Nam I thought I was full until you posted that. Got up this morning and fixed eggs, steak, and grits. I'm always hungry after a porch rocker day.

But now I am hungry again.

184 We have 16 liberals coming over for dinner and fireworks. M80, Liberal squeekhole. Some assembly required.

185 Another good read is Turncoat, by Morris R. Wills.

He drank the Kool-Aid -- a Korean War POW who defected to Red China -- and lived to write about it. Friends who have been to China confirm much of what Wills wrote about.

Osama Obama should read this book. He still believes in the "worker's paradise;" Wills saw the ugly side of it.

186 Thirty years ago, I and 20 other single idiots, use to give a pig picking on the 4th, since most of them were lawyers and that year the 4th was on a Wednesday.

It was mostly to pick up women.  Well, we had quite a good time of it, four years later we were cooking 900 pounds of Boston butts and giving away 120 kegs of beer.
 
We were VERY popular!
 
Cooking that much meat takes all damn night, so most of the hosts were too hung over to really enjoy the event.

Of course, when you have 2-3,000 of your closest friends over, it gets to be quite a production.  Dram Shop laws shut us down, we couldn't afford insurance for the event. And then most of us got married, so the motivator, picking up women sort of got lost.

187 198,

Better yet charge admission to the cockholsters, they won't be back, proved it already a couple of years ago.

188 And then most of us got married, so the motivator, picking up women sort of got lost.

We used to do those overnight pig-picken things too. Damn it got drunk out. Yeah, marriage and MADD kinda killed them.  

189
Got up this morning and fixed eggs, steak, and grits. I'm always hungry after a porch rocker day.

But now I am hungry again.

Posted by: Vic at July 04, 2010 12:11 PM (6taRI)

I recommend a BLT to round out your cholesterol binge.

190 187 Ok, here's a pic to get the 4th started!  Better than the new Wonder Woman in the side bar.
http://3m0y.sl.pt

Posted by: CDR M at July 04, 2010 12:05 PM (5I8G0)

Yup,you guessed it, so now I am no longer honor-bound to hold back: I did Wonder Woman too!

191 I recommend a BLT to round out your cholesterol binge.

LOL, my two eggs is the monthly allotment on my heart disease diet. (< 200 mg cholesterol per day average)

192 206 OT, but here are some new clips from Predators.
http://3m15.sl.pt

Posted by: CDR M at July 04, 2010 12:21 PM (5I8G0)

--It better be an improvement over that AvP shit.

193 #204

Vic,

They sure were fun!  We got so big it became a must stop for the local politicians.  That was always fun, stoned drunk lawyers trying to talk after they have been up all night and smelled like Pig fat.  The TV interviews were always, thank God, destroyed by friendly media that we have gotten screwed up the night before.

194 That was always fun, stoned drunk lawyers trying to talk after they have been up all night and smelled like Pig fat.

LOL, all we got was rednecks.

195 Didn't read all the comments, so sorry if this has been mentioned. Ted Nugent has a new live album with all the hits on Amazon for $0.76. If you have lib company coming over to celebrate, I can't think of a better soundtrack!

http://tiny.cc/cp626

God Bless Ted. God Bless the United States of America. God Bless you friggin' morons!

196 Since we are up to 200 comments now I'll repost this:

This is a must see memorial over at Flopping Aces

http://tinyurl.com/3yox4k8

197 Eddie Rickenbacher, the World War I fighter ace, has a fascinating autobiography. He began as a race car driver, moved on to airplanes, was the top ace in WWI, became the head of Eastern Air Lines, survived on the open sea after one of his EAL planes crashed. He was also an adamantly opposed to Roosevelt's New Deal, stating it was socialism. So, he's a true American Hero: daredevil, war hero, entrepreneur, and defender of liberty and enemy of statism. A terrific read.

198 214 Vic,

That was great.

199 Happy Independence Day Morons

200 That was great.

Posted by: 'Nam Grunt at July 04, 2010 12:34 PM (VunGZ)

Yeah, wasn't it though. The one with the little girl hugging the statue kinda got to me.

201 #215

Eddie also long time head of Eastern Airlines, which ran the East Coast in the 50's, 60's and 70's.

Home of the famous "Eastern Airlines' Mystery meat"  Served daily with potatoes.

202 #191--why thank you, sir. I'll tip one for ya during the grillwork today.


   And for ALL the rest--please have a happy 4th.

203 191 Oh, and speaking of 'Nam Grunt and CDR M and all the rest of you lowlifes, cattle rustlers, retards, and shitstains that not only inhabit this basement of a blog, but also served our nation honorably in uniform, please know that this day is yours too, and that a certain family in Ohio thanks you profusely for your service, and I personally thank you for the fact that my children are growing up in freedom.

May God bless you.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at July 04, 2010 12:08 PM

What he said!!!!11!!!

204 Too much book learnin ruins yer shootin eye.

205 This thread is getting as old as the dead hobo in my refrigerator. 

I guess Ace and crew are out with the "womens" drunk somewhere.

206 Remember to celebrate the Fourth of July safely and responsibly!

207 219,

Upon my return from my 1st tour I was greeted by some hippies at the entrance to SF Intl. no hugs but one of them spit on my jump boots, somewhere in SF an old hippie is wandering around with no teeth hopefully the cockholster died a long time ago.

208 225 Remember to celebrate the Fourth of July safely and responsibly!

And STAY away from that damn turkey fryer!

209

Posted by: 'Nam Grunt at July 04, 2010 12:34 PM

Here's you and the rest!!

We had a neighborhood gathering last night and the highlight of the evening was the vieiwing of the documentary that one neighbor made of the local lads who never made it back from Viet Nam. He had made several trips over there for research and found out a lot of stuff that gave comfort and closure to a lot of the families.

 

210 Upon my return from my 1st tour I was greeted by some hippies at the entrance to SF Intl. no hugs but one of them spit on my jump boots, somewhere in SF an old hippie is wandering around with no teeth hopefully the cockholster died a long time ago.

The only problem I had flying into SF was with the damn Harry Cristnahs and totin' my sea-bag to the military phone because when I asked the asshole at the military kiosk if I could leave my sea-bag he says "sure, but sure as hell someone will steal it". .

211 Hah, new thread up from Gabe.

212 229,

I met them too, but I just growled and told them to get the fuck away from me and they did. HAHA

213
Two autobiographies that definitely do not fall into the category of crap: Personal Memoirs by U.S. Grant, and William Tecumseh Sherman's Memoirs. Both have plenty of special pleading, of course, but both are remarkably well written and remarkably candid.

John Keegan called Grant's work "magnificent", and perhaps the finest study of war by any general. Well worth reading.

214 O/T (not that this thread didn't go all wonky long ago):

Anyone who still thinks Osama Obama didn't pull a shakedown on BP needs to read this: http://nyti.ms/aBP238 .

The meat quote is this: "The company [BP] has also set aside $100 million to assist oil rig workers who cannot find work because of the moratorium on drilling in the gulf."

Have to wonder how much of the $20 billion is going to the Traitor-in-Chief himself and his Black Panther/ACORN pals on Eric Holder's "get out of jail free" list.

215 John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth by Michael Munn

Munn actually sat down and interviewed John Wayne before he died and the book is wonderfully written. Munn admits to great admiration, but doesn't pull any punches in regards to Wayne's personal life, alcoholism and battling cancer.

Biggest surprise revelation: Wayne actually took down some real life commies. Two Russian hit men sent to kill him by Stalin.

Recommended reading, especially for John Wayne fans.

216 Posted by: Brown Line at July 04, 2010 12:50 PM (7Ij99)

--Remember the jackass flunky who gushed that 0bama was our best author president evah?  I have yet to crack them, but Grant is widely regarded as having written the best presidential memoirs yet, and he had a far more interesting life, to say the least. . . .

217 150 O/T Great July 4 news: The estimates keep climbing --freed Lockerbie bomber may live as long as 10 years Posted by: logprof at July 04, 2010 11:50 AM (BP6Z1) You don't think that deepwater well is gonna drill itself now , do ye?

218 Thanks for the cattle rustler shoutout. I am somebody!!!11!!1!1!1!!!

219 WWOZ old time country and bluegrass NOW. Get your asses over there.

220 "Pops" about Louis Armstrong.  No saint but a man of good character with a strong work ethic and a sense of his audience.

"Memoirs" by William T. Sherman has some CYA, especially about his orders to his troops during the March to the Sea.  He was delicate about the politics of Reconstruction too when he was head of the Army.  I hear Grant's memoirs are even better.

I'll second Churchill's 6 volume study of WWII.  I've just re-read "The Gathering Storm" to my profit.

221 Two biographies that I've always found enjoyable:

1) Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn (Evan S. Connell) LINK

2)  Alexander Hamilton: A Biography (Forrest McDonald)  LINK

McDonald places the book's emphasis on Hamilton's post-war impact on American political and economic issues.  This book is also a great introduction to the consequences of government policy on a nation's economy.

222 One of the best biographies I've ever read, and quite apropos for the day:  John Adams and the American Revolution, by Catherine Drinker Bowen.  REQUIRED MORON READING. It's out of print (which is crime), but you can get it at the link. 

And yes, it's even better than the McCullough version.

223 Ayn Rand and the World She Made by Anne C. Heller.  A fairly unbiased biography by an author who is not a Randian devotee.

224 Monty-- oh, and thanks for the Thomas Wolfe mention.  I've added it to my Amazon Wish List.  I did a paper on Look Homeward, Angel long and long ago, although having little clue what the fuck he was going on about.  Maybe I should plow through all 500 pages again... or just read this and have done with it.

I also think it's awesome that a biography of one of America's most infamous overwriters is 600 pages.

225 "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman (Adventures of a Curious Character)" 
Not strictly speaking a biography, but close enough I think.  A must-read for anyone in science or interested in how science is done. 

I hope everyone has a terrific Independence Day holiday! 

226 Have a great day, y'all.

227 Fun autobiography - My Wicked, Wicked Ways,  by Erroll Flynn.

228 One of my favorite books of all time is Hector Berlioz's Memoires.    He's not above a bit of myth-making, but he's not above noting the times when he totally dropped the ball.

229

 

I suggest we put more context into our postings.  Otherwise, we may end up being misinterpreted.  Take the following or example:

 

90 I really enjoyed Obama's biographies.  It was so good it was like it was written by someone else.

Posted  ... at July 04, 2010 11:15 AM (5I8G0)

91

He was undeniably the best President in history regardless of what those liberal historians say about FDR (the worse). 

We may have a contender now. (For worst that is)

Posted ...  at July 04, 2010 11:15 AM (n0ysN)

230 He was undeniably the best President in history regardless of what those liberal historians say about FDR (the worse).

The liberal historians listed FDR as the best President whereas I rank him as the worst.

231 "The Mask of Command" by John Keegan "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro "The Battle Cry of Freedom" by James McPherson

232 I saw Doc Watson and his grandson in New Haven a few years ago. What a great figure. Warm, funny, talented, the stories he told were humbling and inspiring.

Thank gosh for the sixties revival.

233

U.S. Grant's memoirs are even more impressive when you consider he wrote them while dying of throat cancer.

I read Paul Nagel's biography of John Quincy Adams recently. Pretty good. The author used JQA's diaries and journals almost exclusively as the source material. It's amazing how Abigail Adams tried to control her son's life, and how much of a cad he was to his wife Louisa before he finally married her.

234 Let me add "Orwell" by Hitchens - its a short bio by someone who is an Orwell wannabe.

235 Einsteins bio was very interesting. He had to learn higher math to get his theory to come together. So the flunking out of school fits the early folk lore, but doesn't mesh with the end.

236 So the flunking out of school fits the early folk lore, but doesn't mesh with the end.

Einstein flunking lout of school is a piece of false urban folklore. He dropped out of "German" schools and finished in Switzerland where his parents had moved. 

237 Thread dead?

238 Thomas Wolfe is waaaay up on my list too. 

Reads I would add:

Hawk and the Dove -- Paul Nitze, George Kennan and the History of the Cold War, by Nicholas Thompson

George Kennan Memoirs

Yes I Can:  The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr., by Jane Boyar

Eleni, by Nicholas Gage

239

If I can add one of my personal favorite autobiographies-->

Fear No Evil, by Natan Sharansky

240 I second (third or fourth?) Robert Caro "The Years of Lyndon Johnson" and
"Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" as well. AND "American Caesar" by William Manchaster
Also great are Francis Parkman's Montcalm and Wolfe: the French and Indian War.
Carlo d'Este, "A Genius for War", bio of Patton
Evan Connell "Son of the Morning Star", brilliant book on Custer
and
Andrew Roberts, "masters and Commanders," about Churchill, Roosevelt, Marshall and Brit general Alan Brooke, and the fearsome difficulties of winning WWII democratically