America - Citizen Guide to Democracy Inaction

A very clever book written by Jon Stewart and his friends of the Daily Show. This book is written using a high school history book layout and design which serves as a bitter irony to how biased history textbooks are. I am not sure everyone will get the educational humor regarding the context of how the book is setup. The book satirizes every aspect of a modern day history book. Not many people who have been out of school for awhile may get the layout of the book unless they have a student in high school.
The book is not for younger siblings, so make sure you keep the book secure in your house. I would recommend the book for those who like the Daily Show, irreverent humor, and political satire. A must read for teachers(past, present, and future), current students in high school and college, and parents.

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

I could not help myself and recommend my all time favorite story by Rod Serling. In our Post 9/11 society, Serling's story provides a valuable warning of the tools of conquest. I wish classrooms across the country would rediscover the works of Rod Serling. I will end with a quote from the story that has resonated with my for 25 years now.

The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts... attitudes... prejudices. To be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and the thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone.

The Tunnels of Cu Chi

This is a book I read years ago that strikes me as a timeless lesson of the resilience of people who are oppressed by imperialist aggression. A few years ago, President Bush told the American People, "Mission Accomplished." What the tunnels of Cu Chi can teach us about war is that "Mission Accomplished." is never that easy.
When we think about the campaign of suicide bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is a reminder of the tunnels of Cu Chi. While our brave military men and women fight the war, they again have been placed in a hostile environment in which the enemy believes in fighting an invading country with primitive strategies that are meant to outlast an superior opponent.
I invite you to read the Tunnels of Cu Chi and learn from our history in Vietnam to broaden our understanding of modern warfare.