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Features: E-Book Buzz

Review of Defending the American Homeland

by Keith Deshaies, Editor-at-Large

Defending the American Homeland
by L. Paul Bremer III and Edwin Meese III
published by The Heritage Foundation
Reviewed in MS Reader format; also available in paperback
172pp; $5.25

First, let me say that I reviewed this e-book in the interest of political balance, since a few months ago I reviewed a distinctly left-of-center work by Noam Chomsky, entitled 9-11. I didn’t deliberately go out and choose something politically provocative, but that’s where I ended up. And the results were good for me, the civilian reader, and me, the Reviewer of E-Books.

I wish I'd had the same luck the second time around.

In the same way that private investigators learn a lot about people by lifting trash can lids and sorting through their garbage, so too did I learn quite a bit about the mindset of the authors of this book--L. Paul Bremer and Edwin Meese. And I want to put the lid back on.

This is not really a work of literature, so it should not be treated as such. This is analysis and suggested policy. Reviewing it literarily is not fair, so I won’t. Ultimately, it is a fascinating look into the Right’s response to the atrocities of 9/11/01--how we Americans make sure this never happens again.

My day job is with a large corporation. As such, I see a lot of business reports, and I’ve created a few myself. Depending on the situation, they’re meant to either persuade (proposals) or simply inform (status updates). They include an analysis of some sort, some possible outcomes, and a solution. If the author is really on the ball, she will explain why she chose one solution over another.

Defending the American Homeland is heavy on the analysis and solution, but rather scant on possibilities, and there is no discussion of why one method might be chosen over another. The implication, of course, is that with terrorists, there can only be one outcome: Death. And to be sure, Al-Qaeda has indeed declared that’s what it wants for all Americans. Now, I’m not second-guessing a former Attorney General (that would be Mr. Meese, for all you Gen Xers; he served under Reagan) on policy, but from an analytical point of view, this is scary stuff. Solutions include more surveillance and drastically improved civil defense. It’s a strange mix of horrific language (“an all-source, Federal level, information fusion center”) and one bleak possibility. For 170-plus e-pages, what you get is this message: “Spend this money this way, or lots of you will die. Implement these programs, or lots of you will die. Use our military this way, or lots of you will die. Beef up this part of our infrastructure, or lots of you will die.”

To be sure, there are sound ideas here. Really crack down on identity theft, since it’s a burgeoning problem in our country, and it happens to be how 19 guys with a death wish boarded those planes on 9/11. Come down hard on money laundering schemes, since these often front terrorist groups. These are Priorities 5 and 6, respectively, in the section entitled “Improving Intelligence and Law Enforcement Capabilities.” But I’m also of the mind that the best way to break your nose is to try hard all day not to break your nose.

Format notes: There are some interesting and printable (provided you have an internet connection) visual aids inserted in the text. One example, though not the cheeriest, is that of the possible effects and coverage area of an anthrax release over Detroit. The visual aid (not the example itself) bodes well for other e-book authors who place such devices in the body of the book.

As I said at the outset. this is not a book I would have chosen for a leisurely weekend read, but in the interest of fairness, I thought it might be appropriate to give it equal time. I recommend it if you’re interested in what your government is doing in response to terrorism in America in 2002, or if you want to see what Ed Meese has been up to lately, or if you want a psycholinguistic peek into what patriotism means today. The price is right, and there are some interesting visuals. It is not, however, a work of literature.

Keith Deshaies lives, writes, and builds furniture in the Seattle area. He has written for E2K since its inception and currently serves as Editor-at-Large. Other efforts have included poetry, short stories, and freelancing for local business journals.