A Necessay Evil by Garry Wills

Even though this book has a copy right of 1999, it is still worthy of being read and considered even in the twenty first century. We still have government and that is what Wills refers to as a necessary evil.

It was Henry David Thoreau who said, “that government is best which governs least.” That is because the more power we allow the government to have the less personal liberties we, the people, retain. We can see that in our loss of a liberty when it comes to health care. If we allow the government to provide our health care as to what we can or cannot receive, we lose.. If we hand the power to have in our possession our guns, all our liberties are gone.  As the states cede power to the central government, tyranny impends.

You see, the size of government inevitably decreases freedom, is something Wills contends.

On the other hand, we the people, must know the facts before we react. Become knowledgeable, not reactionary. This book can be a starting point for researching. You don’t have to agree with all things presented. But ignorance is not acceptable. You may not like the author. Tough. Grow up. Read both sides and form your own conclusions. Garry Wills is a good teacher  and presents the facts in an easy to digest way.

But we do need government to provide the protection for the common defense. Wills Talks about some myths we have grown up with. He exposes some of our early leaders from Washington to Martin Luther King Junior, to the SDS. He talks about the insurrectionists and the vigilantes, to name a few areas handled in this book.

Facts. Become knowledgeable. Know what you stand for and the ground you stand upon.

This is a good sound history of the American Distrust of Government. Read it.

It is published by Simon & Schuster.

We the People by Juan Williams

Social History

   We all leave footprints on time. Some are known. Most are not. Important things sometimes overshadow the individual.

   When American was founded the people who formulated documents had a vision. They left to future generation the job of modifying and fleshing out the implications envisioned in said documents.

It wasn’t perfect. Nothing ever is. As time went by there had to be other brave trail blazers.

   The rights of men had to be enlarged to include women and the blacks.  Immigration had to be clarified. Human rights needed to be codified. And so on.

   Which leaves us the question; would the writers of our constitution if they were to return today recognize what we have done with it?

   So much had been left for future generations to flesh out.

   Facts. Just the facts. This is what Williams has carefully written. Foundation stories covering birth, education, contribution to American lifestyle of individuals is found here.

   For example, Eleanor Roosevelt is mentioned for her fight for clarity of universal human right. General Westmoreland is mentioned for the rebirth of the Military after the Viet Nam war years; Earl Warren’s flight for civil rights along with Martin Luther King and LBJ-- Betty Friedman and her feminism. Just to name a few.

   Williams writes of the time after the Second World War as a framework for those handled here who reshaped and affirmed the vision of America set down by the founding fathers.

   I would highly recommend this for those who need a good social history grounding. America’s greatness is progressive.

   I have received this book free from Blogging For Books.com for the purpose of a review. All views are those of the reviewer.