Other books that might interest you

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  Soviet Spyplanes of the Cold War

  Yefim Gordon, Dmitriy Komissarov

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  “A good look at the MiG-25 recce birds...Definitely recommended!”—Cybermodeler   “Spy in the Sky” matters have long been a source of fascination for aircraft enthusiasts, historians, and modelers, and none more so than the elusive and secretive Soviet types of the Cold War era. Here, Yefim Gordon presents a range of such types, in a collection of photographs, profiles, and line drawings together with supplementary text detailing the history of each craft, encompassing the various developmental milestones, successes, and pitfalls experienced along the way.   The Soviet Union’s two dedicated spyplane types, the Yakovlev Yak-25RV “Mandrake” (the Soviet equivalent of the Lockheed U-2) and the MiG-25R “Foxbat” are profiled, supplemented by details garnered from a host of original sources. Well-illustrated histories and structural analyses are set alongside detailed descriptions of the various plastic scale model kits that have been released, along with commentary concerning their accuracy and available modifications and decals. With an unparalleled level of visual information—paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs—it is simply the best reference for any model-maker setting out to build a variant of this iconic craft.

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  Armed in America - A History of...

  Patrick J. Charles

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  This accessible legal history describes the way in which the right to bear arms was interpreted throughout most of American history and shows that today's gun-rights advocates have drastically departed from the long-held interpretation of the Second Amendment. 
  This illuminating study traces the transformation of the right to arms from its inception in English and colonial American law to today's impassioned gun-control debate. As historian and legal scholar Patrick J. Charles shows, what the right to arms means to Americans, as well as what it legally protects, has changed drastically since its first appearance in the 1689 Declaration of Rights. 
  Armed in America explores how and why the right to arms transformed at different points in history. The right was initially meant to serve as a parliamentary right of resistance, yet by the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791 the right had become indispensably intertwined with civic republicanism. As the United States progressed into the 19th century the right continued to change--this time away from civic republicanism and towards the individual-right understanding that is known today, albeit with the important caveat that the right could be severely restricted by the government's police power. 
  Throughout the 20th century this understanding of the right remained the predominant view. But working behind the scenes was the beginnings of the gun-rights movement--a movement that was started in the early 20th century through the collective efforts of sporting magazine editors and was eventually commandeered by the National Rifle Association to become the gun-rights movement known today. 
  Readers looking to sort through the shrill rhetoric surrounding the current gun debate and arrive at an informed understanding of the legal and historical development of the right to arms will find this book to be an invaluable resource.

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  The Power to Destroy - How the...

  Michael J. Graetz

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  The postwar United States enjoyed large, widely distributed economic rewards—and most Americans accepted that taxes were a reasonable price to pay for living in a society of shared prosperity. Then in 1978 California enacted Proposition 13, a property tax cap that Ronald Reagan hailed as a "second American Revolution," setting off an antitax, antigovernment wave that has transformed American politics and economic policy. In The Power to Destroy, Michael Graetz tells the story of the antitax movement and how it holds America hostage—undermining the nation's ability to meet basic needs and fix critical problems.In 1819, Chief Justice John Marshall declared that the power to tax entails "the power to destroy." But The Power to Destroy argues that tax opponents now wield this destructive power. Attacking the IRS, protecting tax loopholes, and pushing tax cuts from Reagan to Donald Trump, the antitax movement is threatening the nation's social safety net, increasing inequality, ballooning the national debt, and sapping America's financial strength. The book chronicles how the movement originated as a fringe enterprise promoted by zealous outsiders using false economic claims and thinly veiled racist rhetoric, and how—abetted by conservative media and Grover Norquist's "taxpayer protection pledge"—it evolved into a mainstream political force.

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  The Short Life and Curious Death...

  Ellis Cose

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  Named one of Newsweek’s ""25 Must-Read Fall Fiction and Nonfiction Books to Escape the Chaos of 2020"" 
  The critically acclaimed journalist and bestselling author of The Rage of a Privileged Class explores one of the most essential rights in America—free speech—and reveals how it is crumbling under the combined weight of polarization, technology, money and systematized lying in this concise yet powerful and timely book. 
   
  Free speech has long been one of American's most revered freedoms. Yet now, more than ever, free speech is reshaping America’s social and political landscape even as it is coming under attack. Bestselling author and critically acclaimed journalist Ellis Cose wades into the debate to reveal how this Constitutional right has been coopted by the wealthy and politically corrupt.  
  It is no coincidence that historically huge disparities in income have occurred at times when moneyed interests increasingly control political dialogue. Over the past four years, Donald Trump’s accusations of “fake news,” the free use of negative language against minority groups, “cancel culture,” and blatant xenophobia have caused Americans to question how far First Amendment protections can—and should—go. 
  Cose offers an eye-opening wholly original examination of the state of free speech in America today, litigating ideas that touch on every American’s life. Social media meant to bring us closer, has become a widespread disseminator of false information keeping people of differing opinions and political parties at odds. The nation—and world—watches in shock as white nationalism rises, race and gender-based violence spreads, and voter suppression widens. The problem, Cose makes clear, is that ordinary individuals have virtually no voice at all. He looks at the danger of hyper-partisanship and how the discriminatory structures that determine representation in the Senate and the electoral college threaten the very concept of democracy. He argues that the safeguards built into the Constitution to protect free speech and democracy have instead become instruments of suppression by an unfairly empowered political minority. 
  But we can take our rights back, he reminds us. Analyzing the experiences of other countries, weaving landmark court cases together with a critical look at contemporary applications, and invoking the lessons of history, including the Great Migration, Cose sheds much-needed light on this cornerstone of American culture and offers a clarion call for activism and change.

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  Battle for Mosul over but hidden...

  PBS NewsHour

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  Iraq may have ousted Islamic States militants from the city of Mosul over the summer, but the major task of finding and destroying the mines, booby traps and bombs remains. A security firm hired by the U.S. and Iraqi workers are making progress to clear major areas, but it could take years or even decades. Special correspondent Marcia Biggs reports on the safety of Mosul after ISIS.

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  The Arab Lobby - The Invisible...

  Mitchell Bard

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  From “a research scholar with impeccable academic credentials . . . A complete, patient catalogue of the financial details of Saudi influence peddling” (National Review). 
   
  While critics claim that a nefarious Israel Lobby dictates U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Arab Lobby in this country is older, richer, and more powerful than the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The Arab Lobby is the first book in more than 25 years to investigate the scope and activities of this diffuse yet powerful network. Author Mitchell Bard courageously explores the invisible alliance that threatens Israel and undermines America’s interests in the Middle East. 
   
  “Illuminates the dark side of the massive and largely undemocratic Arab lobbying efforts to influence American policy with regard to the Middle East . . . A must-read.” —Alan M. Dershowitz  
   
  “In a pointed response to John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt’s equally scathing The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (2007), Bard goes full throttle in pursuit of what he sees as a more insidious, if less vociferous behind-the-scenes lobby by the masters of Gulf oil and foes of Israel.” —Kirkus Reviews 
   
  “A seriously and timely look at a powerful and remarkably under-studied influence on U.S. foreign policy.” —Tablet 
   
  “Extraordinarily well-researched . . . Bard has performed a valuable service with his book, which will be eye-opening to many, even among friends of Israel, who are not aware just how deep and long-lived is the historical animus not only to the actions of the Jewish state itself but also to the very idea of a Jewish state at all.” —Commentary

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