Guest guest Posted October 26, 2005 Report Share Posted October 26, 2005 2 more books i need to get now... One Woman's Army : The Commanding General of Abu Ghraib Tells Her Story (Hardcover) by Janis Karpinski, Steven Strasser Editorial Reviews From Booklist The charge to find intelligence for use against terrorists with no clear rules as to how to do it led inevitably to abuses at Abu Ghraib, asserts Karpinski, the commanding general in charge of military police at the prison made infamous by Saddam Hussein and even more so by American troops. In a bid not to be defined by Abu Ghraib, Karpinski tells the story of her life in the military leading to her command of the Iraqi prison, including her stint with the reserves and her deployment to the first Gulf War, where she earned a Bronze Star. When she was assigned to oversee MPs at Abu Ghraib, Karpinski found herself doubly resented, as a reservist and as a woman. She details the conflicts with military culture and an old-boy network, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. She describes little support from the regular army and no clear chain of command as military intelligence stepped up harsh treatment of prisoners in search of " actionable intelligence. " Karpinski accepts her own shortcomings but maintains that she was made a scapegoat in the shameful events for which, other than herself, only lower-level servicemen have been punished. This is a completely fascinating look at a troubling event from the perspective of a woman who has been on the frontline. REVWR Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Book Description In an ouspoken memoir that is sure to generate controversy, General Janis Karpinski tells the real story of the tragic and shameful events of 2004 from her first-hand experience. Karpinski had a long, distinguished career in the military: she received a Bronze Star for her service in the Gulf War, and most recently, served as the Commander of the Military Police Brigade and was the first and only female General Officer commanding troops in a combat zone in Iraq. And although she had no training in handling criminal prisoners, she was selected to run Abu Ghraib. In One Woman's Army, Karpinski takes us inside the prison walls and describes unflinchingly what it was like to interact with the Iraqi prisoners, the corruption within the armed forces and the accompanying private firms, and her meeting with Saddam Hussein, who refused to believe that a woman could be in charge. She talks about what life is really like for women in the armed forces and the tremendous obstacles she has faced. Co-written with Newsweek correspondent Steven Strasser, she forcefully argues that the bulk of the blame for the Abu Ghraib scandal goes to the very top of the chain of command -- to Lieutenant General Sanchez; Ambassador Bremer; Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld -- and tells why she has been made a scapegoat. Hers is a story of military leaders run amok, and a moving portrait of a woman who spent her life defying the odds in pursuit of her dream. Chain of Command : The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib by Seymour M. Hersh " In the late summer of 2002, a Central Intelligence Agency analyst made a quiet visit to the detention center at the U.S. Naval Base at... " (more) Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Seymour Hersh has been a legendary investigative reporter since 1969 when he broke the My Lai story in Vietnam. His considerable skill and well-placed sources inside the government, intelligence community, military, and the diplomatic corps have allowed him access to a wide range of information unavailable to most reporters. Chain of Command is packed with specific details and thoughtful analysis of events since the attacks of September 11, 2001, including intelligence failures prior to 9/11; postwar planning regarding Afghanistan and Iraq; the corruption of the Saudi family; Pakistan's nuclear program, which spread nuclear technology via the black market (and admitted as such); influence peddling at the highest levels; and the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib prison, among other topics. The book collects and elaborates on stories Hersh wrote for The New Yorker, and includes an introduction by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, on Hersh's background and his sources. Part of Hersh's skill lies in uncovering official reports that have been buried because government or military leaders find them too revealing or embarrassing. Chain of Command is filled with such stories, particularly regarding the manner in which sensitive intelligence was gathered and disseminated within the Bush administration. Hersh details how serious decisions were made in secret by a small handful of people, often based on selective information. Part of the problem was, and remains, a lack of human intelligence in critical parts of the Middle East, but it also has much to do with the considerable infighting within the administration by those trying to make intelligence fit preconceived conclusions. A prime example of this is the story about the files that surfaced allegedly detailing how Iraq had purchased uranium from Niger in order to build nuclear weapons. Though the files were soon proven to be forgeries, the Bush administration still used them as evidence against Saddam Hussein and therefore part of the reason for invading Iraq. In these pages, Hersh offers readers a clearer understanding of what has happened since September 11, and what we might expect in the future. --Shawn Carkonen--This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Publishers Weekly Based on previously published articles and supplemented by fresh revelations, this book by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Hersh, who writes for The New Yorker and has authored several books (The Dark Side of Camelot, etc.), charges the Bush administration with being propelled by ideology and hamstrung by incompetence in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas. One former intelligence official observes that the Bush administration staffers behaved " as if they were on a mission from God, " while another laments, " The guys at the top are as ignorant as they could be. " It’s no surprise, then, that the dissenters want to talk or that the Hersh, who has a reputation for integrity and enviable inside access, ferrets them out, assembling critiques from diverse, mostly unidentified sources at home and abroad. According to Hersh, the dire conditions that " enemy combatants " suffered at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, presaged detainee abuses at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison. Hersh reveals the depravities purportedly occurring at Guantánamo and argues that Donald Rumsfeld wasn’t the only one responsible for what happened at Abu Ghraib: " the President and Vice President had been in it, and with him, all the way. " The book also covers some familiar ground, exploring pre-9/11 intelligence oversights and the administration’s misconception that Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Israel, Turkey and the Kurds would jump on the democracy bandwagon after the invasion of Iraq. But Hersh reserves his sharpest words for President Bush, suggesting the " terrifying possibility " that " words have no meaning for this President beyond the immediate moment, and so he believes that his mere utterance of the phrases makes them real. " Hersh’s critics may dismiss these explosive, less than objective conclusions. For others, however, this sobering book is the closest anyone without a security clearance will get to operatives in the inner sanctums of America’s intelligence, military, political and diplomatic worlds. But they've all gone mad now Well you'd be pretty mad too If what happened to cows happened to you Having your children taken away Forced to stand in a pen each day Fed the shit from other dead things Then chopped to bits... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 you read pretty serious stuff.... , fraggle <EBbrewpunx@e...> wrote: > > 2 more books i need to get now... > > One Woman's Army : The Commanding General of Abu Ghraib Tells Her Story (Hardcover) > by Janis Karpinski, Steven Strasser > > > > Editorial Reviews > > From Booklist > The charge to find intelligence for use against terrorists with no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 i read everything... fantasy history science politcal thought horror well..not everything..science fiction doesn't work fer me Anouk Sickler <zurumato Oct 29, 2005 7:48 PM Re: not enough hours in the day you read pretty serious stuff.... , fraggle <EBbrewpunx@e...> wrote: > > 2 more books i need to get now... > > One Woman's Army : The Commanding General of Abu Ghraib Tells Her Story (Hardcover) > by Janis Karpinski, Steven Strasser > > > > Editorial Reviews > > From Booklist > The charge to find intelligence for use against terrorists with no To send an email to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 Hey, I don't see mysteries on that list! Lynda - " fraggle " <EBbrewpunx Monday, October 31, 2005 9:52 AM Re: Re: not enough hours in the day >i read everything... > fantasy > history > science > politcal thought > horror > > well..not everything..science fiction doesn't work fer me > > > Anouk Sickler <zurumato > Oct 29, 2005 7:48 PM > > Re: not enough hours in the day > > > you read pretty serious stuff.... > > > , fraggle <EBbrewpunx@e...> wrote: >> >> 2 more books i need to get now... >> >> One Woman's Army : The Commanding General of Abu Ghraib Tells Her > Story (Hardcover) >> by Janis Karpinski, Steven Strasser >> >> >> >> Editorial Reviews >> >> From Booklist >> The charge to find intelligence for use against terrorists with no To send an email to - > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 But not a lot of humour? The Valley Vegan...............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: i read everything...fantasyhistorysciencepolitcal thoughthorrorwell..not everything..science fiction doesn't work fer meAnouk Sickler Oct 29, 2005 7:48 PM Subject: Re: not enough hours in the dayyou read pretty serious stuff.... , fraggle wrote:>> 2 more books i need to get now...> > One Woman's Army : The Commanding General of Abu Ghraib Tells HerStory (Hardcover)> by Janis Karpinski, Steven Strasser > > > > Editorial Reviews> > From Booklist> The charge to find intelligence for use against terrorists with no To send an email to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 generally not..no peter hurd Oct 31, 2005 10:57 AM Re: Re: not enough hours in the day But not a lot of humour? The Valley Vegan...............fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: i read everything...fantasyhistorysciencepolitcal thoughthorrorwell..not everything..science fiction doesn't work fer meAnouk Sickler Oct 29, 2005 7:48 PM Subject: Re: not enough hours in the dayyou read pretty serious stuff.... , fraggle wrote:>> 2 more books i need to get now...> > One Woman's Army : The Commanding General of Abu Ghraib Tells HerStory (Hardcover)> by Janis Karpinski, Steven Strasser > > > > Editorial Reviews> > From Booklist> The charge to find intelligence for use against terrorists with no To send an email to - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2005 Report Share Posted October 31, 2005 yer right and you never will i don't care fer mysteries....nor romance...nor science fiction at least to read... Lynda <lurine Oct 31, 2005 10:06 AM Re: Re: not enough hours in the day Hey, I don't see mysteries on that list! Lynda - " fraggle " <EBbrewpunx Monday, October 31, 2005 9:52 AM Re: Re: not enough hours in the day >i read everything... > fantasy > history > science > politcal thought > horror > > well..not everything..science fiction doesn't work fer me > > External control are you gonna let them get you? Do you wanna be a prisoner in the boundaries they set you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 So I guess fraggle, you wouldn't be able to tell me the title of a sci fi book I read a number of years ago where a guy was on a foreign planet and rode a type of flying motorcycle, during which he apparently went over the speed limit and it was taken over and driven to the abandoned police station?fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: yer rightand you never willi don't care fer mysteries....nor romance...nor science fictionat least to read...Lynda <lurineOct 31, 2005 10:06 AM Subject: Re: Re: not enough hours in the dayHey, I don't see mysteries on that list!Lynda- "fraggle" <EBbrewpunxMonday, October 31, 2005 9:52 AMRe: Re: not enough hours in the day>i read everything...> fantasy> history> science> politcal thought> horror>> well..not everything..science fiction doesn't work fer me>> External control are you gonna let them get you?Do you wanna be a prisoner in the boundaries they set you? FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 2, 2005 Report Share Posted November 2, 2005 hi fraggle, for me to read sci-fi, would have to be semi-plausible. I must admit i haven't the patience for fiction. I always skip to the middle or the ending. I like biographys the best, because I like to imagine that I am a fly in the wall on someone elses life. I don't like autobiographies, does anyone? I think the reasons would be obvious. the latest I have read are Eva LeGalliene, Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson. -anouk alas, sorry, no i'm sure someone else can be of service tho... had an ex who adored Sci-fi.. i could never get into it tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 2, 2005 Report Share Posted November 2, 2005 Hi Anouk I do like biographies, although I have not read many yet. The only auto-biography I like (so far) is the Tony Benn collection, but that is very 'factual'. Jo , " Anouk Sickler " <zurumato@e...> wrote: > > hi fraggle, > for me to read sci-fi, would have to be semi-plausible. > > I must admit i haven't the patience for fiction. > I always skip to the middle or the ending. > I like biographys the best, because I like to > imagine that I am a fly in the wall on someone elses life. > > I don't like autobiographies, does anyone? I think the reasons > would be obvious. > > the latest I have read are Eva LeGalliene, Benjamin Franklin > and Ralph Waldo Emerson. > > -anouk > > > > > > alas, sorry, no > i'm sure someone else can be of service tho... > had an ex who adored Sci-fi.. > i could never get into it tho > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 2, 2005 Report Share Posted November 2, 2005 Sometimes the autobiographies are good so you can sorta get into the other person's mind. Of course you can take a lot of what they say with a grain of salt.Anouk Sickler <zurumato wrote: hi fraggle,for me to read sci-fi, would have to be semi-plausible.I must admit i haven't the patience for fiction.I always skip to the middle or the ending.I like biographys the best, because I like to imagine that I am a fly in the wall on someone elses life.I don't like autobiographies, does anyone? I think the reasonswould be obvious.the latest I have read are Eva LeGalliene, Benjamin Franklinand Ralph Waldo Emerson.-anoukalas, sorry, noi'm sure someone else can be of service tho...had an ex who adored Sci-fi..i could never get into it tho FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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