The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates And Infuriates The World

Rating:
Summary: Biggoted, deceitfully socialistic, but many truths as well
Review: The best indicator of the author's bias comes on page 90 where he states that the left wing in America stands for anti-government, anti business and anti-establishment. Excluding only small business and non-multinational business (multinational businesses are laden with government contracts, corporate welfare, subsidies, tariffs, etc.), nothing could be more untrue. Conservatives favor a limitation of government and traditional values and views. True conservatives would like to free the markets from the horrible government intervention that has been present for decades. We do not have capitalism, but rather socialism or a mixed economy, at best. The drift of the DemoPublican party further and further to the left is no secret to true conservatives. The neocons of the Republican Party have drifted so far left; they do not even realize the extent of the socialism they have embraced. George Washington warned us of dabbling in the affairs of foreign nations. To the true conservative, foreign policy should be very limited and defense should be defense, not offense. Free markets have become non-existent in America. Their decline started before the War Between the States and has not looked back. Socialism, that dangerous left-wing fungus, is what left France undefendable in WWII, it also turned Germany toward policy of terror, and later- complete destruction. Socialism was the policy, under which many millions of Jewish people were horribly murdered. Let us not forget. National, international or local, socialism is a left-wing thing and it is not good. The press cannot change that, no matter how hard they try.
The author, when citing parts of American history that most do not know, conveniently leaves out travesties to civil and human rights. During the New York race riot, dozens of blacks were brutally murdered for nothing but the color of their skin. General U.S. Grant owned slaves throughout the War Between the States. Abraham Lincoln shut down presses, imprisoned dissenters without trial and even tried to imprison an Ohio Supreme Court Justice who disagreed with his Whig policies of tariffs, subsidies, censorship, taxation, centralized banking and socialism.
The author also cites third party information from a cab driver in England about someone from Texas who insists that everything is bigger there, and exhibits braggadocio about his home state. Believe me when I say that I have never heard this from any Texan and I have met more than a few.
The book contains a lot of good information and quite a number of truthful, astute observations. In itself, the book would have been great without the twists, jabs and easily identifiable, feeble attempt to manipulate readers into believing that the press is right-wing.

Rating:
Summary: Vastly informative and shocking
Review: The Eagles Shadow" nicely covers all aspects of American culture and the effects it has on the world. Hertsgaard supports his ideas and theories with verifiable facts and has conducted many interviews to further articulate his focuses to his readers. Hertsgaard breaks down why we are the way we are and what we are to everyone else to the basic components, which at times were difficult to swallow. I greatly appreciated that instead of pushing any particular opinion on it's readers, "The Eagles Shadow" simply presents many opinions and leaves it up to the reader to interpret them. This book has helped me redefine my feelings on my country and the rest of the world, and I would recommend it to anyone in hopes that it will do the same for them.