Should taxpayers fund confederate memorials?

July 14, 2014: The state of Georgia is considering a request that it fund the construction of confederate war memorials.  Opposition to the idea is based upon the fact that Georgia's secession ordinance of 1861 makes clear Georgia left the Union to preserve slavery.  Supporters of the use of taxpayer funds for the memorials say not so, besides Georgia left the Union to preserve states' rights and southern pride.

So, despite the objections of confederate apologists, the historic record makes clear the confederacy's primary motivation for leaving the Union was to preserve slavery.

But even if the south seceded to preserve states' rights, so what? The fact is confederates pulled 11 states out of the Union and took up arms against the United States' constitutionally empowered government. 

So, either way the confederates' actions were treason and should not be memorialized with taxpayer funded monuments.

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Lost Cause, the next Grayson Cole thriller rips off the hood of the modern secession movement and reveals the terrifying implications of their belief that the Civil War isn't over.  Look for it this fall.

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Help Pick a cover for Lost Cause!

May 25, 2014: Help us pick the cover for Lost Cause, the new Grayson Cole thriller. Please fill out our short survey and let us know your choice!

 

Look for Lost Cause on Amazon and other bookstores this Fall. In the mean time, pick up Unleashing Colter's Hell, the exciting prequel to Lost Cause. 

 

Follow me on twitter: @parkthrillers

 

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Lost Cause Coming this Fall!

May 25, 2014: The first draft of Lost Cause the new Grayson Cole thriller is complete.  It's expected to be out this Fall.

Great Earth Day Reads

April 18, 2014: Earth Day is nearly here. And in honor of the day that celebrates our home planet, I thought I'd list some of my favorite conservation and environmental books.  Here's my list:

1. Encounters with an Archdruid
This is the story of David Brower and the book that set me on my career toward conservation.

2. Crossing the Next Meridian
A great primer on the major federal agencies responsible for managing our public lands, as well as, some of the issues and challenges facing the public servants who steward our natural wonders.

3. Mountains without Handrails
Essay on the importance of having places that remain wild and "risky."

4. The Lorax
Story that lays out the importance of conservation, recycling, and thinking of the next generation.

5. Guns, Germs, and Steel
Essay on the sometimes little things like geography that can make a society thrive or wither.

6. Theodore Rex
Biography of Teddy Roosevelt which lays out some of the political forces that shaped his conservation legacy.

7. The Magic of Reality
Book by Richard Dawkins on the "magic" that can be found by using the scientific principle when searching for truth.

8. A Sand County Almanac
Classic Aldo Leopold book on the development of a relationship with the land which could be the most important relationship for our long term survival.

9. The Cat in the Hat comes Back
Not normally thought of as a conservation book, but a telling story about the importance of not polluting and the difficulty in cleaning environmental spills.

10.  Unleashing Colter's Hell
Thriller about the potential catastrophic impact of a Yellowstone eruption. 

What's on your list of great Earth Day reads?