Flash Point, a military/political action adventure novel written by James W. Huston...
What happens if a jihad is declared against us and our allies? Must we sit on our hands and do nothing, or can we respond? Will we respond?
Can we legally declare war against someone who's declared war against us? It worked in World War II. Germany declared war against us and we returned the favor. But, do we have the right to declare war against an individual and if so, how? What will the ramifications be? Are there historical precedents for it? This is the basic premise of James W Huston's third military/political action adventure novel, Flash Point.
"We've never had a good response to terrorism. It's always covert, or half baked, or a one-time air raid. We never go after the bad guys. But in a war, that's exactly what we do....Right at them, until it's over. It's time to do that with terrorists."
Are these just the sentiments of Sean Woods, the F-14 fighter pilot in James W Huston's novel? Or, do they come from Huston's heart because he's a graduate of TOPGUN and an ex-F-14 fighter pilot who was with the Jolly Rogers on the USS Nimitz? Plus, he also taught at The Citadel, and then worked in Naval Intelligence while on active duty and in the Reserves.
Whatever the case may be, James W Huston comes up with thought-provoking answers to the questions he raises in all his military/political action adventure novels. As the real-life lawyer which he now is, James W Huston indulges in his usual habit of intellectual honesty. He creates a cast of characters large enough to debate all sides of the issues in Flash Point.
James W Huston doesn't waste your time with characters composed of knee-jerk responses and superficial thoughts. His characters come to life because they are intelligent. They think. They feel. They have opinions--many different opinions. You may not agree with them. You may not even like some of them, but they articulate the many different viewpoints that surround the issues which James W Huston uses as the basic themes of each of his novels.
Is this important? Yes. Why? Because Flash Point, as well as Balance of Power, and its sequel, The Price of Power, is not just a military/political action adventure. James W Huston, using these novels as the vehicles, poses serious questions about the viability of the US military as it's being used today, and about the terrorism problems occurring here and abroad.
As his plots unfold, he offers possible answers. Answers that must be explored through intelligent discussions of the ramifications of different scenarios, or do we disavow the existence of these problems in the real world until it's too late?
Closing notes
According to a widely circulated government report released in December, 2000, "Global Trends 2015: A Dialogue About the Future With Nongovernment Experts," terrorists such as Sheikh al-Jabal in Flash Point, are our future! That's why a military/political action adventure such as Flash Point is important as we enter the 21st century.
It suggests a possible anti-terrorist approach. As Sean Woods says in Flash Point, "Is there anything there, in the Constitution, that says we can't declare war against one man? Or a terrorist group?...It could be the very thing Congress has been looking for all these years to combat terrorism. Leave a standing declaration of war against every terrorist who attacks us. Then whenever we find them, we can go after them with the full force of the military and hammer them. We don't need to worry about arresting them, or playing international police. We treat them like any other soldier of any country that we're at war against...."
Grab a copy of James W Huston's Flash Point. Read it. Think about it. Talk it over with others. Maybe if we try real hard, we can produce a ground swell of public opinion from folks who are tired of being pushed around by terrorists. Maybe we can convince our federal government to do its main job--protect its citizens.
James W Huston's next book, Fallout, will be published in May 2001.
Final notes
James W Huston's Flash Point is available as:
• a hardback of 384 pages, published by William Morrow & Co, May 30, 2000, ISBN: 0688172016, list price $26.00 US
Short summary from the dust jacket: "With the same daredevil flying action found in Top Gun and the riveting nonstop storytelling that has established James W. Huston's reputation, here is an explosive novel that takes us from the cockpits of carrier-based naval fighters to the inside of the CIA and Mossad, as one man's determination to avenge a wrongful death has the potential to ignite an international war of deceit, murder, and retaliation."
Did you know that most libraries accept used books in good condition to:
• add a new book title to their shelves
• replace their worn-out copy of that title, or
• sell to raise money,
and the IRS accepts your book gifts to libraries as charitable donations?
How about that? I know donated books make a big difference at my small library!
(If you'd like to, please go to my member page and read my reviews of Balance of Power and The Price of Power. Thank you.)
Or, you can insert these addresses in your browser's address bar:
Balance of Power [http://www.epinions.com/book-review-3B74-AC14C40-3A180D0E-prod4]
The Price of Power [http://www.epinions.com/book-review-71CE-262598F3-3A1F0CFE-prod5]
Also, you can find the US government report, "Global Trends 2015: A Dialogue About the Future With Nongovernment Experts," at this web address: [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/globaltrends2015/index.html])
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