Heller
I'd like to read the majority and dissenting opinions from the 2008 US Supreme Court case, District of Columbia v. Heller. (I don't have links to the opinions yet, but once I get them, I'll add them to this entry. Or! If you have them, feel free to post them in the comments!) I may also read some of the amicus curiae briefs and some of the arguments; we'll see.
The Spirit of St. Louis
At a recent "open hangar" event at the Terre Haute International Airport, a local pilot who'd built his own lightweight plane was talking about his experiences flying through some rough storms in that dinky little plane, and he commented, "I finally knew what Lindberg was talking about in his book." That really got me thinking that I should start reading stuff about flying since I plan on being a pilot in the Marine Corps. I'm not positive if this is the book he was talking about, but it's the one on my list: The Spirit of St. Louis, by Charles A. Lindbergh.
Spiritual Warfare
I've long held an interest in spiritual warfare; this was fueled, in no small part, I'm sure, by the stories my parents brought back from Indonesia and Jamaica of being first-hand witnesses and, sometimes, active participants of encounters with people under the direct control of demons.* They have engaged in dialogue with evil spirits and been present on occasions when mere men, by the power of the very name of Jesus Christ, have commanded demons to leave the body of a possessed person.
Combined with my longstanding interest in the subject, some recent events have prompted me to add some reading on spiritual warfare to my list. As it turns out, one of the most respected experts on the subject, Dr. Timothy Warner, has ties to Fort Wayne and several people in my family have actually met with him. I've decided to add his book, Spiritual Warfare: Victory over the Powers of this Dark World, to my summer reading list.
*I know that demons exist not just because I believe what the Bible says about them, but because my parents have met them and I trust their accounts. It's similar to my answer when people ask me how I know God exists: "I've met Him." Like Thomas after the Resurrection, there's no need for faith to believe in that which you have seen.
USMC Field Manual
Last Christmas, my parents got me the field manual for enlisted Marines from the local Army surplus store. I have only read the first couple chapters so far, but I plan to finish that over this summer. (I couldn't find a link to the manual I have online.)
Founding Documents
The United States Constitution
It may come as a surprise to you, but I have not read the United States Constitution, the one I hold so dear, in its entirety straight through. This summer I will rectify that. The text can be found through its Wikipedia entry.
The Declaration of Independence
Similarly, I am fairly sure I haven't read this monumental document. I may have read it at some point in my preparatory schooling, but that is doubtful. The text can be found through its Wikipedia entry, as well.
[Optional] State Declarations
As I was looking up the Wikipedia link for the United States Declaration of Independence, I saw that a few of the declarations issued by Sovereign States in the American south, who subsequently formed their own country which failed to establish itself as independent in what is now called the Civil War, are available for reading. Those would be interesting. I believe that many of the same usurpations which compelled the American colonies to declare independence from the British Empire, and several Sovereign States from the United States of America, either are currently happening again, or will be very soon.
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in the years during the war for American independence presented arguments to the colonists for exactly why the colonies needed to be free from the tyrannical British rule. As it was signed "Written by an Englishman" and was written using well-reasoned arguments in a manner easily understood by many people, it was pivotal in turning the colonists' opinion into support for the cause of independence. That pamphlet is on my list.
Additionally, Glenn Beck wrote a book of similar same name in 2009 — Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine. This book is also on my list. As a convenience, Beck included Paine's original writings at the end of his book, so I will be able to hit two birds with one bullet.
2 comments:
Great list, Caleb.
I also need to tackle the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It's hard to say you're for whatever's in those documents, and mean it, when you haven't read them. (Likewise to take an oath to defend them without having read them, but that's another topic).
I'd also recommend the Indiana Constitution, if you think you'll ever be back some day.
http://j.mp/cxguJc
I've got Common Sense on my (long) reading list too.
Hopefully, this reading will help further inoculate you against the Statist nonsense you will run into in the future.
Thanks, Bill!
You're right: it isn't wise to swear an oath to defend documents one hasn't yet read. That's one of the reasons it is high time I read them in full instead of only snippets here and there. I've heard that reading the whole thing really gives great insight into what the Framers envisioned, and I want to see that picture.
Your suggestion about the Indiana Constitution is also a good one; I've read parts of it, but not all the way through either. Thanks for reminding me. I will always call Indiana "home".
I actually literally had a copy of Glenn Beck's book on my desk for several months but just didn't have time to read it. Then when my brother moved out of state, I had to return it to him, so I'll have to pick it up at a local library, I guess.
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