Austin > Recent Status Updates

The author delves into how the Constitution can be amended and how we haven't had a significant change since 1971. The framers made the Constitution with a mechanism for change. The mechanism was supposed to strike a balance between an impossible and oversimplistic task--which the author said they failed.

Washington, among other founding fathers, saw the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. The Continental Congress’s power, or lack thereof, nearly cost the new nation the war. Washington saw this and clamored for a strong national government to keep the peace after the war and ensure the growth of the new nation.

The Constitution was the result of political maneuvering by the 4 main characters of the book—Washington, Hamilton, Jay, and Madison— to rescue and fulfill the principals of the American Revolution. They sought to create a national government and replace the weak and dysfunctional Articles of Confederation.

Work of German military in USSR laid foundation for German military rearmament.

Author intends to reveal what the Germans & Soviets were doing—militarily—in secret facilities in USSR the years between the end of WW1 and beginning of WW2.

America’s entry into WWI unleashed a “…relentless erosion of civil liberties Americans had long taken for granted.” Pg 59

Imagine not being able to voice opposition to the war effort in any way or face fines, imprisonment or both. These were scary times. Wisconsin Senator Bob LaFollette risked his political career to speak out against the attacks on freedom of speech occurring.

I feel like I am going to be pissed about the actions of
my former countrymen while reading this one….

The biggest dilemma—the German code is cracked and Room 40 receives a bombshell price of intelligence that could help them win the war. The catch is that once the cat is out of the bag the enemy will know that you know what they know—and then you lose the edge over them. How does Room 40 maintain its clandestine operation while sharing what they have intercepted to potentially to bring hostilities to an end.

“It is often claimed that Hitler attacked the United States in ignorance or in spite of its power. This is not so… the Führer saw a narrow window of opportunity not to defeat the United States outright but to create a self-sufficient Axis bloc strong enough to withstand it.” Pg 398

“The future will show even the stupid and unreachable National Socialists what it means to make the entire world one’s enemy.”

-Friedrich Kellner-