David O. Stewart's Blog, page 8

They Don’t Get It: “Enemy Combatant” = Terrorist Win

With the oh-so-welcome arrest of apparent terrorist bomber Dzokhar Tsarnaev, and the killing of his brother/accomplice, some Republican senators are perversely urging a policy that would award the terrorists their greatest possible victory.  They urge that Tsarnaev be declared an “enemy combatant” in order to allow the use of summary legal procedures against him, and to deny him a wide range of legal and constitutional rights.

Dzokhar Tsarnaev, in better times

Among the arguments against this unwise policy are:

What, exactly, is the “enemy” of which the Tsarnaev brothers were (or are) a part?  Perhaps the senators have access to persuasive evidence that they were part of some foreign intrigue, but it certainly seems that these were a couple of thugs who had no getaway plan other than to carjack some guy and take his credit card to the ATM.   These are not hallmarks of an “enemy.”  They surely are part of the universal yet unofficial league of bad, violent and/or demented persons — as is every mugger in America.  Are they all to be enemy combatants?
Do we call them “enemy combatants” because they are foreign-born and inspired by non-American and anti-American rhetoric?  Such a lapse into xenophobia denies our proud history as a nation of immigrants.  It is also an increasingly stupid political move in a nation that desperately wants a rational immigration policy.  Indeed, exactly such lapses into xenophobia contributed mightily to recent Republican election failures.
Do we really think our legal system is unable to manage a guy who was caught red-handed in the midst of so much illegal activity?  We managed to handle the Beltway snipers (John Muhammed and Lee Malvo) just fine without declaring them enemy combatants; those guys killed ten people and completely terrorized a major metropolitan area that happened to be the Nation’s Capital.  I believe in our legal system.  I wish these senators did, too.
With the eyes of the world upon us, do we propose to abandon the ideals that we want to think define us as a nation?  We have done a good deal of that over the last twelve years, for reasons that are good and not-so-good.  The ugly fact is that an open society cannot prevent bad people from doing bad things.  A closed society like China and Soviet Russia can attempt to do that, but the result is a hideous concentration of power which inevitably corrupts those wielding such power and oppresses an entire society.  We believe the individual has rights.  Every individual, no matter how despicable.

It can sound trite, but it isn’t.  If we give up our ideals to fight terrorism, the terrorists win.

The Lincoln Deception

Well, there it is!  The cover of my first novel, which will be released on August 27.   Sink into the crepuscular gaslight of Washington in 1900 as our mismatched heroes struggle to scrape away the myths, misunderstandings and lies surrounding the John Wilkes Booth Conspiracy, while dodging the powerful secret forces that need to keep the secrets . . . secret.

Exciting?  It sure is to me.  And it’s even available for pre-order at Amazon and Booksense (for independent bookstores)!  So far, some early comments have been very generous –

“David O. Stewart dramatically reopens the file on the Lincoln assassination conspiracy with a nail-biting, historically grounded page turner. Where the facts end and the fiction begins will inspire plenty of debate. Meanwhile enjoy this for the terrific read Stewart provides.”

Harold Holzer, author of Lincoln, official young adult companion book to the Stephen Spielberg film.

 “David O. Stewart has done more than write an historical novel: The Lincoln Deception is concocted in the best traditions of the genre. He’s unearthed a remote, fascinating and still-relevant tidbit from the past, then brought it to breathless, riveting life with vivid prose, top-notch research, stunning evocations of turn-of-the-century America, and masterful urgency. Entertaining, educating, and elevating.”

David L. Robbins, Author of War of the Rats and The Devil’s Waters

 “David O. Stewart, a distinguished writer of historical nonfiction, brings off a remarkable feat in his debut novel.  Seizing on the enigmatic last words of the man who prosecuted the Booth conspirators, Stewart transforms a little-known aspect of Lincoln assassination lore into a gripping mystery story.  With its sharp plotting and engaging characters, the novel succeeds as both a thriller and a historical inquiry.”

– Daniel Stashower, author of The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War

I hope you all love it!

 

Pirates Ahoy!

I don’t think these pirates look much like Captain Jack Sparrow, though it might be more entertaining if they did.

Nah, it wouldn’t.

I was blown away by a recent notice from Simon & Schuster, publisher of my three books to date, reporting the number of pirated e-copies of my books that they have bullied off the Internet.

What’s your guess?

If you guessed eleven, you win.

Ten times, someone has posted free access to the text of Impeached, and once someone has posted the same for American Emperor.  Each time, according to Simon & Schuster, the hateful, disgusting thieves were threatened into taking down the books.  Two websites posted one of my books on four separate occasions apiece.  That doesn’t sound inadvertent, does it?

I am grateful to Simon & Schuster (how many times do writers say that about their publishers?) for taking piracy seriously and following up on these episodes.  But I can’t help but wonder how many Simon & Schuster has missed?

I know Polonius said that whoever steals my purse steals but trash, but I still mind this.  A lot.  If you are offered such “free” items — movies, e-books, music, whatever — please don’t take them.  You are stealing from someone.  Maybe even me.