I you live in the Dallas area, the presence of the mafia might come as a surprise. It is widely assumed that this was a problem limited to the New York or Chicago area. There was some mention of organized crime in the early 60's surrounding the assination of JFK, otherwise, it doesn't generate much local publicity. A transplant from New York, Weir has obviously done his research. I found the book to be accurate as to the geography for the time period, and the action kept the pages turning. As the suburbs of Dallas have grown to become cities in their own right, it is extremely interesting to read the account of how Grapevine, Texas and Flower Mound, Texas were involved. I enjoyed "City To Die For" and would recommend it to my friends.

CITY TO DIE FOR shines in areas where other mob-themed books and authors just cannot compare. Bob Weir has taken the gangster and separated him from the stereotypical story of good vs. evil. This book allows the reader to view not only the characters' actions and thoughts, but it also allows a glimpse inside the *motivation* and emotions of the central figures. Not your traditional 'Elliot Ness vs. Capone,' CITY well documents the events surrounding featured Dallas gambler 'Harry Battle' and his refusal to allow the New York mob to gain a foothold in Dallas. In the game of power, the rules of black and white do not always apply (as shown in the repeated failed attempts on 'Battle's life). Weir does a great job detailing this grey area with enough action, facts, and savory characters to definitely make any reader sit up and take notice. In short, it was a very entertaining tale that I couldn't put down!

A relatively quick read (took me 1.5 days) that left me with a greater understanding about the Dallas Mob and its role in the 1940's underworld. Additionally, CITY gave quite a few factual tidbits that I've since found myself referencing in conversation. :)

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

This book was great! A fast paced and interesting story. Well written... and thoroughly entertaining

I have looked through a lot of books on the former Soviet Union and its collapse. Very often, Western authors show clear misunderstanding of the process and how it evolved. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very good analysis in this book. Being a Russian citizen, I discover that it truthfully depicts the history of my country and gives a very thorough picture of what has happened in it before, during, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The authors go to great lengths in order to convey their knowledge to the reader and I very much appreciate their work and effort.

review by illinois reader missed the main points of the book in my opinion. 1-gorbachev tried to reform system thru democratizing(he succeeded)the system and retaining some aspects of socialism(he failed) 2-Democatization allowed the option for a return to capitalism,formerly outlawed,to be considered as an option. 3-The elite opposed early moves toward perostroika because they feared loss of priveleges when decentralization was attempted 4-The elite then embraced the move to capitalism, despite the opposition of 60+percent of the citizenry,hence the title "Revolution From Above" 5-The USSR did not collapse because it was moribund,but because the elite felt that they could enrich themselves more under capitalism than they already had under the soviets. 6-Socialism may not be dead because it failed in the USSR.The author considers that as a first attempt from which future generation can learn. 7-This is well documented academic work well written and with an unconventional view point.

Kotz and Weir start this book with a long detour through Soviet economic history, which is worthy on its own in explaining an often mythologized subject, but really pays off when it explains how the Soviet Union had a very distinct class structure that laid the grounds for the current era. With intelligent sociological analysis they show how the coordinators and bureaucrats who inhabited an allegedly "socialist" system did so for predominantly personal gain, and how they eventually sought and found even more gain in ending that system altogether. Crucial reading for understanding class conflict in Russia today.

This book describes episodes, like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, thathave been happening in the rest of the World. In brief, the BhopalGas Tragedy involved the release of deadly Methyl Isocyanate Gas from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, a city in Central India. The gas release killed more than 2000 people and permanently injured 200,000 more. David Weir critically reevaluates the aftermath of the calamity and the antecedent factors that were directly responsible for the accident. In subsequent chapters, the author expands the definition of the catastrophe to include several factors that run together in the creation of these disasters. Thus by his definition, "The Bhopal Syndrome" includes humanity's dependence on pesticides, herbicides and synthetic chemicals, the economic interdependence of developing nations on Multi-national Corporations, and the lack of adequate safety precautions in the running of these plants and factories.

The book is both enlightening and illuminating. To cite a few examples, despite frequent assertions to the contrary there was an intimate relationship between Union Carbide Corporate Headquarters in Danbury, Connecticut and the plant in Bhopal. As described by Weir, the Union Carbide plant was dubbed a "High Technology" initiative enabling the Multi-National Company to hold nearly 51% equity in the Indian subsidiary. Moreover, as has been well established by this author, the Corporate Headquarters failed in adequate design of the factory. In addition there were several lapses in the day to day running of the factory. Several critical issues lead to inadequacies in personnel and supervisors running the shift, lack of attention to safety precautions and inadequate education and training on what to do in the event of an emergency. As described in the book, several of the safety devices were inactivated to help cut costs, deactivated for maintenance purposes, or just ignored as they were failure prone and had only lead to false alarms in the past.

The chain of events are not unique to the Bhopal, as they occur in some form or other at similar episodes all over the world. In Love Canal and Three Mile Island accidents in USA, as well as in Cicadas, Indonesia or Belford Roxo near Rio de Janeiro, etc., we have had "Slow Motion Bhopal" that continue to haunt us. The author also highlights the danger to life in America, where we tend to believe that it cannot happen to us. Just two weeks before Bhopal, at the FMC Corporation plant in Middleport, New York, raw material for the production of "Furadan" spilled during transfer, leading evacuation of a school. There have been multiple episodes before and after Bhopal. Ironically, even after the disaster at Bhopal, a toxic release took place at Union Carbide's plant at Institute, West Virginia. In spite of a $5 million modernization project involving an early warning computerized system, release of aldicarb oxime and methylene chloride could not be prevented. Similar episodes have happened in Jacksonville, Arkansas, and Anaheim, Fullerton & Placentia all in California.

The third part of the book deals with proposals for a solution. The author makes a passionate appeal for passing of the "Right-To-Know" and "Freedom of Information" laws. In addition, the author recommends intensive testing before the release of "Biorevolution" products before their release for general consumption. This portion of the book is the weakest section of the book, as the author does not offer a clear cut plan of action. The book ends with a very heart wrenching description of a walk through the streets of Bhopal, 2 years after the accident. Children in that unfortunate city still reenact the death throes of the victims, as they indulge in role playing games. While the injured wait for relief, their spirits and bodies broken. Those who survived the gas exposure a large proportion are blinded, their lungs are non compliant, and have a plethora of health related complaints that preclude their obtaining gainful employment. They remain waiting, hoping against hope that someday justice will arrive.

This book makes for some very compulsive reading, and is well crafted. It is a must read book for activists, legislators, scientists as well as all those who care for the world around them. END

The last thing I want to do is read some dissident's views. Activists generally don't like America and / or find fault with it. The author clearly falls into this camp. He speaks about a CIA that used-to-be for the protection of our liberty. The fact that this book got published is evidence of a new leftist-leaning agency. Sure, harassment exists today, but it is directed at patriots who couldn't get their real life stories of harassment published. I know because I am a target of it.

"Secrets: The CIA's War at Home" might strike a lot of people as whacked out conspiracy theory or anti-government propaganda but it is neither of those things. Using his own well-documented historical and journalistic research, Angus McKenzie demonstrates that for decades the CIA, FBI, DOD (Department of Defense) and other American intelligence organizations targeted American citizens for espionage, harassment, and slander in a manner that eroded their First Amendment rights but had practically nothing to do with national security.

American intelligence organizations frequently spied on and subverted their own people to prevent political opposition to the Vietnam War, to conceal illegal activities such as the Iran/Contra scandal, or simply to hide corruption and bureaucratic waste from the legislative branch of government and the American people. In one appalling example, a government appointed efficiency expert was not allowed to report wasteful Pentagon expenditures to his supervisors in congress because this information was considered classified. American intelligence agencies in fact retain the power to determine that any information is classified and they can use this mandate to fire or prosecute employees even for reporting trivial facts to the public such as the contents of a White House menu. Sadly enough America's intelligence agencies could not have made such a drastic legal and illegal assault on the First Amendment without the cooperation of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), the media, and the legislative branch of government, all of whom were either duped or cowed into acquiescence.

The most frightening part of this book is its revelation that when American intelligence agencies ran out of excuses to justify their anti-First Amendment activities they raised the specter of terrorism. One can only imagine the further corruption, illegal activity, and constitutional abuses that American intelligence agencies will perpetuation against their own people now that terrorism is a legitimate threat. If history repeats it self, then these abuses will stem from the need to conceal corruption and criminal activity but will have little to do with combating terrorism.

Well the CIA does spy on USA citizens but the book failed to mention that a lot of the spying goes on in the Federal Prisons. One such important Federal Prisons is Butner FCI, Butner, NC. Its Prison, "which I read about" is the greatest in surveillence and misinformation and disinformation in the Prison-with false identification with individuals who reside there-claiming they did some "violation of the Federal law"-but in actuality it is nothing but a "front story for the agent" to figure out your case.If you were a inmate. Your surrounded by prisoners, who "claim they are", but really are working for the US Government to figure out your case.