Awesome! This is a must read for every American. Mark Levin does an incredible job of presenting the facts and statistics in a way, which allows you to understand the context, and then the probable outcomes. One thing, that I think most people would agree with, is that the issue is not Republican or Democrat, the issue is our nation. We have too many politicians who are in it for themselves, not for the purpose of serving the people. Mr. Levin basically moves from one news story, article, study, etc to the next, and yet he does so in a way that is both easy to understand and entertaining. It's not just a bunch of dry facts, he has a way of putting "flesh" on the dry, hard facts (bones), so we can see what they mean, when combined with the big picture. ( )

Levin is almost prophetical is his warnings about the statists (liberals). He clearly states conservative principles and ends the book with his conservative manifesto. Levin's expertise in mattes pertaining to politics and the Constitution can be cleary seen. Definately one of the great writings of our time. ( )

It's like Liberal Facism's mean little sister. In his effort to be treatise for the everyman, Levin dispenses historical investigation and simply gives broad generalizations which are to serve as adequate background for his reader. Therefore, instead of seeking to see how liberals came to prefer statism as a proper interpretation of American governance, he essentially informs his readers that liberals came to their conclusions via ignorance and self-serving vices.

Dismissively characterizing liberals on his self-defined moral high-ground, Levin encourages his reader not to be passive in political discussion in the public and private spheres (read: fervently engage liberals wherever you meet them). It is this combination that really makes Levin’s work horrible. He never equips his readers with any means of respecting the liberal they will be encountering when they follow his advice. Without a sense of shared values and empathy towards one another, what would any dialogue between a Levin-trained conservative and liberal ever result in other than more polarization?

Oh, and Levin mentions religion quite a bit, but ultimately for Levin, it is the tradition of unchecked market forces which will redeem society. I suggest Levin read the Pope’s 2009 encyclical Charity in Truth while readers looking for a critical, yet historically researched view of modern liberalism to read Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism. Ironically, Goldberg's detailed look at liberal history tells his readers that liberals are worthy enough to spend the time to honestly study. Levin doesn't seem to believe that's the case. ( )

I thought the last few pages were great, but overall, there's little new here. If you listen to Rush, Hannity, etc., there's little that's eye opening. And if it's supposed to introduce people to what conservatives really are and think, it's not the easiest read. ( )

Mark Levin begins his bestseller, “Liberty and Tyranny,’ with the premise that conservatism equates to liberty and liberalism to tyranny – although he almost immediately substitutes the word Statist for liberal. That is certainly starting a book off with a bang, but the rest of “Liberty and Tyranny,’ in which Levin rationally makes his case, proves him to be up to the challenge sure to come from readers who disagree with his choice of words.

(Full Disclosure: I believe myself to be a fiscal conservative and a moderate on social issues, even drifting over to the liberal side on some issues such as support for gay marriage. My chief concerns of the moment, other than the imminent bankruptcy facing this country, all relate to keeping the country safe from terrorism or to our current immigration policy, a policy sure to result in the balkanization of American society not too many years down the road. I say all this to admit that, going in, I knew I would likely agree with Levin’s case for the merits of Conservatism.)

Levin differentiates between the Conservative and Statist points-of-view in several key areas: Faith, the Constitution, Federalism, the Free Market, the Welfare State, Environmentalism, Immigration and Self-Preservation. He reminds the reader that this country’s founders considered the greatest threat to personal liberty to be “an all-powerful central government, where the few dictate to the many” – the obvious preference of the modern Liberal/Statist and a goal to which the current administration is supremely dedicated. Seldom in United States history have so few believed that they have the right (and, unfortunately, the power) to interfere so intimately in the lives of so many.

Sadly enough, both major political parties in this country seem to have abandoned the Conservative principles that made the country great, the very principles upon which the founders based our constitution. Make no mistake – George W. Bush did not govern as a Conservative, despite his claims to the contrary. These days, Conservatives, at election time, generally find themselves choosing between what is, in their judgment, the lesser of evils, a choice not always as obvious as one would hope in an age where the major parties are so much alike - and so thoroughly dominated by their corrupt leadership.

Levin ends “Liberty and Tyranny” with what he calls “A Conservative Manifesto” in which he enumerates ten things “the Conservative will have to do if the nation is to improve,” including: eliminating the progressive income tax, limiting Supreme Court judicial review power, applying anti-trust laws to the National Education Association, stopping “chain immigration,” fighting against a nationalized health system, and demanding that all public servants strictly uphold the Constitution.

The book also introduced me to an Abraham Lincoln quote with which I was unfamiliar, a quote to which, as a fiscal conservative, I am particularly drawn, “Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.” Or, to put it in modern terms, assuring that his own shall be safe from the Statist who wants to confiscate it and redistribute it to “the houseless.” God help us.

Rated at: 4.0 ( )