Jim Buckley Bücher

Americans have never been more divided, and we're ripe for a breakup. The bitterness, the gridlock, the growing tolerance of violence, invite us to think that we'd be happier were we two different countries. In all the ways that matter, save for the naked force of law, we are already two nations. There's a second reason why secession beckons. We're over-big, one of the biggest countries in the world. Smaller countries are happier and less corrupt. They're less inclined to throw their weight around militarily, and they're freer. If there are advantages to bigness, the costs exceed the benefits. Bigness is badness. Across the world, just about every country is staring down a secession movement. Many have already split apart. And are we to think that, almost alone in the world, we're immune from this? Or that the Civil War made secession impossible? If so, this book explodes those comforting beliefs, and shows just how easy it would be for a state to exit the union if that's what its voters wanted.

The Republican Party can recover from its 2020 defeat and reclaim its status as America's natural governing party by embracing its foundational principles from leaders like Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Eisenhower. It should prioritize the common good and uphold American ideals of equality and liberty, countering a Democratic agenda that seeks to divide citizens by race and gender. The GOP must embody the American Dream, promoting the belief that anyone, regardless of background, can achieve success and ensure a better future for their children. It should highlight how Democratic policies have fostered inequality and immobility, benefiting elites and creating a new aristocracy. Structural racism in America has been exacerbated by Democrats through their education, immigration, and job-killing policies. The GOP must reclaim the narrative on public corruption, positioning itself as the party of clean government and campaign finance reform. To truly return to its roots, the GOP needs to discard outdated ideologies and reconnect with the people. The lessons from Trump’s influence in 2016 must guide the party; failing to do so risks alienation from the electorate. By implementing these changes, the GOP can become the party that Americans can honorably support.

44-year-old Harmonie Blake visits her mother only to discover her dead. Distraught at the loss of her only remaining family member, she begins the arduous task of sorting out her mother's affairs and coping with her grief. The more she digs into her mother's tumultuous past, the more she realizes how little her mother shared. She follows one clue and traces her mother's life when she served in the British Army in the London Theatre of War. Through Harmonie's narrative, the story turns to the war-torn streets of London. There, Helen's relationships change her life. Would her sense of independence and courage be enough for her to survive failed romances, danger, and death- and Helen's attempts to shed her Cockney roots and family secrets for a better life? Can Harmonie connect to the real spirit of her mother-and will she find peace in finally letting go of a woman she has only just begun to understand?