"UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES" BY JOHN ROSS

BOOK REVIEW | 5-10-05 | JOHN ROSS

[Jerrybob]

It’s too bad this book is so long; the sheer size of it will keep some from reading it. But if you can breeze through some of the excruciating detail, events about ¾ of the way through will make you sit upright and take notice. At that point it grabbed my attention and quickly became well worth the time I put into it.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I liked the part about the use of hogs to dispose of evidence.

[patton]

now read travis's book

[George Smiley]

It was my understanding that Mr. Ross has a second novel in the works.

[Spok]

IMHO, the left is motivated on the gun issue the same as abortion: I don't think they really care about babies OR guns, but having the power to take them from people, mostly people who don't share their political views, is what it's all about. It's like the commandant in "Shindler's List" who killed Jews with a scoped rifle from his window-he just did it because he could, with no other reason whatsoever. They know if they can take our guns, our religion and even our babies and elderly, then they have won an absolute, unconditional victory. This is why every battle, regardless of its seeming importance, must be fought and won. This is the liberal jihad.

[ZGuy]

The book was first published in 1996. The reviews on Amazon are almost all 5 out of 5 stars with comments such as "Buy it, whatever the cost", "It Changed My Thinking", "A life-changing book", and "Excellent from end to end."

[Alia]

I've given two copies of this excellent tome away, over the years. It is a "must read", IMO. A fiction with FANTASTIC FACTS, HISTORY all woven into readable form. Once begun, you cannot put the book down. The history of this country also comes into play -- and all woven and centered around the right to self-governance and self-defense. Freedom. Liberty.

[OkiMusashi]

If you are a shooter .... then read the first TWO PAGES of Part One and I guarantee that you will read the next 850 pages.

It's THAT good.

[Jerrybob]

bump to top.

[texas_mrs]

bump

[OkiMusashi]

Note: the first two pages covers Ad Topperwein and tells where the term "Plinkin'" comes from.

http://www.sanantonio.gov/dome/hallfame/AD.htm

Ad Topperwein was without doubt, the greatest marksman of his time and, in all probability, the best trick shot gunman the world has ever known. The son of a Texas frontier gunsmith, Ad was born in 1869 in Boerne and lived most of his life in San Antonio.

Topperwein set 14 world records during the 36 years he toured the nation with his .22 caliber rifle. He became famous for a marathon exhibition held in December 1907 at the Old San Antonio Exposition and Fair Grounds. It was a feat that has never been equaled.

Using three .22 caliber rifles, Topperwein shot seven hours a day for ten consecutive days at 72,500 2 1/4" diameter wooden blocks, each pitched to a height of 25 to 30 feet from a distance of 25 feet. Not knowing how many blocks he would need for the occasion, Ad had only 60,000 blocks made, so his last 22,500 shots were at pieces of the original blocks! In ten days of shooting, he missed just NINE times.

Topperwein retired from shooting performances in 1945, but did not give up shooting until he was in his eighties. He died at his home in San Antonio on March 4, 1962 at the age of 92. He is also a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Un-frickin-believable

[ko_kyi]

If you are a shooter .... then read the first TWO PAGES of Part One and I guarantee that you will read the next 850 pages.

If you are an occasional shooter, you will read the first 300, more or less skim the next 500 while forcing yourself to read the boring parts, then read the last 50 you have been waiting for since the beginning of the book.

The book is like Atlas Shrugged. Earth-shaking ideas, good speeches, and shallow characters shoehorned into a clumsy novel with an ending that wouldn't ever happen in reality. I think the book is a must read, and the ideas are what makes the book great.

[China Clipper]

MUCH too long, I agree, and in some parts, quite "racy". In fact,I think he could have done it much better without the graphic sex scenes, but then again, it is his book.

[gcruse]

I excerpted the part of John's book that deals with Vince Foster's death and posted the excerpt on the Whitewater newsgroup. Mr Ross sent me a nastygram shortly thereafter. I hope you don't hear from him.

[society-by-contract]

bumb

[Jerrybob]

I would think Mr. Ross would be happy to see people talking about his book. But then that's just me.

[Dan from Michigan]

It's a great book. I have it.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I like the analogy to Atlas Shrugged. A great read with flaws, but which is filled with ideas that will change your life.

My brief book review:

1. "Everything I needed to learn about the gun culture I learned from Unintended Consequences." This includes the historical principles of liberty, the foundation of our current gun laws, federal regulations, sniper techniques, long-range varmint hunting, precision handloading, self defense techniques, tips and tricks, the economics of firearms production, gun identification, collecting advice, trap shooting, and African game hunting. This book provides the foundation to make the reader appreciate everything about firearms.

2. The historical portion covers the Bonus Army, WWII, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and a sentimental and earnest tale of a boy's upbringing in a better culture at a better time.

3. The modern portion covers a thrilling modern plot in which a good man must take extraordinary measures to survive the efforts of evil government officials bent on his destruction.

Each of the above three aspects will have different appeals to different readers. Some find the gun geekery a little much, but a curious reader who isn't afraid to learn about new things will be fascinated. The modern plot gets racy in aspects involving our unmarried hero, in the manner of Mickey Spillane, but the mature reader will survive these needless episodes, and the occasionally dismissive attitude toward religion.

Here is the Author's FAQ on the book (his site has some articles worth a look):
http://www.john-ross.net/u_c_faq.htm

[IncPen]

I highly recommend John's CCW class

Three of us attended one of John's Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) classes, and a subsequent trip to his shooting range. The class was 4 hours of instruction toward receiving a Missouri (or any honoring state CCW), plus about 6 hours at the range.

John has an amazing assortment of guns and will let you shoot any of them (yes, even the automatics). He allows about 60 shots on the handguns (he sees that you qualify on the CCW target), then asks that you pay for the ammo on the automatics. And I'm talking Thompson, Uzi, M16, BAR-50, Glock full auto pistol (the actual name escapes me) and more

If you haven't shot before- even if you have- his course is an excellent value.

Get this: Four hours classroom, 6 hours on the range (including lunch!) is $100

That's a steal, IMHO