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Prophetic—
Patchworks is sadly a timely tale of national character and individual insight, juxtaposing individual lives and Second Amendment rights. One reads this engaging, often amusing, and ultimately disturbing account in light of an advancing history of public massacres involving firearms. WorldView Magazine’s Peter Van Deekle reviews Patchworks at Peace Corps Worldwide. Excerpts: B.A. East brings Read more
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The Old Man. The Sea.
Last spring we visited Key West. Of course we toured the Hemingway home. That was Vikram’s 9th birthday week. Being a natural reader, he couldn’t leave the premises without a book. What to buy? The novels and stories that introduced me to Hemingway — A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises, the Nick Adams Read more
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Remarks at Indie Author Day
My new novel is the quintessential Washington, DC book. At the climax to Patchworks, hundreds of federal workers stream from their offices, urged on by the sound of a screaming alarm. They gather on a grassy knoll near the National Mall, some of them leaning on one another, some of them sobbing, others in stony, Read more
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The First Freedom
If standing is obligatory, it is also meaningless. As a form of non-violent expression, taking a knee during the National Anthem epitomizes a fundamental principle in every fiber of the flag. Taking a knee honors, rather than dishonors, the Stars and Stripes. The First Amendment reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, Read more
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Don’t Tread on Me
Yesterday several dozen white supremacists made national headlines for gathering in Charlottesville around the statue of secessionist leader Robert E. Lee. Local television footage shows the group chanting, among other things: Russia is our friend. Not a peep from the White House. The next day, professional football players took a knee during the National Anthem Read more
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Guns Don’t Kill People…
The comments section of any article about sensible gun regulation reveals the infant-like imaginary world of the pro-gun argument. The most common, perhaps, is that ‘Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.’ But when was the last time you saw a murderer swing a People against a group of people, killing them? Should we also Read more
Ben East Books 