The Author’s Style and How the Book Is Organized

Glenn R. Swift, Editor

Glenn Swift, Editor

Damn The Warocracy! by George Fouke, Ph.D., is a call to arms for citizens to reclaim their Judeo-Christian heritage and take back the reins of political power from a military-industrial complex that has grown into the Frankenstein-like “misplaced power” that President Eisenhower warned would become the “disastrous” undoing of America. With Iraq as only the latest example of this metastasizing misplaced power, the author draws a sharp distinction between the U.S. Military and Defense, which he honors, and the grave implications of the Warocracy, which he describes as an economic and political state of mind, both civilian and military, that runs roughshod over our checks and balances system and usurps the Constitutional framework of our Republic.

About the Author and His Style

Fouke is both a disaffected Republican and a disappointed Democrat, and while sections of the book may read as if the writer is standing on a soap box, there is no ideological ax to grind. When not at the podium, he writes as a grandfather addressing his four grandchildren who will be first-time presidential voters in November, 2008, and their peers. In that sense, the book is about the “Old Generation” passing the torch to the “New Generation.” Therefore, his plea is not just for democracy to triumph over Warocracy, but for the New Generation to step up to the plate and make the political and moral choices that will ensure the future of the Judeo-Christian heritage.

This unorthodox work is written by a retired professor of interdisciplinary studies and political science, and is penned in a spirit and style that regularly alternates between a light, humorous approach and one that is distinctly serious and philosophical. Quite literally, the author laughs and challenges his peers in the Greatest Generation one moment, his family the next, and the yet-to-be-born immediately thereafter.

The author’s story is told on many levels – personal, professional, economic, romantic, idealistic, and realistic. (He was raised in six foster homes; don’t ask him about what’s real.) These levels give the text an uneven pace and voice; yet the writer’s easy-to-understand style insures that the book can be enjoyed as much by a twelve-year-old as by someone in the winter of his life. Moreover, one does not require an in-depth understanding of politics, history, or philosophy to understand and learn from this exciting new work. This is a book about the wonder of life, taking it to the next stage, and preparing ourselves for the discovery of intelligent life in the Universe.

Undoubtedly, the author looks at the world in a unique and sometimes startling way. For example, in the tradition of Carl Sagan the author argues that our churches are failing to prepare us for life with others in the Cosmos. Fouke’s insight, however, is not mere banter; most of his interpretations are drawn from a wide range of quality literature – current and classical, popular and academic. Adding even more color to the text is a cast of characters comprising the author’s friends and family, colleagues and students. Each of us has had an “Old Goat” or “Ogre” in our lives; wait until you meet Fouke’s. His cast of characters regularly provides human perspective to the understanding of the book’s key philosophical argument – that the movement of progressive societies has been from Status to Contract and is now toward Dignity.

Whether America should move toward a new kind of Status based upon wealth or embrace a Society of Dignity based upon respect is one of the moral crossroads the New Generation must choose between, says Fouke. The reader is also taken on various intriguing interdisciplinary wanderings into the history of Western Civilization, largely due to the near total lack of historical understanding on the part of young people today. Then again, Fouke gives older readers a few reminders about major historical moments in their lives. And for all of us, he speculates continuously as to, “What’s it all about, Alfie?”

How the Book Is Organized

The book’s structure is primarily thematic and begins with a chapter entitled “Defense,” which quickly introduces the reader to the Warocracy and the threat it represents to the American system of government – and way of life. The next section, “Values,” borrows heavily from the Judeo-Christian tradition and provides the book’s moral compass – a firm foundation from which all ethical and moral interpretations are drawn.

The author then addresses a number of the nation’s most important political issues (fiscal policy, foreign policy, healthcare, abortion, immigration, etc.) before weaving his way to the heart and soul of the text – the political philosophy of Sir Henry Maine, a nineteenth-century British historian who saw civilization as having evolved from a Society of Status, in which human accomplishment largely stemmed from one’s inherited standing in society, to a Society of Contract, in which individuals were at liberty to test their abilities and merits, thus creating a new social position independent of one’s social status at birth. The author then extrapolates upon Maine’s thesis by proposing that a third stage is at hand, the Society of Dignity. Such a stage not only incorporates merit, but insures a safety net for all its citizens. Needless to say, Fouke sees the Warocracy as a roadblock to the fruition of such a society.

Last, but certainly not least, the author closes with a series of essays on Israel. Why Israel? Because Fouke fears that the modern Jewish state is in danger of becoming a Warocracy, rather than a beacon on a hill, but even more importantly, because he sees Israel as a microcosm of the world in which we live – torn between democracy and Warocracy.

Throughout the text, the reader will be treated to a number of pleasant surprises that significantly enhance the power of the subject matter. In addition to a number of fascinating and well-researched footnotes, the book includes interesting historical anecdotes presented as factoids and a number of entertaining icons that draw attention to the choices facing potential voters when drawing distinctions between the Democratic and Republican parties. First-time and undecided voters will find these icons helpful in deciding which party or candidates to identify with.

As to which party to affiliate with, or for the book’s conclusions, it is the reader who must bear this burden.