Congress (Over 330,000 results)

Paperback. Condition: Good. Books can change lives -- and here are more than fifty powerful letters from young readers to authors revealing some of the ways that is true. Annie Schnitzer tells Elie Wiesel, "Reading your story allowed me to connect with my own history," explaining how reading his memoir deepened her understanding of her grandparents' plight during the Holocaust. After reading The House on Mango Street, Julia Mueller writes to Sandra Cisneros, "You didn't tell me how to pull myself back together; you just showed me that I could. I was tired of trying to be somebody else's definition of beautiful, and you told me that was okay." Culled from the Letters About Literature contest of the Library of Congress Center for the Book, the fifty-two letters in this collection -- written by students in grades four through twelve -- reveal how deeply books and poetry affect the lives of readers. Offering letters that are as profound as they are personal and as moving as they are enlightening, this collection, which also features artwork by some of the contest entrants, provides a glimpse into young people's lives and their connections -- both expected and unexpected -- to the written word.…

Paperback. Condition: Good. Fixing Congress educates and empowers citizens who are unhappy with Congress to renew their hopes for the first branch of government and equips them with the tools to regain control over it.

Condition: Good. Uses interviews with insiders to reveal the inner workings of the Congress and the behavior of congressional members.

Paperback. Condition: Good. In late spring of 2005, George Galloway, a newly elected member of British Parliament, came to Washington, D.C., to appear before a Senate subcommittee that claimed?without ever talking to him?that he had enriched himself through the scandal-plagued Iraq oil-for-food program.What happened next was a rare political moment: to the surprise of the assembled senators, congressional aides, and press, Galloway turned the tables on his accusers, calling attention to the dishonesty and hypocrisy that led to the war in Iraq. This is the story of Galloway?s relationship with Saddam Hussein (including details of their private meetings) and of his remarkable visit to Washington in which he dared to set the record straight?not just his own record but also that of the U.S. government. Filled with the passion and wit that are Galloway trademarks, the book includes the complete transcript of the famed Senate testimony and is packed with facts about the United States? ignominious history in Iraq?facts that are easy to forget but crucial to remember.…

Paperback. Condition: Good.

Condition: Good. I've been trying to help women have better lives, using the laws we already have. But what if the laws are wrong, or don't go far enough? So was the thinking of Jeannette Rankin before she decided to run for Congress, years before most women even had the right to vote. Growing up a small-town girl in Montana, Jeannette showed courage and initiative, helping to run her family's ranch and daring to go to university at a time when most women did not even finish high school. She was bright and well-educated, but it wasn't until a visit to her brother in Boston -- where she glimpsed the harsh realities that women and children faced in the slums -- that she knew what she wanted to do with her life. Immediately she got to work, helping in settlement houses and working with orphaned children, but Jeannette wanted to give women the power to better their own lives -- so she shifted her focus to suffrage and ran for Congress. On November 9, 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to win a seat in the House of Representatives. While in office, she continued her fight for women's rights and also bravely advocated for peace during World War I. Jeannette Rankin was a true pioneer in women's rights and an undeniable force behind the peace movement in America. In this historical account, Marx's candid text and Andreasen's finely detailed illustrations work together to capture the strength and spirit of one of America's most inspirational leaders. Andreasen, Dan (illustrator).…

Hardback. Condition: Good.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book explains why Congress is the indispensable institution for safeguarding popular, democratic, and constitutional government. Even though its record over the past two centuries presents a mixed picture, the record of the other two branches is also decidedly mixed. The author has worked for Congress for the past four decades and writes from a perspective that intimately understands its shortcomings while appreciating its strengths. He contends that portraying Congress as so inherently inept that it must be kept subordinate to presidential or judicial power is misguided and uninformed. The Constitution looks to Congress as the first branch because it is the institution through which citizens at the local and state level engage in self-government. Although Presidents claim to be the national representative, they cannot substitute for the knowledge and legitimacy brought by members of Congress. Congress, after all, is the people's branch and this book restores it to its rightful claim.…

Hardback. Condition: Good.

Hardback. Condition: Good.

Hardback. Condition: Good. A beautiful gift book commemorating the nation's most cherished springtime tradition, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, through original works of art from the Library of Congress collections Experience the splendor of the annual spring viewing of the nation's sakura (cherry blossoms) with this stunning keepsake book. Original artwork, photographs, and objects from the Library of Congress collections illuminate the story of these landmark trees and how they came to the nation's capital as a symbol of friendship with Japan. More than one million visitors from the US and abroad gather each year to enjoy Washington's glorious profusion of cloud-like blossoms and join in the festivities. Cherry Blossoms: Sakura Collections from the Library of Congress showcases exquisite watercolor drawings of blossom varieties among the original cherry trees, Japanese woodblock prints by such master artists as Kiyonaga and Hiroshige, early 3-D stenographs and contemporary photos of the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms, mementos from a former cherry blossom princess, posters of the festival, and more. These works offer the opportunity to explore Japanese culture while celebrating Washington's beloved cherry blossoms.…

Paperback. Condition: Fair. Recalls the most significant and inspiring legislative battle of the twentieth century - the two decades of struggle in the halls of Congress that resulted in civil rights for the descendants of American slaves.

Paperback. Condition: Fair. It''s common knowledge that the U.S. armed the Afghans in their fight against the Soviet Union, but until now, the fact that this was possibly the biggest, meanest covert operation in history has been absent from press reports. In one of the most detailed descriptions of a CIA operation every written, the bizarre twists and turns of the full story are told in CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR. Veteran 60 Minutes producer George Crile explains how one Congressman was able to provide the CIA with hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the Afghan program, dwarfing the price tag for arming the Nicaraguan Contras that occurred at virtually the same time. "The scope and nature of this campaign has still not registered in the consciousness of most Americans," Crile writes in the book''s Epilogue. "Nor is it understood that such secret undertakings inevitably have unforeseen and unintended consequences which, in this case, remain largely ignored." When Crile produced his first story about Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson for 60 Minutes in 1989, he too underestimated the vastness of the program and its consequences. It was a later trip to the Arab world with Wilson, the Wilson''s "princely" reception, and the events of 9/11 that opened his eyes to the far bigger picture of CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR. Among the book''s more startling revelations: * By the latter years of the 1980s the CIA was not just providing arms to a half million Afghans, it had taken 150,000 of them and transformed them into what it called a force of "techno holy warriors." "From today''s perspective," Crile observes, "that may seem more than a bit ill advised-particularly when you factor in the specialized training in urban warfare that the Agency sponsored to include the use of pipe bombs, bicycle bombs, car bombs, camel bombs, along with a host of other tactics to wreak havoc with the army of a modern superpower." * The United States continued to fund the Afghan rebels long after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union. Incredibly, the subsidies continued despite the fact that one of the most important mujahid leaders sided with Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. * In addition to $200 million in aid from the U.S. and $200 million from Saudi Arabia, in 1991 and 1992 the rebels received Iraqi weapons captured by U.S. forces during the Gulf War. At the same time, the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union ceased to exist. The Cold War was effectively over but what began as a war against Communism was continuing to be funded. "The question that has puzzled so many Americans: ''Why do they hate us?'' is not so difficult to understand if you put yourself into the shoes of the Afghan veterans in the aftermath of the Soviet departure," Crile says. To them, the real superpower in their struggle was Allah. The United States eventually cut off its support in the 1990s. In the Afghan''s minds, Allah did not. CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR is nothing short of a critical missing chapter in our political consciousness. Without a clear understanding of its impact, it may be impossible to comprehend the two world changing events that shook the United States on either side of the millennium: the sudden and mysterious collapse of the Soviet Union and the equally inexplicable appearance of a new global foe in the form of militant Islam. At its core, it tells of an unorthodox alliance-of a scandal-prone Texas Congressman named Charlie Wilson and an out-of-favor CIA operative named Gust Avrakotos-that armed and sustained the Afghan jihad and turned Afghanistan into the Soviet Union''s Vietnam. "The origins of this book go back to a time when the Afghans were viewed by most everyone in the U.S. government as freedom fighters and allies against a common foe," Crile writes in the Epilogue. In 1988, Crile produced a 60 Minutes profile of Wilson that he now realizes barely scratched the surface of this fascinating story. Later, while, accompanying Wilson on a trip to Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan just prior to the first Gulf War, Crile was amazed at the "princely" reception accorded Wilson in the Arab world. "The trip was just the beginning of a decade-long odyssey uncovering the many dimensions of the CIA''s Afghan War," he recalls. "In short order I realized that it had been anything but a typical CIA program." As incredible as anything in the pages of Tom Clancy or John le Carré, CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR is a gripping story of international intrigue, booze, drugs, sex, high society and arms deals. Between its covers, we meet: * The charismatic Congressman Charlie Wilson. While Ronald Reagan and William Casey were unable to persuade Congress to fund the Nicaraguan Contras, Wilson was procuring hundreds of millions of dollars to support his Afghan "freedom fighters" through back-room machinations that would have made even LBJ blush. A colorful man of many contradictions, he worked hard and played hard, earning the reputation as the "wildest man in Congreeeeeess" while representing an archconservative Bible-belt district in Texas. * The out-of-favor CIA operative, Gust Avrakotos, whose working-class Greek-American background made him an anomaly in the patrician world of American spies. Nicknamed "Dr. Dirty", this blue collar James Bond was an aggressive agent who served on the front lines of the Cold War where he learned how to stretch the Agency''s rules to the breaking point. * The eccentric staff of CIA outcasts hand-picked by Avrakotos to run the operation. Among them were "Hilly Billy", the logistics wizard who could open an un-numbered Swiss bank account for the U.S. government in 12 hours when others took months; Art Alper, the "devilish" tinkerer from the Technical Services division who roamed the world creating such novelties as exploding typewriters and developed portable amplifiers that spread propaganda among the Soviet troops; and especially Mike Vickers, the former Green Beret so junior in status that he couldn''t send his own cables. His milit.…

Paperback. Condition: Good. It''s common knowledge that the U.S. armed the Afghans in their fight against the Soviet Union, but until now, the fact that this was possibly the biggest, meanest covert operation in history has been absent from press reports. In one of the most detailed descriptions of a CIA operation every written, the bizarre twists and turns of the full story are told in CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR. Veteran 60 Minutes producer George Crile explains how one Congressman was able to provide the CIA with hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the Afghan program, dwarfing the price tag for arming the Nicaraguan Contras that occurred at virtually the same time. "The scope and nature of this campaign has still not registered in the consciousness of most Americans," Crile writes in the book''s Epilogue. "Nor is it understood that such secret undertakings inevitably have unforeseen and unintended consequences which, in this case, remain largely ignored." When Crile produced his first story about Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson for 60 Minutes in 1989, he too underestimated the vastness of the program and its consequences. It was a later trip to the Arab world with Wilson, the Wilson''s "princely" reception, and the events of 9/11 that opened his eyes to the far bigger picture of CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR. Among the book''s more startling revelations: * By the latter years of the 1980s the CIA was not just providing arms to a half million Afghans, it had taken 150,000 of them and transformed them into what it called a force of "techno holy warriors." "From today''s perspective," Crile observes, "that may seem more than a bit ill advised-particularly when you factor in the specialized training in urban warfare that the Agency sponsored to include the use of pipe bombs, bicycle bombs, car bombs, camel bombs, along with a host of other tactics to wreak havoc with the army of a modern superpower." * The United States continued to fund the Afghan rebels long after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union. Incredibly, the subsidies continued despite the fact that one of the most important mujahid leaders sided with Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. * In addition to $200 million in aid from the U.S. and $200 million from Saudi Arabia, in 1991 and 1992 the rebels received Iraqi weapons captured by U.S. forces during the Gulf War. At the same time, the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union ceased to exist. The Cold War was effectively over but what began as a war against Communism was continuing to be funded. "The question that has puzzled so many Americans: ''Why do they hate us?'' is not so difficult to understand if you put yourself into the shoes of the Afghan veterans in the aftermath of the Soviet departure," Crile says. To them, the real superpower in their struggle was Allah. The United States eventually cut off its support in the 1990s. In the Afghan''s minds, Allah did not. CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR is nothing short of a critical missing chapter in our political consciousness. Without a clear understanding of its impact, it may be impossible to comprehend the two world changing events that shook the United States on either side of the millennium: the sudden and mysterious collapse of the Soviet Union and the equally inexplicable appearance of a new global foe in the form of militant Islam. At its core, it tells of an unorthodox alliance-of a scandal-prone Texas Congressman named Charlie Wilson and an out-of-favor CIA operative named Gust Avrakotos-that armed and sustained the Afghan jihad and turned Afghanistan into the Soviet Union''s Vietnam. "The origins of this book go back to a time when the Afghans were viewed by most everyone in the U.S. government as freedom fighters and allies against a common foe," Crile writes in the Epilogue. In 1988, Crile produced a 60 Minutes profile of Wilson that he now realizes barely scratched the surface of this fascinating story. Later, while, accompanying Wilson on a trip to Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Afghanistan just prior to the first Gulf War, Crile was amazed at the "princely" reception accorded Wilson in the Arab world. "The trip was just the beginning of a decade-long odyssey uncovering the many dimensions of the CIA''s Afghan War," he recalls. "In short order I realized that it had been anything but a typical CIA program." As incredible as anything in the pages of Tom Clancy or John le Carré, CHARLIE WILSON''S WAR is a gripping story of international intrigue, booze, drugs, sex, high society and arms deals. Between its covers, we meet: * The charismatic Congressman Charlie Wilson. While Ronald Reagan and William Casey were unable to persuade Congress to fund the Nicaraguan Contras, Wilson was procuring hundreds of millions of dollars to support his Afghan "freedom fighters" through back-room machinations that would have made even LBJ blush. A colorful man of many contradictions, he worked hard and played hard, earning the reputation as the "wildest man in Congreeeeeess" while representing an archconservative Bible-belt district in Texas. * The out-of-favor CIA operative, Gust Avrakotos, whose working-class Greek-American background made him an anomaly in the patrician world of American spies. Nicknamed "Dr. Dirty", this blue collar James Bond was an aggressive agent who served on the front lines of the Cold War where he learned how to stretch the Agency''s rules to the breaking point. * The eccentric staff of CIA outcasts hand-picked by Avrakotos to run the operation. Among them were "Hilly Billy", the logistics wizard who could open an un-numbered Swiss bank account for the U.S. government in 12 hours when others took months; Art Alper, the "devilish" tinkerer from the Technical Services division who roamed the world creating such novelties as exploding typewriters and developed portable amplifiers that spread propaganda among the Soviet troops; and especially Mike Vickers, the former Green Beret so junior in status that he couldn''t send his own cables. His milit.…

Hardback. Condition: Good. In the depths of the U.S. Library of Congress toil thousands of researchers, chasing down obsessions, breakthroughs, and new contributions to human wisdom. But when amateur D.C. sleuth Annabel Reed-Smith enters this stately American institution, she discovers a hornet's nest of intrigue and murder. After a renowned scholar is bludgeoned to death among the scholarly stacks, an ambitious TV reporter links the case to the heist of a Spanish painting from a Miami museum and a killing in Mexico City. Annabel suspects that buried in the Library are secrets some people will do anything to keep silent-the secret of a rich man's ambition, a researcher's disappearance, and a mysterious diary of Christopher Columbus's journey written five hundred years ago. . . .…

Hardcover. Condition: As New.

hardcover. Condition: Very Good.

Hardcover. Condition: Fair.

Paperback. Condition: Fair. This work demonstrates that a close look at American politicians at work in their districts can tell the observer a great deal about the process of representation. The author reveals grassroots approaches to explore how patterns of representation have changed in recent decades.…

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This work demonstrates that a close look at American politicians at work in their districts can tell the observer a great deal about the process of representation. The author reveals grassroots approaches to explore how patterns of representation have changed in recent decades.…

Paperback. Condition: Good. This work demonstrates that a close look at American politicians at work in their districts can tell the observer a great deal about the process of representation. The author reveals grassroots approaches to explore how patterns of representation have changed in recent decades.…

Hardback. Condition: Very Good. A majestic, big-picture account of the Great Society and the forces that shaped it Between November 1962, when he became president, and November 1966, when his party was routed in the midterm elections, Lyndon Johnson spearheaded the most transformative agenda in American politics since the New Deal. In just three years, he drove the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, the War on Poverty, and Medicare and Medicaid, among a raft of other progressive initiatives. Dubbed the Great Society, it was an agenda whose ambition and achievement have never been matched, and it remains largely intact fifty years on. In The Fierce Urgency of Now, Julian E. Zelizer takes the full measure of the story in all its epic sweep. He provides unprecedented insight into the battles that raged inside Congress and the administration, and examines the often bitterly divided forces at play in the country--from religious groups and civil rights activists to labor unions and the media--during the tumultuous years when our political sights were set on the ideal of a Great Society.…

Hardback. Condition: Good. A majestic, big-picture account of the Great Society and the forces that shaped it Between November 1962, when he became president, and November 1966, when his party was routed in the midterm elections, Lyndon Johnson spearheaded the most transformative agenda in American politics since the New Deal. In just three years, he drove the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, the War on Poverty, and Medicare and Medicaid, among a raft of other progressive initiatives. Dubbed the Great Society, it was an agenda whose ambition and achievement have never been matched, and it remains largely intact fifty years on. In The Fierce Urgency of Now, Julian E. Zelizer takes the full measure of the story in all its epic sweep. He provides unprecedented insight into the battles that raged inside Congress and the administration, and examines the often bitterly divided forces at play in the country--from religious groups and civil rights activists to labor unions and the media--during the tumultuous years when our political sights were set on the ideal of a Great Society.…

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. An inside look at the way Congress works and how it impacts the lives of all Americans, by an eminent former Congressman.

Paperback. Condition: Good. An inside look at the way Congress works and how it impacts the lives of all Americans, by an eminent former Congressman.

Hardback. Condition: Good.

paperback. Condition: Fair.

Paperback. Condition: Fair. Dr. Patch Adams knows the inner side of healing. House Calls is a reminder that some of the most important factors in healing are not high-tech marvels but ordinary factors such as love, compassion, friendship, and hope. This book will lighten anyone's heart and assist him or her on a healing journey.…

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Dr. Patch Adams knows the inner side of healing. House Calls is a reminder that some of the most important factors in healing are not high-tech marvels but ordinary factors such as love, compassion, friendship, and hope. This book will lighten anyone's heart and assist him or her on a healing journey.…

Paperback. Condition: Good. Dr. Patch Adams knows the inner side of healing. House Calls is a reminder that some of the most important factors in healing are not high-tech marvels but ordinary factors such as love, compassion, friendship, and hope. This book will lighten anyone's heart and assist him or her on a healing journey.…