Book Review: The Infidel by Bosch Fawstin

The Infidel - a refreshing, creative and entertaining critique of Islam and jihad.

IllustWriter Bosch Fawstin (website here) is a pioneer of sorts in the field of digital counter-culture literature. He's published anti-establishment artwork on the internet for years, well before the proliferation of ebooks. Much of his work uses sophisticated cartoons to express skepticism of or mock government, politicians and current events. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Islam was increasingly a target of Bosch's creative talents.

In February 2011, Bosch released Chapter 1 of his much anticipated graphic novel serial The Infidel #1. He followed that up with the Infidel #2 in June 2012. The series has received praise from readers and influential pundits such as Robert Spencer and David Horowitz.

The Infidel chronicles conflict between twin brothers born and raised Muslim. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 cause a seismic rift between the brothers, sending each on divergent paths. One brother submits to Islam. The other brother (Killian) responds by creating a counter-jihad superhero called PIGMAN who battles fictitious jihadists. Pigman, and Killian's brash promotion of the character, is the vehicle used by Bosch to progress the underlying story of conflict between the two brothers.

Each chapter switches viewpoints between Killian and that of his comic book creation Pigman. Pigman is like a throw back to the 1930s and 40s when comic book heroes fought Axis Power fascists in the name of freedom. The reader will get some satisfaction watching Pigman do "terrible things to those who had a good day on 9/11" as Bosch promises early in the Infidel #1. However, in 21st century America, Pigman receives his fair share of criticism and scorn due to his overtly critical view of Islam.

As with any graphic novel, writing a good story and creating solid characters is only half the work. The artwork is just as important, if not more so. On this metric, Bosch succeeds. Any fan of Frank Miller will notice Miller's influences throughout The Infidel (not to mention Bosch's other artwork on his website).

Publications that tackle controversial topics are sure to garner criticism, and the Infidel is no different. In the Infidel's case, that critique is that the novel fails to tell a positive story of Islam. As if it is Bosch's job to present an upstanding Westernized Muslim that the left struggles to find for every jihadist lopping off a non-Muslim's head. It's the shades of grey fixation that dominates our culture today, presenting villains in sympathetic lights. "Balance," to use the parlance of our times. Of course this usually only applies in one direction - to creative works that fall along the the center-right paradigm. So Islam can only be viewed critically with balance, yet the businessman maintains his position as a standard villain in movies and novels.

Grey has its place in literature and popular culture, but it's not a necessary box to check for a story to be worthy. Sometimes though it's not even needed or there's sufficient grey in the mainstream that black and white story telling on an issue is welcomed. Bosch's overtly critical view of Islam is actually refreshing while the critique of lack of balance is boring.

One legitimate concern is whether Bosch's story has enough cross-over appeal to attract so called "low information voters." They're the ones who get their news from entertainment programs like the Daily Show or talk shows and who are pre-disposed to having sympathy for Islam since that feeling dominates the entertainment industry and zeitgeist of the intellectual elite. If The Infidel does not have that sort of cross-over appeal, then it risks failing to have a meaningful impact on influencing public perception of Islam, which a reader gathers is Bosch's primary intent behind the work. Overt, aggressive political themes can repel these types of readers.

Stop by Bosch's website and at least check out his artwork. While you're there, I recommend picking up copies of both chapters of The Infidel to read on your tablet or computer. Both are entertaining and you'll be supporting a talented artist, storyteller and political commentator all at the same time. The Infidel #1 is available here for download and the Infidel #2 is available here for download (both $3).

Allen Mitchum is the author of the political thriller 28 Pages involving a shocking Saudi conspiracy against the United States concealed in the 9/11 Commission Report. Please visit the author's website at www.allenmitchum.com.

Georgetown and Harvard: Purchased Political Tools of Saudi Arabia

Chapter 25 of 28 PAGES involves an event at Georgetown University hosted by the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States. The purpose of the event was to celebrate the opening of a new education center at Georgetown, which was funded by a fictitious wealthy Saudi citizen. The goal in establishing the center was to promote a better understanding of Islam in America. Or, as the Saudi Ambassador character says in the book, "building a bridge between the West and the Muslim world."

That scene in 28 PAGES was influenced by real life events. In 2005, a Saudi billionaire named Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal donated $20 million Georgetown to fund a center dedicated to "Muslim Christian Understanding." Prince Alwaleed has expressed concerns that "the image of Islam has been tarnished in the West" and stated that the gift to Georgetown will be used "to teach about the Islamic world to the United States."

Alwaleed has made several large donations to prominent universities and cultural institutions in the West. Those include the following:

• $20 million in 2005 to Harvard University to create the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program. 
• $20 million in 2005 to the Louvre Museum to fund a new Islamic art wing at the famed museum.
• £8 million in 2008 to Cambridge University to build a centre called the HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for Islamic Studies
• £16 million in 2008 to Edinburgh University to create the Alwaleed Centre for the study of Islam in the Contemporary World

The Georgetown scene in 28 PAGES is important because it illustrates a key theme of the novel: excessive Saudi influence in the United States. The Saudis are flush with petro dollars received from their vast oil wealth and they strategically reinvest those dollars in America, Europe and elsewhere to further Saudi political objectives. Whether Georgetown, Harvard or Cambridge, the Saudis are spending millions of dollars to purchase the support of key influencers and decision makers in the West like politicians, journalists and professors.

This provides the Saudis with an extensive and influential network to manipulate the public narrative as it relates to jihad, Islam or Saudi support for terrorism. This is especially important to the Saudis should another 9/11 style terrorist attack occur where a vast majority of the terrorists are Saudis justifying their actions on Islam.

The Georgetown center's director, John Esposito, is on the record saying that a substantial portion of Prince Alwaleed's donation will go to fund a "think tank" at the center. Think tanks are organizations that advocate specific policies from a particular viewpoint (i.e. convervative, liberal, free market, etc.). With that in mind, is there any doubt what policies will be advocated, or perhaps more importantly, ignored, at the Prince Alwaleed Center at Georgetown? As the saying goes, follow the money.

Allen Mitchum is the author of the political thriller 28 Pages involving a shocking Saudi conspiracy against the United States concealed in the 9/11 Commission Report. Please visit the author's website at www.allenmitchum.com.

Ray Lewis and London Fletcher: A Case Study For the Power of Marketing

Two NFL middle linebackers. Nearly identical career statistics in the major categories for their position over nearly identical time periods. Both with Super Bowl victories early in their careers.

One is regarded as one of the best defensive players of all time (and has been since probably his fourth season in the league). He's been to thirteen Pro Bowls, is a two time AFC defensive player of the year, was named to the NFLs all 2000 decade team, among other impressive individual awards. He is a fixture on sports highlight reels, the interview circuit and even has a signature dance as he enters the playing field that rivals that of WWE stars that is featured in commercials. He arguably has the highest national profile of any non-quarterback  in the NFL.

The other player didn't get voted to the Pro Bowl until nearly ten years in to his career. He's played the second most consecutive games of any linebacker yet received far less individual awards. He's quiet and reserved. He isn't well known outside of the market of the teams he has played for.

The first player is, of course, Ray Lewis. The second is London Fletcher. Each bests the other in certain categories but looking at the raw numbers, they appear to average out nearly equal statistical careers. So what's the lesson here? Why does Lewis receive national attention and awards while Fletcher remains remarkably undervalued?

There are a few factors but the one that stands out the most is that Lewis is a talented self-promoter and marketer while Fletcher does not focus on such things.

Some may argue that Lewis has greater intangibles that aren't reflected on the stat sheet. A presence, so to speak, whereby just being on the field has an impact on the flow of the game. That may be true, but it doesn't explain why Fletcher hasn't received the attention and recognition warranted for a player that has unquestionably been the most reliable player at his position over the course of his career.

The better explanation is that Lewis appreciates the importance of branding and self-promotion. Talent and production are only part of the equation for being regarded as the best in your field. To fully be recognized for your accomplishments, people need to know about your accomplishments. You also need to have something that separates you from your peers. Lewis does an excellent job of this in a multitude of ways, from being a fixture in the sports media to securing key endorsements to being flamboyant enough to get attention but not enough to be derided (think Chad Johnson).

There's something to be said about doing your job the best you can and expecting that recognition will follow. It's a seductive way of thinking. And sometimes it works, though more often than not, it doesn't. But even when it does follow organically, it's usually less for than the person who spent the resources, time, and money or made the connections necessary to ensure that the key people knew about their accomplishments and abilities.

The case study of Ray Lewis and London Fletcher isn't limited to football or even sports. It can be applied in a number of fields, including the creative arts and specifically my field of creative writing. There are thousands of aspiring authors. Technology advances in publishing have opened new opportunities for talented writers to reach audiences where previously the bricks and mortar publishers denied their entry to the market. But only a small minority will find success. Those that do will likely do so via a mixture of a solid product, good fortune but most importantly successful self-promotion, marketing and branding in the mold of Ray Lewis.

Allen Mitchum is the author of the political thriller 28 Pages involving a shocking Saudi conspiracy against the United States concealed in the 9/11 Commission Report. Please visit the author's website at www.allenmitchum.com.

Caution: Unions at Work

Background story here: Steven Crowder, Fox News Contributor, Punched During Right-To-Work Protests in Michigan

Book Review: No Remorse by Ian Walkley

An engaging and exiting action thriller.

In the debut geopolitical thriller No Remorse, author Ian Walkley introduces the world to  Lee "Mac" McCloud, a Delta Force soldier who does freelance work on the side.

At a high level, Mac is a fairly typical loose cannon type protagonist we've come to expect in an action thriller. I pictured him as a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger's character Dutch in Predator and Sylvester Stallone's Rambo. He has problems with authority and incredibly determined to finish a job. He doesn't hesitate to do the right thing, help a friend in need or to use violence to achieve his objectives. All three of those characteristics drive Mac's actions through out the novel.

The story starts out with Mac in Mexico trying to rescue the kidnapped teenage daughters of two family friends. The rescue goes terribly wrong and when Mac's supervisors in the military found out about his side activities, he's presented with an ultimatum: prison or enroll as an agent with an unknown U.S. clandestine agency. Mac reluctantly signs up for the secret agency.

Mac and his new colleges are soon assigned to stop an exiled Saudi prince determined to start a revolution in his native homeland. While traversing around the globe tracking the Saudi prince, his money and agents, Mac is distracted by the unfinished business involving his friend's kidnapped daughters. He refuses to give up the search and ultimately discovers that the girls were apprehended by a notorious sex slave organization with global reach. As Mac delves deeper into both the shadowy world of the Saudi prince and the sex slave organization, he discovers that both matters are intertwined. Mac's challenge is to balance the competing interests of his new job and the unfinished rescue of his friends' daughters.

While the story is solid, the characters of No Remorse are perhaps the book's greatest  asset. And this is a testament to Walkley as a burgeoning thriller author because for a commercial novel, that's unusual. Typically the biggest critique of the genre is that characters are paper thin or can't cast a shadow. That's not the case here. In particular, the main villain, Saudi prince Khalid, is well developed and oddly intriguing as the reader leans piecemeal the man's motivations for seeking to destroy the Saudi Royal Family. Few established authors offer a villain as impressive as Khalid.

Of note, Walkley doesn't shy away from incorporating controversial topics into the story. In fact, the reader gets the sense that one of Walkley's main goals in writing the story was to be controversial (which this author wholeheartedly respects). Organ harvesting plays an important role in the story, as does white slavery. One scene involves the graphic depiction of a barbaric Islamic female ritual and is not for the faint of heart.

No Remorse is a well done debut thriller novel by an author that clearly has talent, both in terms of writing and character development. I gave No Remorse 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. The book is available in paperback, ebook, and audio format. Preview a copy on Amazon by clicking here.

Allen Mitchum is the author of the political thriller 28 Pages involving a shocking Saudi conspiracy against the United States hidden in the 9/11 Commission Report. Please visit the author's website at www.allenmitchum.com.

Life Imitates 28 PAGES: Saudi Artifacts on Display in Washington, D.C.

Here's a case of life imitating my political thriller 28 Pages. Readers will recognize the content of this video as the setting for Chapter 25 when the main character Heather Grahl attends a function at Georgetown to open a new Islamic cultural center funded by the Saudis. The event was hosted by the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. and displayed ancient Saudi artifacts.



Obama Should Thank Bush for Virginia's Electoral Votes

In the 2004 Presidential Election, George W. Bush defeated John Kerry 54% to 45%. Four years later, Barack Obama defeated John McCain by almost the same amount - 53% to 46%. It was the first time a Democrat won Virginia's electoral votes since 1964. With Obama's victory over Mitt Romney, Virginia voted for a Democratic Presidential candidate two cycles in a row for the first time since FDR. Both U.S. Senators from Virginia have been Democrats for the past four years, which will continue for at least another four years.

How did Virginia suddenly become a stronghold of the Democratic party?

The general explanation for this new trend is the changing demographics in Virginia, particularly Northern Virginia (NoVa). There are far more young people in the area than a decade ago, large companies relocate to NoVa nearly every day to take advantage of a pro-business environment and a robust Latino community continues to grow as it services an expanding wealthy population. Many of these new citizens of Virginia are traditionally classified as constituents of the Democratic party.

Demographic changes alone though are not enough to explain the change in voting habits. Just one year after a majority of Virginians voted for Obama, they elected the very conservative Republican Bob McDonnell as governor with 59% of the vote, representing the largest margin of victory for a governor since 1961. The Virginian U.S. House of Representatives delegation is majority Republican (8 to 3).

So what did cause the change in voting at the Presidential and U.S. Senate level if the answer is not general demographics? The big government policies of Republican George Bush. His policies transformed the Virginian economy into one dependent on the continued growth of the federal government. The livelihoods of a significant percentage of NoVa residents now depend on federal tax dollars and they vote accordingly.

At first this seems difficult to argue. After all, total federal employment numbers remained flat during the Bush years. Without an increase in federal employees, how could the Virginian economy have undergone such a radical change? Simple - by expanding the shadow federal workforce from 4.4 million to over 7 million.

A constant theme of the Bush tenure was increased deficit spending and reliance on contractors to perform services for the federal government in lieu of the government hiring employees directly. Shortly after taking office, 9/11 occurred. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan followed. Billions of tax dollars were allocated to defense contractors to service those wars. On the domestic front, a homeland security industry boomed overnight. Billions more were distributed to IT companies and defense contractors to improve security at airports, shipping ports, and federal facilities.

With all the increased federal spending, lobbyists, lawyers and accountants lurked around every corner. Per the Washington Post, the number of registered lobbyists doubled between 2000 and 2005 to more than 34,750. Anyone who has spent time in the D.C. area since 2000 knows that most of the affluent population growth in the region has been in NoVa.

The Virginian economy is now dependent on federal spending remaining at least constant. Any presidential candidate for office that is a perceived threat to that scheme will find it difficult to win a majority of votes in Virginia. This favors the Democrats as they are generally viewed as more likely to maintain or increase federal spending.

Did the new economy in NoVA contribute to McCain losing Virginia? One of McCain's strongest issues while in the Senate has been trying to cut wasteful government spending, particularly with the military. Post World War II history shows that federal deficits only go up, regardless of which party controls the White House. But why take the chance? Virginians who now require federal spending to put food on the table and and gas in their luxury SUVs and sedans vote for a known big government Democrat like Obama.

Same with Romney. He routinely spoke on the campaign trail about cutting federal spending, reducing regulations, simplifying the tax code. To emphasize his seriousness, he chose budget hawk Paul Ryan as his running mate. Successfully addressing those three issues would put thousands of people in the NoVa area out of work.

Going forward, it will be difficult for a Republican presidential candidate to win a majority of votes in Virginia, particularly if emphasizing policies that threaten to curb federal spending. Bush's big government policies forever changed that. For too many Virginia residents, their careers and incomes are dependent on benefiting from federal tax dollars. At the very least, a Republican candidate will need to spend significantly more time, resources and money than just a few election cycles ago persuading Virginian.

This is one case where "Blaming Bush" is completely appropriate.

Allen Mitchum is the author of the political thriller 28 Pages involving a shocking Saudi conspiracy against the United States hidden in the 9/11 Commission Report. Please visit the author's website at www.allenmitchum.com.