Customer Reviews

Ready, Aim, Right!

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This is a great collections of columns by Jack Criss, an erstwhile libertarian radio talk show host, and current newspaper publisher, journalist, and columnist in Jackson, Mississippi. The nice mixture of cultural editorials, reviews, interviews, and economic-political-cultural commentary will appeal especially to Missippians and other Southerners in the region, and also to libertarians and other advocates of free enterprise, as well as to cultural conservatives.

Criss's writing style is clear and incisive--he cuts straight through the superficial babble surrounding the crucial issues and debates facing us today to get right to the heart of the matter. Combining the mind of a philosopher with the clear prose of a professional journalist--and the straight talk and practical orientation of and businessman--he brings to light new threads of thought while offering plausible blueprints for change. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not (I usually do), his editorials are a pleasure to read and regularly challenge many preconceived notions advanced by the mainstream media. A unique voice and breath of fresh air.

--Stephan Kinsella, attorney, former adjunct Professor of Law, noted libertarian lecturer and author of numerous articles and books including World Online Business Law; Digest of Commercial Laws of the World; and Protecting Foreign Investment Under International Law: Legal Aspects of Political Risk

"Ready Aim Right" is a must read for anyone who is interested in business, current events, politics, and/or the problems that our society faces today. Jack's common sense approach to the issues and problems in our world is a breath of fresh air! Conservatives, liberals, and anyone in between will find this book enlightening. Buy one for yourself, and several for your friends. You won't regret it.

My optimism shines when a state that is known for progressives, bible thumping, and other forms of collectivism (take your pick), produces a rational voice that is seldom heard in the local papers. Jack Criss delivers a straight-forward defense of individual rights and free markets in his book, _Ready, Aim, Right!_.

This is a collection of Jack's writings over a fourteen year period that covers our culture, politics, business, local issues, and even a few book reviews. Also, Jack has a section dedicated to personal issues where Jack discusses his father, family, children, and of course his beloved Minnesota Vikings.

If Mississippi had only a few more voices in sync with Jack's, the state would be a beacon on the road back to restoring the founding principles of our country. Kudos to Jack for a job well done!

This book offers a very enjoyable read.

I found it of interest that Criss discusses his own "odyssey" from "Marx, Ginsberg, Siddhartha, long hair and 'Rock Against Reagan' ... to Ayn Rand, Aristotle, Ludwig von Mises, Voltaire and business meetings," as he puts it in the Preface of his book. He praises "laissez-faire, individual freedom, high culture"-values "most often identified with the Right," while having no sympathy for the Libertarian Party (though he clearly agrees with the LP's core principles and "party message").

All this seems pretty "Right-wing" to me, including some of his stances on the current war.

But Criss is no traditional conservative, since he takes issue with the "Family Values" crowd in the GOP.

Criss has a fightin' style to his writing: very colorful and very entertaining. Even when you disagree with him on any specific issue, you marvel at his way with words.

The book is not all politics, however; I was most enchanted by his various musings on his personal life. A tribute to his father and his reflections on becoming a father offer the most poignant moments in the book.

Well done!

Tired of reading policitcal/societal commentary that seeks yet another way to support the "conventional wisdom" pervasive in mainstream journalisim today ? if the answer is yes, then "Ready, Aim, Right" is a required read.
Consice, clear and poignant, author Jack Criss slays many sacred cows in this outstanding collection of articles. It's a very enjoyable and entertaining read. Get a copy, pass it on to friends, and prepare yourself to engage in areas of conversation you've not ventured into before.

Ed Nixon, president of Nixon World Enterprises and brother of former President Richard Nixon, says it best...
"Jack Criss is the very model of a modern libertarian! He is pragmatic enough to get elected and from his bully pulpit he will persuade the center to move right. Anything he writes deserves serious thought."

It often seems today that the voice of reason is trying to make itself heard above a howling, never-ending hurricane of perilous irrationality. It shouts, it pleads, it warns, it explains. Sometimes, it even damns the stubbornly, consciously deaf. It knocks on the doors of men's minds with the same persistence that the hurricane rattles and buffets those doors.
But most people, it also seems, can barely hear that voice because they have taken refuge from the endemic irrationality in reason-proof states of mind. They cannot be blamed for fearing the hurricane; they seem to think that the irrationality is a natural phenomenon, and that they are powerless to stop it. They think their only option is to ride out the storm and pick up the pieces after it has passed. Regrettably, when they lock out irrationality, they also lock out its antidote.
The number of American periodicals in the print medium that consistently promotes reason in men's affairs can be counted perhaps on the fingers of two hands. Almost without exception, these are conservative publications such as The New York Sun and the Washington Times, which unfortunately leave reason behind when the subject is abortion, the promotion of "family values" as government policy, and religion. Perhaps the only newspaper in the country that does not exhibit this dichotomy is The Orange County Register in California.
Jack Criss, career editor, journalist and former talk-show host, is also one of those exceptions. Ready, Aim, Right! is a collection of his writings covering fifteen years of shouting, warning and explaining in a variety of prominent Mississippi business publications. However, Jack Criss does not plead, whine or beg. Should the welfare state be abolished? Yes! Should the government, local and federal, get out of the lives of Americans, and protect their rights instead of violating them every day and everywhere citizens turn? Yes! Should the government cease its policies of fraud, deceit and extortion via Social Security and the income tax? Yes! Should the government abandon the education racket that accomplishes rampant illiteracy at the cost of billions? Yes!
Where in the original Constitution, Criss might cause a reader to ask himself, is the clause or article that grants the federal or any state government the power to "manage" the economy and the lives of Americans? And if such a clause or article exists, wouldn't it nullify the balance of the Constitution? He refuses to allow Americans to forget their rights and the original purpose of government, first enunciated by the Founders. Wherever he detects dishonesty, scams, lies, and outright robbery by career politicians and bureaucrats, Criss is on top of it, exposing it all. He does so with style, wit, frankness and integrity, virtues no longer apparent in most journalists today, either in the print or the broadcast media. His is a voice that should be heard and heeded.
We hope Criss's next book project will be a collection of his radio interviews, which should also make interesting and infuriating reading. They are discussions with notables ranging from populist demagogue Jesse Jackson to philosopher of reason Leonard Peikoff.

Jack is a breath of fresh air....it is a great refreshing departure when a person can stand and deliver his opinion
on matters without folding before the status quo. I respect his intelligence...his insight and his courage.

Edward S.
Jackson, MS

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jack Criss definitely has a way with words, and he certainly provokes the reader to introspection. His writing is upfront and direct, yet infused with an infectious sense of humor. Mr. Criss seems to have an understanding that belies his years. I recommend you get a copy of Ready, Aim, Right! for yourself and your friends...it will spark interesting discussion!

I am the author of "Ready, Aim, Right!" I must say that I am very proud of this work on many levels: I believe that the ideals of classical liberalism (i.e., Enligtenment values such as this country was founded on) find voice in my essays. Individual rights, the defense of the market along with those who create and produce in it, high culture, reason as an absolute, et al, are some the values I defend vigorously and cogently in a way that I believe is unprecendeted. As an autodidact---and business owner--the essays in "Ready, Aim, Right!" come from the frontlines of the modern, non-tenured boardroom. My perspective is that of a self-taught philosopher who is also a business owner. I attack and vivisect, yes; but I also propose solutions in a clear, often humorous and highly personal way. I urge you to buy the book. As a salesman, I would appreciate the business! As a classical liberal who is disenchanted with both the Right and the Left I will also add that you will find these essays unlike most commentary you might read today. Thank you.