Fred Stopsky has spent the past 50 years as a secondary teacher and college educator who has taught over 12,000 teachers.
He is the co-author of "The American Experience: The History of the United States and Social Studies in a Global Society," as well as the author of almost a dozen other books including, "Freedom and Control: Censorship in America," "George Bush on the Planet of Xul," "Nuremberg Principles and International Law," "Catholicism and Slavery," and "Bartolome de las Casas: Champion of Indian Rights.
" Fred also created the Veterans Accelerated Urban Learning for Teachers (VAULT) program to assist Vietnam War veterans further their education.
Tyler:Thank you for joining me today, Fred.
I have to say you have quite a title for your new book.
To begin, would you tell our readers a little bit about how you would classify the book? Fred:Thank you Tyler for having me.
"Don Rumsfeld & Dick Cheney In Hell" is a political satire that mixes sardonic wit with serious exploration of key issues confronting America and the world.
We live in interesting times, so political satire must possess offbeat qualities.
It's a book about political and social issues, but its comic mood enables readers to smile and engage them in serious thinking.
Tyler: What is the plot of the story? Fred: Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney awake to discover they are in an anteroom in Hell with Ken Lay of Enron fame, who has been told by the Devil to organize the process by which a host of witnesses will offer testimony to determine if the two men belong down there or way up in Heaven.
People from every place on the political spectrum, along with ordinary citizens, offer evidence.
The book depicts how each person, regardless whether famous or not, is impacted by the antics of these two men and has something to offer in the way of testimony.
The material is basically presented in a dialogue manner making for easy reading.
Each chapter enables a particular group of people to offer testimony.
In all cases, several views are presented.
The Devil remains off to the side until the end when he begins injecting cutting remarks.
Tyler: I understand the Devil calls on several witnesses to make his decision.
Most of these witnesses are famous celebrities, but not necessarily politicians.
How did you decide which celebrities to include? Fred:Great question.
I wanted to present the views of conservatives like Ann Coulter or Tom de Lay because their words are sufficient in themselves to indict Rumsfeld and Cheney.
I simply had to allow Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Al Franken, Michael Moore, Jay Leno, and Howard Stern to perform their shows because in modern times we pay serious attention to comedians and consider politicians to be comics.
In particular, I felt compelled to allow that wonderful young man, Pat Tillman, to speak for himself as well as family members of those who have died.
I love Kinky Friedman and am an admirer of Willie Nelson so I just had to work them in.
Mixed in with the famous are prisoners from Abu Ghraib and some regular working class people.
Of course, I even drew upon a Law and Order team to uncover the TRUE story of the famous Weapons of Mass Destruction.
I believe most readers will be amazed to discover the real meaning of "Weapons of Mass Destruction;" this information is alone worth the price of the book.
Tyler: All the celebrities are from our time it seems, except the Marx Brothers.
Why did you decide to include them? Fred:The Marx Brothers represent the height of American zany, madcap humor and who else could match the zany madcap ideas of Rumsfeld and Cheney? I had fun allowing the Marx Brothers to run wild in the chapter with the contemporary Robin Williams because these individuals are able in their satirical offbeat comments to make more sense than any member of the Bush administration.
Please also remember, Groucho Marx was president of Freedonia, so he is as much an expert on politics as Rumsfeld and Cheney.
As Groucho once put it, "fish and politicians smell after three days.
" Whew, after four years, the smell...
Tyler: Fred, tell me a little bit about the non-famous characters--especially, did you include soldiers who fought or even died in the war, or family members such as the mother who camped out at Bush's ranch in Texas for weeks after her son was killed, only to have the president refuse to speak to her? Fred: Every day I read blogs written by members of the military and armed forces publications such as the "Stars & Stripes" and "Army Times" to keep abreast how they feel.
I came across several things written by mothers of soldiers who died and included their views in chapter 14.
I remained true to their feelings; one of them was very pro-Bush.
I also was tremendously impacted by the story of Pat Tillman.
In doing research on this fine young man I discovered he was an intellectual who read enormously and was very patriotic.
I tried to convey his feelings and those of his family members who are furious about how Pat's death was used for political purposes.
I am rather proud the account in the book coincides remarkably with what is now being revealed to the American media -- that George Bush was told the real story by General McChrystal of Pat's death and ignored the truth to stir up anger and hatred.
I could never in good conscience ever lie about the feelings of family members or those who died.
Tyler: Fred, how did you come up with the idea for this book? Fred:This may come across as a bit of corn, but the deaths of our sweet young men and women has given me great pain.
I served in the military, and have worked to help veterans, so they remain close to my heart.
I was walking one day thinking about the day's casualties when in my mind I heard the words, "the Devil himself couldn't create more chaos and death than what is going on today in Iraq.
" Within a moment, I had the idea for the book.
Tyler: Fred, tell me a little bit about your own military service? Has the military changed for the better or worse since you served? Fred: I turned down a draft deferment in 1951 and joined the US Army during the Korean War.
I went through four months of basic training and then my unit got orders for Korea-- to Heartbreak Ridge.
By some crazy mix-up, my orders were misplaced and I wound up going to Europe.
Several of my dear friends were killed on those hills in Korea.
In fact, my decision to become a teacher stemmed from their deaths, I wanted to do something in life to help prevent war.
In those days everyone served, rich and poor, college educated and those who never finished grade school.
Unlike WWII, the Korean War was as unpopular as the war in Iraq.
Just like today, in the early stages of the war, reservists and National Guards troops were called up.
But men who were drafted quickly replaced them.
Everyone who was on the front line put in 18 months and then went home with no return duty to Korea.
After General Eisenhower was elected president, he immediately pursued negotiations and arranged for a truce so our fighting men could come home.
We were fortunate to have Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower as presidents, two men who highly respected the Constitution and were willing to negotiate to end fighting.
Of course, both men had served in the military and understood the meaning of death, something unknown to George Bush.
I often wish we had a Dwight Eisenhower as president--he was a Republican, but a man who loved and cherished the Constitution.
Tyler: Fred, why did you choose the devil rather than God to have a trial for Rumsfeld and Cheney? Fred: The Devil has always for me represented chaos, disorder, pain and torture.
Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Bush are the best exemplifiers of these human qualities.
If there is a Hell down there, then it is the fitting place for those violating our basic human values.
Anyway, I didn't want to bother God who spends time caring for those who have love and joy in their hearts.
Tyler: You also include several deceased presidents as part of the trial.
Will you tell us which ones and why you chose them? What kind of legitimacy do the presidents add to the trial? Fred: I have read extensively into the life of Abraham Lincoln.
I often become sick to my stomach at President Bush's refusal to honor those who died.
Lincoln continually visited sick soldiers and was at many funerals.
He also invited family members of those who died to see him at the White House.
George Bush is no Lincoln.
Bill Clinton has been remarkably quiet about responding to charges that he somehow is responsible for al-Qaeda or 9/11.
I wanted to offer him an opportunity to refute those lies and directly confront Don and Dick about their tragic mistakes.
Harry Truman is one of my favorite presidents.
He always told it like it was and never minced words.
He was a self-taught man who loved and revered his beloved Constitution, and I know he is turning over in his grave at what Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush have done to that document.
Tyler: What are the crimes or injustices for which Rumsfeld and Cheney are accused in the book? Fred:They deliberately lied about causes for war--the famous Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Please read my chapter where a Law and Order unit finally uncovers its mystery.
These men have violated constitutional guarantees about fair trials, they have discarded the Geneva Convention which every member of the military knows must be obeyed, they have supported spying on the average American citizen, and they must take some responsibility for the deaths of over 3600 Americans.
Tyler: :Do you feel the American system has failed that these two politicians have not been punished for their actions? Fred:I believe the American Constitution is the greatest political document in human history.
I believe in the American political system.
Sometimes, we Americans move slowly, but our system in the end always works.
I am an eternal optimist when it comes to the American people.
Somehow, in some way, the American people eventually figure out phonies and charlatans and quacks.
Our system has not failed because books like mine and others are alerting our nation to the madness of those running our government.
Tyler: What kind of response has the book received so far? Fred:As I said, I am the eternal optimist.
I have been receiving a great deal of praise and compliments, as well as stellar reviews so far.
Even though awareness has been slow and low-key after being available for just over one month, I believe in the end the book will enjoy a great sale.
Tyler: Have you had any negative responses? When Michael Moore's movie, "Fahrenheit 911" came out many theatres refused to show it, claiming it would be unpatriotic when our troops were fighting, yet it seems disgust for the war has grown greatly in the three years since then.
How would you respond to people accusing you of being unpatriotic, or hasn't that been a problem? Fred: Some people view me as unpatriotic for attacking the president during wartime.
They argue we should remain united when soldiers are dying.
We had elections during WWII and the Korean War, Republicans said horrible things about Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, but our nation survived.
I find it ironic that Republicans were vicious in their attacks upon Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, but now claim we should avoid attacking the president--of course today, he is a Republican.
The essence of patriotism is fighting for one's beliefs.
In entering the US Army I took a solemn oath to defend and uphold the Constitution and it was made clear that if a president violated that document, our first obligation was to the Constitution, not to the president.
If I fail to attack and criticize a president who violates the Constitution, then I am derelict in my responsibilities as a citizen.
Saddam Hussein never attacked this nation.
Our president lied to the American people about reasons for going to war.
I fully supported our attacks in Afghanistan against those who initiated the 9/11 attacks.
I agree with the view of the new prime minister of England, Gordon Brown, who is now arguing terrorism is best handled by police forces.
You can't have a war against an abstraction --terrorism.
In terms of America, our law enforcement personnel will best handle terrorism.
I must confess to some feelings of disgust when those who have never fought for their nation attack the patriotism of those who served--what Republicans did to John Kerry was unpardonable.
I do not question the patriotism or loyalty of any American; such words are not part of the American way of life.
Tyler: Fred, I mentioned earlier that you also have written "George Bush on the Planet of Xul.
" Would you tell us a little bit about that book? I'm assuming it is also a satire of the Bush administration, so why did you feel the need to write this second book, "Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney in Hell"? Fred: I am a science fiction addict so writing science fiction is part of my dream.
One day while reading a sci-fi novel the idea just entered my mind, "What would happen if aliens got in contact with George Bush?--They would go crazy trying to understand his mind.
" The book is about aliens from the planet of Xul who take Bush to their planet and then bring a host of people from Earth who can help decipher the manner in which his mind functions.
Oh, the people run range from businessmen, writers, politicians, actors, comedians, and so on.
I had fun with Whoopie Goldberg giving the Xulians her version of Bush's mind or how soldiers fighting in Iraq view him and Cindy Sheehan finally gets a shot at Bush and there is even a Seinfeld episode in which Kramer explains to the Xulians how the war in Iraq can be ended.
At the conclusion of the book, Bush takes on the universe.
In all honesty, I am frequently confused how his mind functions.
The other day he expressed opposition to a new bill that would give medical care to children on grounds it was the first step on the road to socialism.
Or, opposing the Congressional proposal for a 3.
5% pay raise for soldiers on grounds it was "excessive.
" He sees things in his own inimitable way and I thought maybe aliens could figure it out.
I can't.
Tyler: Do you have plans for future satires on American politics? Next year, if the Democrats are elected to office, do you think you will satirize them, regardless of party lines? Fred: As a satirist, there is no question I would love Giuliani or Ron Paul to get elected.
In fact, right now I'm playing around with a title, "The Seven Faces of Rudy G.
" Hillary would be fun to poke fun at because she so often acts serious and a bit pompous, but Barack Obama is tough because he has this fresh young face.
I can never get straight whether it is Ron Paul or Paul Ron.
I would struggle with John McCain because the man has suffered so much and been through a great deal of pain, it would be cruel to go after him.
Rudy reminds me of the wicked stepmother in Snow White who is always asking the mirror, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is fairest of them all.
" Anyway, if one believes in satire then no one is exempt.
Tyler: Fred, thank you for joining me today.
Before we go, please let our readers know where they can find out more information about "Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney in Hell.
" Fred:Currently there are three methods.
You can go to Amazon.
com, order it through your local Border's Bookstore, or you can purchase a copy directly from my political blog, http://www.
TheImpudentObserver.
com, where I will pay shipping and personally autograph every single copy sent out.
Tyler: Thank you, Fred.
I'm sure the book will become very popular with readers.
I hope you have a bestseller on your hands.