Alternative

adj.

1. Allowing or necessitating a choice between two or more things.
2. 
   
1. Existing outside traditional or established institutions or systems: an alternative lifestyle.
2. Espousing or reflecting values that are different from those of the establishment or mainstream: an alternative newspaper; alternative greeting cards.

American Compass asserts itself as “The Conservative Alternative.” Really? Alternative? To what, exactly? If I’m confused it’s probably because I couldn't think of a word more mainstream than Conservative. We have a Conservative President in the White House and well-organized, highly motivated Conservative Fundamentalism movement flexing their muscles all over the place. Too many Americans get their news from the decidedly Conservative—and purposefully misleading—Fox News. Perhaps Alternative Conservatism only works in conjunction with a martyr complex*: We are under attack (even though we run things). We must be ever vigilant for any slight (even though we run things). We are a persecuted minority (even though, um, we actually run things).

“ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE. TAKE A STAND,” reads the cover of their mailer, and American Compass wants you to know that they will help you be part of the vanguard to reclaim America’s lost glory via their VIRTUES,VALUES, VIEWPOINTS program of 5 books for $1 with an obligation to purchase two more books in the coming year (plus a free 48”x65” embroidered fleece blanket with membership) . In case you were still confused about what this very special book club has to offer, here’s an excerpt from the blurb for John Patrick Diggins’ Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom and the Making of History:

Following his departure from office, Ronald Reagan was marginalized thanks to liberal biases that dominate the teaching of American history…[yet] Reagan, like Lincoln (who was also attacked for decades after his death), deserves to be regarded as one of our three or four greatest presidents. [Ronald Reagan] was the most open-minded libertarian president the country has ever had…

There are 164 books offered in the American Compass mailer that mysteriously arrived in my mailbox, and after reading it, this is what I discovered:

• 34 books have the word America, or a variant in the title. My favorites are; Armed America, How to Raise an American: 1776 Fun and Easy Tools, Tips, and Activities to Help Your Child Love This Country, and the memoir All American: Why I Believe in Football, God, and the War in Iraq by Robert P. McGovern, Captain, U.S. Army.

• America is being destroyed, and these are the culprits; The rest of the world [America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It], the Supreme Court [Men In Black], the United Nations [The U.N. Exposed: How the United Nations Sabotages America’s Security and Fails the World & The Beast on the East River], environmentalists [Eco-Freaks: Environmentalism is Hazardous to Your Health], immigration [Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America’s Borders], and regular ol’ spies [Enemies: How America’s Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets].

Of course the main villain (superseding even Islam) in the American Compass catalogue are Liberals, and while only nine books actually have the word Left in the title, there are a bunch of books willing to point fingers, lay blame, or simply slander:

• From being the cause of the 9/11 terrorist attacks [The Enemy At Home] to eroding America’s educational [Indoctrination U.] and judicial [The Tyranny of Tolerance]** systems, it's clear that those bleeding hearts have some 'splainin to do.
  

• From instructional manuals [2006-2007 Edition of Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies] to alternate history guides [The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism], American Compass is ready to help you pick a fight.

• As an extra added bonus, there are also three (three!) books about Clintons; The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President’s Life After the White House, Dossier on Hillary Clinton, and The Shadow Party: How Hillary Clinton, George Soros and the Sixties Left Took Over the Democratic Party.

I could go on and on, as it was quite a fascinating read. So fascinating, in fact, that I briefly considered signing up (whom amongst us could not use a fleece blanket?) to see what future goodies would mysteriously appear in my mailbox. Alas, I could only find three books*** out of that previous mentioned one hundred and sixty four that would actually be worth reading, and no, One Nation, One Standard: An Ex-Liberal on How Hispanics Can Succeed Just Like Other Immigrant Groups, was not one of them.

*from Wikipedia: A martyr complex can also be a tendency to feel that one is being singled out for persecution. It is often characterized by the belief that one's persecution is the result of exceptional integrity. [emphasis added]

** I gotta publish the blurb: “Judge Robert H. Dierker Jr. has seen American leftists turning our country from a republic of self-reliant, God-worshipping people living under an impartial rule of law to a nanny state where “equality” means legalized discrimination against whites and Asians, and especially white males” [emphasis added] Is there any wonder who the American Compass core audience is?

*** For the record they are: Infidel by Ayann Hirsi Ali, The Complete Peanuts 1957-1958, Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.