Chris Gibson

What if Martin Luther King Jr., this name-branded, oft-sanitized preacher from Atlanta, is a prophet whose message America has yet to fully reckon with? Ten days before Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Where in America today do we hear a voice like the voice of the prophets of Israel? Martin Luther King is a sign that God has not forsaken the United States of America. God has sent him to us.” What if Heschel’s words about King are true? What if this name-branded, oft-sanitized, Super-Bowl-ad-commercialized, National-Mall-memorialized preacher from Atlanta . . . is a prophet whose message America has yet to fully reckon with? This issue of Plough Quarterly looks at King’s unfinished struggle against the three evils of racism, materialism, and militarism. Perspectives from Edwidge Danticat, Gary Dorrien, Brandon M. Terry, D. L. Mayfield, Eugene Rivers, and Susannah Heschel explore the ways King’s message of nonviolence, justice, and love of neighbor still matters today: to refugees and immigrants, soldiers and veterans, preachers and prisoners, black lives matter activists and the white working class. Also in this issue: original poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye; reviews of new books by James Forman Jr., Steve Krivák, Jim Forest, and Christopher de Hamel; and art by Yvan Lamothe, Roberson Joseph, Barry Moser, Benny Andrews, Zoe Cromwell, Julian Peters, Asuka Hishiki, Mark Smith, Mary Kang, Marc Chagall, John Partipilo, Yuri Kozyrev, Vinicius Barajas, Iain Stewart, Giovanni Bellini. Plough Quarterly features stories, ideas, and culture for people eager to put their faith into action. Each issue brings you in-depth articles, interviews, poetry, book reviews, and art to help you put Jesus’ message into practice and find common cause with others.

The Spirit of Philadelphia is America’s story told through the history of ideas and a cautionary tale of what happens when a nation’s Spirit goes dormant. This book proposes a return of the American government to the philosophical roots as articulated by the U. S. Constitution and its Framers. Grounded in realism, the Founders successfully balanced the needs and rights of the individual with those of the collective, creating a system that prioritized both personal liberty and societal order. Author and former Congressman Chris Gibson argues that abandoning the “Spirit of Philadelphia” (essentially the national spirit of cooperation, compromise, and teamwork) enabled dysfunction in government and disillusionment in the constituency. Culminating a comprehensive list of policy recommendations that logically analyze issues in the American political system, the author proposes an agenda aimed at restoring faith and functionality in national institutions and leaders, fostering bipartisan communication and collaboration, and revitalizing civic engagement at the individual level. Illustrating the changes in the political landscape of America since the Philadelphia convention, this book is an important read for students of democracy, political participation, elections, and voter behavior.

The Spirit of Philadelphia is America’s story told through the history of ideas and a cautionary tale of what happens when a nation’s Spirit goes dormant. This book proposes a return of the American government to the philosophical roots as articulated by the U. S. Constitution and its Framers. Grounded in realism, the Founders successfully balanced the needs and rights of the individual with those of the collective, creating a system that prioritized both personal liberty and societal order. Author and former Congressman Chris Gibson argues that abandoning the “Spirit of Philadelphia” (essentially the national spirit of cooperation, compromise, and teamwork) enabled dysfunction in government and disillusionment in the constituency. Culminating a comprehensive list of policy recommendations that logically analyze issues in the American political system, the author proposes an agenda aimed at restoring faith and functionality in national institutions and leaders, fostering bipartisan communication and collaboration, and revitalizing civic engagement at the individual level. Illustrating the changes in the political landscape of America since the Philadelphia convention, this book is an important read for students of democracy, political participation, elections, and voter behavior.

A highly illustrated and portable identification guide to the most common wild flowers and other plantsThis innovative photographic guide covers the most common wild flowers and other plants found in Britain and Ireland, as defined by the very latest distribution maps. It is designed so that anyone faced with an unfamiliar wild plant can confidently put a name to the species or recognise that it is a less common plant needing further investigation. The identification process is based on standard botanical features that are straightforwardly described, clearly illustrated and supported by a simple visual key to families. This book can be your springboard into the wider world of botanical identification, wherever you are, and of plants both common and rare. Covers the plants most likely to be seen, including those in coastal areasIncludes more than 3,800 colour photographs, with macro images of key features when neededFeatures a friendly, easy-to-use design and text written in plain English, with essential botanical terms described and illustrated

Airborne early warning (AEW) has been used since 1941 but, until the computer revolution of the late 1970s, was restricted in its operation to maritime use. Since the 1980s, AEW aircraft have become the must-have force multiplier of any first-rate armed force and as such are worthy of analysis. From the RAF's Wellington ACI of 1941 and the Elgar operations of 1944 to the Boeing E-7 Wedgetails that will enter service next year, the UK has paved the way in AEW technology, albeit not with the greatest success. The Americans, following Britain's lead and taking a hammering from the kamikaze, modified a snorkel-detection radar to detect aircraft and developed the first operational bespoke AEW aircraft with Project Cadillac. That radar would remain in service on the RAF's Shackleton AEW2 until 1991 when it was replaced by the Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW1 in RAF Service. In the intervening period, many attempts to produce an AEW system for use over land failed, until the E-3 Sentry came on the scene in the late 1970s. This became the benchmark for AEW aircraft and is only now being replaced by Boeings E-7 Wedgetail. On the maritime front, Grumman's E-2 Hawkeye became a popular choice, especially once an overland capability was achieved in the 1980s. The Royal Navy's loss of ships in the South Atlantic prompted the resurrection of earlier work on a helicopter AEW system that became the Sea King ASaC7 and today's Merlin Crowsnest operated from the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Elsewhere, the Soviets produced the Moss, based on the Tupolev Bear via the Cleat airliner but the subsequent Beriev A-50 Mainstay has become the AEW platform of choice in non-aligned countries such as India. China has taken the bit between its teeth and having bought a few Mainstays, has developed a plethora of AEW aircraft in the last 20 years. Due to the massive power requirements of radars and their associated computers, AEW aircraft were large, generally converted airliners. Since the mid-1990s a new generation of smaller types based on feeder liners and bizjets have appeared and make the role accessible to smaller air forces. In the vanguard of this is SAAB, whose Erieye systems have been applied to a variety of aircraft.

Britain has been at the forefront of weapons technology since the industrial revolution began and, with the Brennan wire-guided torpedo, pioneered guided weapons. World War One saw several developments, but it was during World War Two that Britain's scientists laid the foundations for a guided weapons industry that continues to this day. Ultimately, the early guided weapons gave Britain's armed forces valuable experience in operating the weapons. Sea Vixens, Javelins and Lightnings were armed with Firestreak and Red Top, while Vulcans and Victors carried Blue Steel, the UK's nuclear deterrent. The Army fielded weapons such as Thunderbird, Rapier, Corporal and Lance. Navy submarines carried Polaris and Trident, while surface ships had Sea Dart, Sea Wolf, Exocet and Harpoon. From this solid foundation, the aerospace companies merged and collaborated, with lessons learned from the earlier weapons paving the way for a new generation of weapons: Skyflash, Meteor, ASRAAM, Brimstone and Storm Shadow arm the Tornado, Typhoon and Lightning; Sea Viper and Sea Ceptor protect the Navy; and Sky Sword defends the Army. With over 140 images, this book relates the history of these weapons and how Britain operates some of the finest guided weapons available today.

From their modest origins with BE.2c and Vickers Victoria biplanes delivering food and ammunition in the Mesopotamian deserts to the massive Globemasters delivering hardware in the same theatre a century later, transport aircraft have played a key role in Britain's wars. It was the Cold War that saw transport aircraft become necessary war-fighting equipment. Operation Corporate in 1982 identified the need for large-capacity strategic transport aircraft, something reinforced by Operation Granby in 1990-91, and led to the acquisition of the Lockheed TriStar and Boeing C-17A Globemaster. When the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq began, the RAF's transport fleet was ready, and with the new model Hercules, and the Airbus Voyager and Atlas, Britain's armed forces have a transport force second to none. First in, last out' is a concise description of the operations of the RAF's transport force. Since 1915, aircraft have supported troops on the ground, carried personnel to and from war zones, evacuated civilians and provided succour to the needy. RAF Transport Command's motto, Ferio Ferendo, translates as I strike by carrying', and that is exactly what transport aircraft have done for over a century. With over 130 photographs, this book describes the evolution of the aircraft that provided the airlift capacity for Britain's armed forces wherever they served, and as the 2021 Operation Pitting showed, transport aircraft are still last out.

After a string of commercial disappointments, in 1986 Australian rock band The Church were simultaneously dropped by Warner Brothers in the US and EMI in Australasia. The future looked bleak. Seemingly from nowhere, their next record, Starfish, became an unlikely global hit. Its alluring and pensive lead single, 'Under the Milky Way', stood in stark contrast to the synth pop and hair metal dominating the 1980s. A high watermark of intelligent rock, Starfish musically anticipated alternative revolutions to come. Yet in making Starfish, The Church struggled with their internal contradictions. Seeking both commercial and artistic success, they were seduced by fame and drugs but cynical towards the music industry. Domiciled in Australia but with a European literary worldview, they relocated to Los Angeles to record under strained circumstances in the heart of the West Coast hit machine. This book traces the story of Starfish, its background, composition, production and reception. To the task, Gibson brings an unusual perspective as both a musician and a geographer. Drawing upon four decades of media coverage as well as fresh interviews between the author and band members, this book delves into the mysteries of this mercurial classic, tracing both its slippery cultural geography and its sumptuous songcraft. Situating Starfish in time and space, Gibson transports the reader to a key album and moment in popular music history when the structure and politics of the record industry was set to forever change.

After a string of commercial disappointments, in 1986 Australian rock band The Church were simultaneously dropped by Warner Brothers in the US and EMI in Australasia. The future looked bleak. Seemingly from nowhere, their next record, Starfish, became an unlikely global hit. Its alluring and pensive lead single, 'Under the Milky Way', stood in stark contrast to the synth pop and hair metal dominating the 1980s. A high watermark of intelligent rock, Starfish musically anticipated alternative revolutions to come. Yet in making Starfish, The Church struggled with their internal contradictions. Seeking both commercial and artistic success, they were seduced by fame and drugs but cynical towards the music industry. Domiciled in Australia but with a European literary worldview, they relocated to Los Angeles to record under strained circumstances in the heart of the West Coast hit machine. This book traces the story of Starfish, its background, composition, production and reception. To the task, Gibson brings an unusual perspective as both a musician and a geographer. Drawing upon four decades of media coverage as well as fresh interviews between the author and band members, this book delves into the mysteries of this mercurial classic, tracing both its slippery cultural geography and its sumptuous songcraft. Situating Starfish in time and space, Gibson transports the reader to a key album and moment in popular music history when the structure and politics of the record industry was set to forever change.

A key component in any armed force, helicopters operate in a range of roles not only previously filled by aircraft but also many that are completely new. Thanks to their ability to go anywhere and operate from locations as diverse as landing pads hacked out of the rainforest or the pitching deck of a frigate, the helicopter adds a flexibility unknown to armed forces in the past. Be it antisubmarine operations by a Merlin, fire support from an Apache, stores delivered by a Puma, evacuation of the wounded by a casevac Chinook or rescue by a Sea King, helicopters offer the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force capabilities unheard of in the history of conflict. From its beginnings as a curiosity with little operational use, Britain's armed forces soon embraced the helicopter with the Whirlwind for the Royal Navy and RAF and the Skeeter for the Army Air Corps. Finding these helicopters limited, it was the advent of the turboshaft that revolutionized the helicopter, with the Belvedere, Wessex, Wasp and Scout bringing new capabilities. The next generation, the Puma, Lynx, Sea King and Chinook, all designed for turboshaft power, made the helicopter an essential machine for all the armed forces and have proven their worth to Britain's forces since the 1970s. In Britain's Military Helicopters, Chris Gibson describes the evolution of the helicopter in British service, from their beginnings with the Sikorsky R-4B test flown by Fleet Air Arm pilots in the USA to the latest Wildcat and Apache Guardian. Lavishly illustrated throughout, this book includes original photographs and images from archives, many of which are previously unpublished. 140 illustrations

Modern strategists talk about "force multipliers," and, for air operations, air-to-air refueling is without doubt the greatest force multiplier of all. In-flight refueling has allowed not only the longest bombing missions in history but also persistence in air defense, transport reach and flexibility in ground-attack tasks. Covering a range of refuelers - including the Boeing KC-97 and KC-135, Vickers Valiant, Handley Page Victor, Lockheed TriStar, Vickers VC10, McDonnell Douglas KC-10 and the Airbus MRTT Voyager - this book details the history of air-to-air refueling and celebrates the key role played by tanker aircraft in the application of air power around the world. 140 illustrations

Guitars inspire cult-like devotion: an aficionado can tell you precisely when and where their favorite instrument was made, the wood it is made from, and that wood’s unique effect on the instrument’s sound. In The Guitar, Chris Gibson and Andrew Warren follow that fascination around the globe as they trace guitars all the way back to the tree. The authors take us to guitar factories, port cities, log booms, remote sawmills, Indigenous lands, and distant rainforests, on a quest for behind-the-scenes stories and insights into how guitars are made, where the much-cherished guitar timbers ultimately come from, and the people and skills that craft those timbers along the way. Gibson and Warren interview hundreds of people to give us a first-hand account of the ins and outs of production methods, timber milling, and forest custodianship in diverse corners of the world, including the Pacific Northwest, Madagascar, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Japan, China, Hawaii, and Australia. They unlock surprising insights into longer arcs of world history: on the human exploitation of nature, colonialism, industrial capitalism, cultural tensions, and seismic upheavals. But the authors also strike a hopeful note, offering a parable of wider resonance—of the incredible but underappreciated skill and care that goes into growing forests and felling trees, milling timber, and making enchanting musical instruments, set against the human tendency to reform our use (and abuse) of natural resources only when it may be too late. The Guitar promises to resonate with anyone who has ever fallen in love with a guitar.

Guitars inspire cult-like devotion: an aficionado can tell you precisely when and where their favorite instrument was made, the wood it is made from, and that wood’s unique effect on the instrument’s sound. In The Guitar, Chris Gibson and Andrew Warren follow that fascination around the globe as they trace guitars all the way back to the tree. The authors take us to guitar factories, port cities, log booms, remote sawmills, Indigenous lands, and distant rainforests, on a quest for behind-the-scenes stories and insights into how guitars are made, where the much-cherished guitar timbers ultimately come from, and the people and skills that craft those timbers along the way. Gibson and Warren interview hundreds of people to give us a first-hand account of the ins and outs of production methods, timber milling, and forest custodianship in diverse corners of the world, including the Pacific Northwest, Madagascar, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Japan, China, Hawaii, and Australia. They unlock surprising insights into longer arcs of world history: on the human exploitation of nature, colonialism, industrial capitalism, cultural tensions, and seismic upheavals. But the authors also strike a hopeful note, offering a parable of wider resonance—of the incredible but underappreciated skill and care that goes into growing forests and felling trees, milling timber, and making enchanting musical instruments, set against the human tendency to reform our use (and abuse) of natural resources only when it may be too late. The Guitar promises to resonate with anyone who has ever fallen in love with a guitar.

A smart and surprising political inventory for how America can reunite and revitalize in a time of crisis. Written by an admired leader of the Republican party, RALLY POINT: Five Tasks to Unite the Country and Revitalize the American Dream looks past the 2016 election, past the finger pointing and conventional political thinking, to focus on clear, primary principles that conservatives must debate and defend to protect the future of America. Raised in a working-class family in upstate New York, the first in his family to go to college, paid for in part by his service in the National Guard, Chris Gibson rose from Private to Colonel in the Army, including combat command in the storied 82nd Airborne Division. RALLY POINT is his story: what he's learned from the "School of Hard Knocks" and how he's applied those precious life lessons during his service in Iraq and in Congress. Drawn from a deep appreciation of history and American exceptionalism, Gibson provides incisive and frank analysis of the current political environment, including President Trump, and provides a roadmap based on time-tested Founding principles to help unite our country and revitalize the American Dream. RALLY POINT is a thoughtful, compelling, enjoyable read - a must for serious-minded Americans looking for answers in this challenging political environment.

Where do thousands of people in wigs, jumpsuits and fake Priscilla eyelashes go each January to swelter in 42-degree heat as they celebrate The King? Parkes, of course - 365 kilometres west of Sydney - for the annual Parkes Elvis Festival. But how, and why, did this sleepy town get all shook up by Elvis? Written by two long-time fans of the festival, Outback Elvis introduces the local characters, the lookalikes, the impersonators and the tribute artists - and the town that made this big hunk o' Elvis love possible.

Where do thousands of people in wigs, jumpsuits and fake Priscilla eyelashes go each January to swelter in 42-degree heat as they celebrate The King? Parkes, of course – 365 kilometres west of Sydney – for the annual Parkes Elvis Festival. But how, and why, did this sleepy town get all shook up by Elvis? Written by two long-time fans of the festival, Outback Elvis introduces the local characters, the lookalikes, the impersonators and the tribute artists – and the town that made this big hunk o’ Elvis love possible.