Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Coming to Chester
Click for Ridge's Book on Amazon
In the harrowing days after 9/11, Tom Ridge was given the task by the White House of protecting America from further terrorist attacks. It was a singularly daunting task – as outlined in his new book, “The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege and How We Can Be Safe Again.”
Ridge will talk about the book at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, in Chester, on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in a free program open to the public. A signing and reception will follow.
The book, written with Lary Bloom, of Chester, has been critically acclaimed. Stephen Brill, author and founder of Court TV, writes, “Tom Ridge’s inside account of the rock-and-a-hard-place choices our country had to make in the aftermath of 9-11 is a great read – and an eye-opening tour through the thicket of policy, bureaucratic and political hurdles a robust democracy faces when it confronts these choices.”
Washington Times columnist Tony Blankley writes the book is “a shrewd, unsparingly honest assessment of the mistakes and successes of the author and the rest of the Bush Administration’s homeland security efforts. Even more valuable, it provides vital, specific guidance to the current administration and the public on securing our country while protecting our freedoms.”
Among Ridge’s prescriptions for improving American security are some surprising measures, including a few that he will focus on during his Chester appearance. He is particularly concerned about U.S. relations with the Muslim world. He believes that there can be no real American security without economic and cultural partnerships with societies we haven’t traditionally embraced. At the same time, he argues that Israel’s security – a great priority for him – will not be threatened but such partnerships, but enhanced.
Ridge came to the post of Secretary of Homeland Security after seven years as governor of Pennsylvania, and, for twelve years before that, a congressman from the state. He also served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, and was the recipient of two Bronze Stars for heroism.
Ridge’s Chester appearance is part of the synagogue’s long-running Books & Bagels Series. Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek is located at 55 East Kings Highway in Chester. The program is free, but the synagogue asks that reservations be made. Please call 860.526.8920.
