A piercingly insightful novel, an expose' of deceptive liberal tactics, an ordered treatise on sociology, economics and political science. "The Redtape Letters" can be called all of these. The book takes the form (a la C. S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters) of 86 letters from a distinguished liberal senator to his young nephew (Ticker) who is in college. Redtape is grooming the young man to be his successor as the foremost exponent of liberalism.

The correspondence is all from Redtape, but reading it we have a good understanding of what is happening to Ticker. As the first few letters come out, the plot of an interesting psychological novel develops. Young Ticker's dorm-mate, Dan, is a young Conservative from a working class family. It becomes a test of Ticker's abilities and Redtape's serpentine knowledge to convert young Dan (more surely in the lion's den than the first Daniel) to the liberal mind set.

In the course of his letters, Redtape gives advice on how liberals gain political power - even in the dorm room, "Ticker, in the end you must have many sheep: separate little flocks of lambkins within one big flock of poor-pitiful, much-maligned ruminants. All in dire need of Big Nanna in her many guises--all in need of caring liberals to give them a political will and voice. When the liberal speaks, it is always for millions." Here Redtape wittily advocates demagoguery.

Wit and lightness of tone, even while presenting serious subject matter is a skill that Mr. Whipple exercises with great ability. We find ourselves quite interested in what Redtape has to say and more often than not in how he says it. As you would expect from an accomplished liberal, we cannot help but like the personality of Redtape even why we revile his tactics and ideas.

In the course of the story, young Dan is seduced by the many wiles of liberalism, the camaraderie, the appeal to emotions and the appeal to big solutions for small problems: "The conservative bent is always and forever to be coming up with facts that undermine the need for our save-the-world programs, or, if not that, presenting modest alternatives. Always meet facts or practical opposition with experts...The Adversary (conservative movement) has no 'Perfect' solutions, we do. Are you with me, my boy?"

The book is packed with one liners that give insight to the liberal mind, "Private solution is government dilution--never forget it.", "...measure process, never results.", "Public opinion rules!", "As public education goes, so goes the nation--", "...a conservative compromised on principles is a liberal who just doesn't know it yet.", "...we can reform the tax code for a thousand years and never change anything."

Even while Redtape discusses issues and how to get and keep a constituency - the true end for a liberal politician - he reveals the truth behind issues: "In the 1960s, the "War on Poverty" was declared by President Johnson, the liberal saint, 'LBJ'. The WAR on Poverty--note the imagery, boy, to fire up the Troobs. Public policy is more than drum beating, but that doesn't mean the drum beating stops. When the War was declared--here is one I'll bet your boy doesn't know--poverty was actually in decline. It had reduced by almost half, in the previous two decades. Still the issue played in the Public Mind, where it counts. A lesson there, boy."

"Troobs" for Redtape are the front-line liberals. The ones who actually believe the mantras given to them by their betters. Red-tape knows what motivates these misguided fools, "Why do some liberals, like your new pals, love to pay? What's behind this self-flagellation? I've given you a hint there, Ticker. Can't you guess? Think about it. You said yourself, the girls feel badly about everything: because they are in the Ivy League and the homeless aren't, because everyone else doesn't have a sports car....Yet, you say, they seem "above it all." "Arrogant and haughty...." Why the split personality? What do they care if some bum in Duluth never went to Harvard? Son, they don't love their fellow man any more than I do--but they love the idea of loving him."

Redtape explains to young Ticker what liberalism is really all about: "So long as people think and act autonomously, we are at risk...one day people will walk off cliffs if no guard rail is there, knowing that if it were dangerous the government would not let them do it."

As the story-line develops we see how every aspect of our lives is inextricably mixed up in the battle between conservative and liberal thought. We see how liberalism is a screen for a power-hungry elite and a religion for mindless "Troobs". (Marx objected to religion precisely because it competed with his cult.) We see that liberals hate conservatism because it leads to individualism and individuals are much more difficult to control than "Troobs."

By the end of the book, we find ourselves caring whether Dan will finally be seduced by liberal dogma or if he will maintain his logical and practical mind set. We find ourselves caring about young Ticker and his misguided Troobs. We even find ourselves caring about Redtape himself, who for all his manipulations, has a sharp, enthusiastic mind, and is in possession of a sense of humor. The Senator sees the truth, but effectively uses the lies for his own personal political gain. If only he could be turned. He might be as great a resource for good as he has been for evil. We are fortunate that his creator, is on our side - for all of Redtape's qualities and abilities flow from the pen of Lee Whipple.

This work is a modern classic. Just as C. S. Lewis's book is revered and studied for its thoughtful, understanding of how evil invades our lives, Lee Whipple's "The Redtape Letters" will be perused, examined and quoted for it's razor sharp wit, intelligent analysis and its cogent exposition of how the palpable evil of liberalism has come to dominate the modern age.

Order or get more information on "The Redtape Letters"