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One of the authors who will speak at a workshop Saturday in the Pahrump Library is Dave Whalen, who has written "The Eagle Can Fly Again -- A Blueprint for Rebuilding Democracy."

The workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be designed for "aspiring writers," said Whalen, who noted that the purpose of his latest book is "to inform, educate and stimulate the thought process about how to alter the destiny of our country."

A retired chief petty officer from the Navy Submarine Service, Whalen has been involved in many enterprises: designer and builder of 34-foot fiberglass boats ... a producer-marketer of Florida seafood .... vice president of the Organization of Florida Fishermen, a lobbying group representing 20,000 members .... president of the Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce in Montana ... author of a how-to poker book, "The P$ychology of Poker P$ymplified."

Whalen believes that the eagle can fly again, "if we get rid of all the turkeys," and in his book, he emphasized Gandhi's seven blunders that lead to violence in the world: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, workship without sacrifice, and politics without principle.

The book is provocative, but Whalen insists that the reader not interpret as political satire. He asks some questions:

Are things as good for you as they were for your daddy, or even your daddy's daddy?

Who pays the bills? Are you rich? If the answer is no, then ask if you are poor.

Is there a need for a form of government that involves religion?

What's on the horizon for democracy; will it be replaced for the right, or the wrong, reasons?

Whalen notes, "Conservatives say, 'Don't ask why,' liberals say, 'We don't care why,' and professionals say, 'Why not?'"

Another Whalen view: When it comes to journalism, the liberals say, "Let's use it to promote our ideals." Conservatives feel they have enough money to buy the messages they want. Progressionals want to be told what it really is.

There are chapters titled "Ill Eagle Immigration," "Global What?" "Resource Mismanagement," "Nightmare on Capitol Street," "Our Very Own Gestapo," "There Ought to be a Law", "Business as Unusual," "It's a War Out There!" and "Solution to Pollution."

The theme of Whalen's 190-page book is best expressed in one paragraph.

"I feel," writes Whalen, "one of the greatest messages reflected by artistic expression was in a 'Peanuts' comic strip. Lucy and the boys had gotten their wagon stuck in a mud puddle. They attempted to get it out by tying ropes around it and pulling in different directions. Once they figured out they needed only one rope while all pulling in the same direction, the mission was accomplished."

"The Eagle Can Fly Again -- A Blueprint for Rebuilding Democracy," by David R. Whalen, 190 pages, $21.95.