Comments on: “Enter the Past Tense” by Roland W Haas http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/ The stories of a part-time librarian mixed with nonfiction book reviews. Join in the fun! Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:21:49 +0000 http://www.today.com/version-2.3.1 By: veteran http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-5518 veteran Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:34:30 +0000 http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-5518 No way he talked with a spook recruiter for the first time under those circumstances, wherein the recruiter told him he would be killing people even before he accepted the job. That entire conversation read like some tired Hollywood script. Then he's goes to both Istanbul and Kabul and almost randomly happens into the exact people he was attempting to meet, whose names(along with everything else he needed to know) he hadn't seen in months? When he didn't even know the language(tough to recognize pronunciations in pashtu or urdu if you're not familiar)? And kills three men for the first time without getting a drop of blood on himself? And then, the kicker to me, was his reasoning of why he wouldn't be suspected. How could he possibly have that insight into Afghan culture after a few days? Wasn't he set up by a big german guy and a local to meet with this person? Was that not something of a dead giveaway? Yes, Mr. Haas, this is the point in the book that I could no longer continue reading because I had to get online to see if you had been proven a fake. And who knows, maybe conversations were dramaticized and details that I would consider important were left out for sales purposed(editors and such), but I am highly suspicious of your autobiography. I will continue reading it, but even in your introduction I was suspicious by your disclaimer as to why you don't have proof beyond passport stamps. That in itself made me wary, and my suspicions seem to grow with each flip of the page. I'll never know the truth of the matter, but I'm certain of a few things. If I am wrong, forgive me my doubts. Hell, if you're telling the truth and people doubt you then it should come as no surprise and you shouldn't mind. On the other hand, if I am right, which I believe myself to be, then you are a complete turd and aren't worthy of the time it took me to write this review. And another thing - maybe times have changed, but you said on your first static line jump you had 35 seconds of free fall. It's actually between 3 - 5 seconds, and I used old school chutes. -Paratrooper, combat vet, Afghanistan No way he talked with a spook recruiter for the first time under those circumstances, wherein the recruiter told him he would be killing people even before he accepted the job. That entire conversation read like some tired Hollywood script. Then he’s goes to both Istanbul and Kabul and almost randomly happens into the exact people he was attempting to meet, whose names(along with everything else he needed to know) he hadn’t seen in months? When he didn’t even know the language(tough to recognize pronunciations in pashtu or urdu if you’re not familiar)? And kills three men for the first time without getting a drop of blood on himself? And then, the kicker to me, was his reasoning of why he wouldn’t be suspected. How could he possibly have that insight into Afghan culture after a few days? Wasn’t he set up by a big german guy and a local to meet with this person? Was that not something of a dead giveaway?

Yes, Mr. Haas, this is the point in the book that I could no longer continue reading because I had to get online to see if you had been proven a fake. And who knows, maybe conversations were dramaticized and details that I would consider important were left out for sales purposed(editors and such), but I am highly suspicious of your autobiography. I will continue reading it, but even in your introduction I was suspicious by your disclaimer as to why you don’t have proof beyond passport stamps. That in itself made me wary, and my suspicions seem to grow with each flip of the page.

I’ll never know the truth of the matter, but I’m certain of a few things. If I am wrong, forgive me my doubts. Hell, if you’re telling the truth and people doubt you then it should come as no surprise and you shouldn’t mind.

On the other hand, if I am right, which I believe myself to be, then you are a complete turd and aren’t worthy of the time it took me to write this review.

And another thing - maybe times have changed, but you said on your first static line jump you had 35 seconds of free fall. It’s actually between 3 - 5 seconds, and I used old school chutes.

-Paratrooper, combat vet, Afghanistan

]]> By: Steve Lester http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-947 Steve Lester Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:55:45 +0000 http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-947 Hava, The man is human. The risk of real openess. Sectionhand, I suggest that Roland would be more of the expert on this than you. I recommend the book. Hava,
The man is human. The risk of real openess.

Sectionhand,
I suggest that Roland would be more of the expert on this than you.

I recommend the book.

]]> By: Sectionhand http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-367 Sectionhand Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:54:45 +0000 http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-367 The Central Intelligence Agency is not in the habit of recruiting multi - lingual , sociopathic college sophomores for ANY position. The Central Intelligence Agency is not in the habit of recruiting multi - lingual , sociopathic college sophomores for ANY position.

]]> By: Roland Haas http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-124 Roland Haas Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:13:01 +0000 http://nonfictionlover.today.com/2008/05/21/enter-the-past-tense-by-roland-w-haas/#comment-124 I really don't mind an honest critique of my book, but in this case I fail to see how somebody who admits that they only read one third of it (and yes, there is turn-around later in the story) and even that one third was only superficially read (I did not attempt to 'kill' my best friend and it was in grade school, not jr high or highschool. This incident was about much more than me being merely 'upset', etc). The critic talks about her Marine father who always 'did the right thing.' More often than not, doing the 'right thing' in the Marines involves killing the enemy at the orders of your country, which is all I ever did. She talks about the soldiers in movies who are 'good guys.' Movies often show a romanticized version of reality. Real war is hell, and real soldiers do what they have to to survive that hell. How can you question the reality of what I did on one hand and accept the totally naive belief in what a scriptwriter, who has never been in the trenches, does to elicit sympathy for his protagonist. I spoke at the U.S. Naval War Museum in Washington, DC, at the requset of the Department of the Navy, and am featured in an exhibit in the U.S. Museum of Patriotism, both of whom would know much better if what I did was real or not. They would most certainly not have invited me if I were a phony. As I said, I do not mind honest criticism, but this review is far from honest, claiming to know what kind of person I am and what might have motivated me WITHOUT EVEN READING THE BOOK! I really don’t mind an honest critique of my book, but in this case I fail to see how somebody who admits that they only read one third of it (and yes, there is turn-around later in the story) and even that one third was only superficially read (I did not attempt to ‘kill’ my best friend and it was in grade school, not jr high or highschool. This incident was about much more than me being merely ‘upset’, etc). The critic talks about her Marine father who always ‘did the right thing.’ More often than not, doing the ‘right thing’ in the Marines involves killing the enemy at the orders of your country, which is all I ever did. She talks about the soldiers in movies who are ‘good guys.’ Movies often show a romanticized version of reality. Real war is hell, and real soldiers do what they have to to survive that hell. How can you question the reality of what I did on one hand and accept the totally naive belief in what a scriptwriter, who has never been in the trenches, does to elicit sympathy for his protagonist. I spoke at the U.S. Naval War Museum in Washington, DC, at the requset of the Department of the Navy, and am featured in an exhibit in the U.S. Museum of Patriotism, both of whom would know much better if what I did was real or not. They would most certainly not have invited me if I were a phony.
As I said, I do not mind honest criticism, but this review is far from honest, claiming to know what kind of person I am and what might have motivated me WITHOUT EVEN READING THE BOOK!

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