Boning Up: Better Late Than Never

So you're not the only one with a summer reading list. The FBI has one too. Seems a number of the are attending summer school and boning up on their Arabic Studies. I shouldn't make fun of this, but I'm a little cranky from waking up from a dream this morning that I was on the FBI watch list just for wearing a Question Authority button on my jacket. Don't know what they'd think about my "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" button. And aren't they supposed to hire experts in these areas? I mean, I know about professional development and all that, but this reading list makes me a little nervous about general competence.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation requires the following items, Exact Match Only, to the following: 
GHOST WARS , 150, EA;
TERROR IN THE NAME OF GOD, 180, EA;
LOOMING TOWER, 370, EA;
HEZBOLLAH, 150, EA;
UNDERSTANDING TERROR NETWORKS, 150, EA;
2008 FEDERAL CRIMINAL CODE RULES BOOK, 100, EA;
HOLY WAR INC, 30, EA;
SOLDIERS OF GOD; WITH ISLAMIC WARRIORS, 30, EA;
INSIDE ALQUAEDA; GLOBAL NETWORK, 30, EA;
UNDERSTANDING ARABS : A GUIDE, 30, EA;
FRANKLIN COREY STYLE GUIDE, 4, EA;
AMERICAN JIHAD : THE TERRORIST, 30, EA;
MAKERS OF CONTEMPORARY ISLAM, 20, EA;
LINE BY LINE : HOW TO EDIT YOUR WRITING, 4, EA;
THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE, 4, EA;
THE TRUE BELIEVER, 385, EA;
A FURY FOR GOD: THE ISLAMIST ATTACK, 30, EA;
ISLAMIA : A SHORT STORY, 30, EA;
WHAT WENT WRING [sic]: THE CLASH OF BET ISLAM, 30, EA; [which I suspect is really "The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East"]
MICROSOFT OFFICE 2003 FOR DUMMIES, 4, EA;
EXCEL 2003 BIBLE BY JOHN WALKENBACH, 2, EA;
POWERPOINT 2003 FOR DUMMIES, 3, EA;
MICROSOFT OFFICE POWERPOINT 2003 STEP BY STEP, 3, EA;
MICROSOFT OFFICE PROJECT STEP BY STEP, 1, EA;
THE KORAN (PENGUIN CLASSICS), 130, EA;

Apparently there's some computer training on the curriculum and a writing class or two. Nice to see a little literature thrown in there, too. And that refresher course on the Criminal Code and Federal rules. I hope all these are just for the Newbies.

[Tip o the hat to Book Patrol and Resource Shelf]