An Interview by Books of the Year
Booksoftheyear.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your
life?
Chuck Slate: I grew up in Danbury, CT, met my wife there, worked in dairy farming and joined IBM. After that it
was 'I've Been Moved.' Writing (except for technical writing) did not become a part of my life until I retired.
Booksoftheyear.com: Who were your earliest influences and why?
Chuck Slate: If you mean influences on my life, it was my mom and dad. If you mean who influenced me in writing,
I'm not sure I had any particular influential author. I love Tom Clancy's writing but that's not my kind of subject matter. I began
writing when a friend of mine, who got a job as editor of one of our local papers, asked me to write a weekly conservative column
to 'offset' another column written by a liberal. THAT WAS FUN!!
Booksoftheyear.com: Why do you write?
Chuck Slate: I write when something triggers me. I think trying to get my point of view out to the world and thereby
trying to correct some wrongs that affect me and, I think, might affect others.
Booksoftheyear.com: How did your new book Hillary: America's First Dictator come about?
Chuck Slate: I was watching one of the Fox News debating shows one night and one of the guests was going into
a long dissertation about whether Hillary would run in 2004 and whether, if she didn't, would any one of the other Democratic aspirants
ask her to be vice-president. I thought I had some very good reasons why she would wait until 2008. I decided to start on a book
right then and in fact generated the first outline that night.
Booksoftheyear.com: What is about Hillary Clinton that crazes you most and why?
Chuck Slate: I did a large amount of research which caused me to look back at the history of both Bill and Hillary.
That's what caused me to NOT vote for Bill. I almost had a heart attack when the American people elected them a second time. It
was obvious to me that the American people vote on "The economy stupid" and nothing else. Realizing what part Hillary
had in their presidency and what she will do to obtain power just put me in a state of terror!
(Click on graphic to order)
Booksoftheyear.com: Why do you refer to Hillary as a "dictator"?
Chuck Slate: The country has been marching steadily toward a socialist country since FDR (except for a hiccup now and
then like Ronald Reagan). I refer to her as a Dictator (if she is elected) because her background and her voting record indicate to me
that she is a Marxist and a strong socialist. After researching the history of the downfall of other democracies I found that after the
march toward socialism, the next step is communism. Communism is always a dictatorship. It turns out that there have been many democracies
or semi-democracies that have turned into dictatorships. A Democracy will disappear when the people begin to ask for more and more and
more from their government. The government then eventually gains absolute control. Hillary's background and apparent beliefs (her attempt
at control of medicine) scare me to death.
Booksoftheyear.com: In Hillary: America's First Dictator you say, "Hillary attacks her adversaries while she suffers
as a victim..." Please explain.
Chuck Slate: This one is easy - She attacked and attacked after her husband molested woman after woman. She was, of
course, a victim but certainly never acted as such.
Booksoftheyear.com: Please define from your perspective, a totalitarian government.
Chuck Slate: I think I did that in answering a previous question -- a totalitarian government is one run by a very small
group of individuals who have complete control of the people rather than the people electing their leader he/she is appointed (generally
by themselves) -- in essence a dictatorship.
Booksoftheyear.com: How is Hillary: America's First Dictator different from other books about The Clintons?
Chuck Slate: I have read most of the books about the Clintons. There are two basic differences:
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I used historians’ studies on the deterioration of a democracy and provided a scenario of how our country has been marching in that direction.
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I don't believe any other author even came close to using background study to predict what will happen. Most of the books identified what DID happen.
Booksoftheyear.com: What do you hope to achieve with Hillary: America's First Dictator?
Chuck Slate: I hope to show, to at least the conservatives, how I believe what the country will become and hope
they will vote against her. I also hope that liberals may be inclined to step back and take a look at what has happened to the
country by following their views. My experience, so far, has led me to believe that getting any liberal to read the book is almost
literally impossible. "Don't confuse me with facts - my mind is made up" is their motto.
Booksoftheyear.com: What do you hope readers will take away after reading your book?
Chuck Slate: I hope they will come away with a small amount of fear about voting for the Clintons and why the
country MUST return to the middle and must stop the use of radicalism.
Booksoftheyear.com: What has been your feedback from readers?
Chuck Slate: Well, the book has not been out very long but the preliminary feedback has been "Well written," "I
learned a great deal," "I never recognized what has been happening." You must remember, however that most of my
readers (that have responded) are, in general, conservatives.
Booksoftheyear.com: What's next?
Chuck Slate: Again, I was triggered by something I was watching on Fox News. The discussion was why the liberals
could not understand why morals and ethics were a part of the 2004 elections. The liberal was asked if he recognized that. After
the usual amount of blathering and not answering the question he said "What are morals and ethics, anyway?" I immediately
thought "If this idiot has to ask it is obvious that I need to write a book and explain it to him." That's the thrust
of my next book.
Booksoftheyear.com: What was the last book you read?
Chuck Slate: Oh, I read a great deal. I have been really busy with publicizing my book lately but I think the
last book I read in detail was the 911 report (if you can call that a book). I just finished one last week entitled "The Politically
Incorrect Guide to American History." By Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Booksoftheyear.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?
Chuck Slate: I used to collect coins and stamps and had a fairly large collection of both but gave that up when
writing took me over. I still purchase coins when I am notified of a good buy. I am collecting the new quarter dollars. I try to
get to the gym to work out every day. At my age I cannot take part in sports anymore but I enjoy football and baseball and used
to play a great deal of baseball. My kids, grand kids and great grand kids are about the only thing I am deeply involved in. How
do they enhance my writing? - Well, my eldest son got involved with cocaine. That triggered me into writing my autobiography to
show my family that one could get "High on Life.” Also, I am most pleased with the approach my children are taking to
raising my grandchildren and I hope my grandchildren will continue the approach with my great grandchildren.
