Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Life of Colonel David Crockett
However, you need to digest more to keep things in perspective. Recently, I have been trying to branch out and read more texts - actual "dead wood" books. (My recent reference to Judge Bork's latest text is but one example.) I also find these books to be more uplifting than our politics, news, and such in 2009, as the current party of power looks to destroy all concept of individual liberty and freedom in its quest to cure what it views as "social injustice."
One such work is an oldie but a goodie. It's Edward S. Ellis' 1884 biography of the original Volunteer, entitled The Life of Colonel David Crockett. (You can find this book in paperback at Amazon.com. Just look for it in the left sidebar of this page.)
An interesting story from that book can be found here. It's a lengthy read by Internet standards, but the lessons are clear regarding principle over pragmatism, the overriding function of an elected official, and how voters will forgive a contrite man. As Crockett put it:
Davy Crockett is one of my favorite Tennesseans of all time, alongside Sam Houston and John Sevier. My son, David Leonidas, is partially named after Crockett (the David honoring Crockett and biblical King of Israel, and Leonidas honoring the great king of Sparta in Ancient Greece). Passages like the one linked to this post only make my admiration of Crockett's character and strength more resounding. Perhaps all of our elected officials need to seek his counsel when they, like Crockett once did, start exceeding the bounds of their office.
Labels: Books, Civil Liberties, Davy Crockett
Monday, August 10, 2009
Bork, Lamar, and the Supreme Court
"The neutral or nonpolitical application of principle has been discussed in connection with (Herbert) Wechsler's discussion in Brown v. Board of Education. It is a requirement, like the others, addressed to the judge's integrity. Having derived and defined the principle to be applied, he must apply it consistently and without regard to his sympathy or lack of sympathy with the parties before him. This does not mean that the judge will never change the principle he has derived and defined. Anybody who has dealt extensively with the law knows that a new case may seem to fall within a principle as stated and yet not fall within the rationale underlying it. As new cases present new patterns, the principle will often be restated and redefined. There is nothing wrong with that; it is , in fact, highly desirable. But the judge must be clarifying his own reasoning and verbal formulations and not trimming to arrive at results desired on grounds extraneous to the Constitution. This requires a fair degree of sophistication and self-consciousness on the part of the judge. The only external discipline to which the judge is subject is the scrutiny of professional observers who will be able to tell over a period of time whether or not he is displaying intellectual integrity."
The above is from Robert Bork's essay "The Case Against Political Judging," which is included in his recent book, A Time to Speak. It's a phenomenal book, although not a page turner. It includes some of his briefs (such as in the case on the constitutionality of the death penalty, Gregg v. Georgia), more noted opinions, articles, columns, debates, and even some pieces outside of the legal realm. It's probably best read in a piecemeal manner; that's how I approached it. At 715 pages, the amount of information contained in the book is immense. However, unlike some of the academic texts that I have been sent over the years, this one is quite readable. (For some reason, various philosopher kings author books that are written on an overly advanced level. Yes, I can read those books, but I certainly don't enjoy reading those books...) It would make an excellent addition to anyone's library, especially conservative lawyers.
Although it seems a little too late, I would like to have passed this text on to my friend, Senator Lamar Alexander. As a member of the Senate, I would have liked for Lamar to have referred to Bork's text when contemplating his vote on (now Justice) Sotomayor. I would have challenged Lamar to think if Bork, when speaking of the qualities of a good, strong, impartial judge, would have approved of this particular nominee.
Along those lines, I'm not particularly angry at the confirmation of Sotomayor to SCOTUS. She is a sure-fire liberal vote, much like the man she's replacing. And, like Souter, she's an intellectual lightweight who can't hold her own with others already on the Court. That's why I'm not mad. There are other, more sinister candidates that Obama could have chosen. Perhaps if another vacancy is created during Obama's term as POTUS (and it is likely), I should make sure that Lamar has A Time to Speak on his desk in D.C.
Labels: Books, Judiciary, President Obama, SCOTUS
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
In the Mail Today
I received two books to review from Intercollegiate Studies Institute today.
The Bork book is thick - over 700 pages - and contains highlights of Bork's work as an attorney, a judge, and author on a variety of topics including natural law, antitrust, the death penalty, and political history.
The Novak book looks to be a short but challenging read. It looks to deal with political theory, which can sometimes be tough to understand.
The Bork book is thick - over 700 pages - and contains highlights of Bork's work as an attorney, a judge, and author on a variety of topics including natural law, antitrust, the death penalty, and political history.
The Novak book looks to be a short but challenging read. It looks to deal with political theory, which can sometimes be tough to understand.
Labels: Books
Monday, March 26, 2007
Feminist: Embrace Motherhood if You Feel You Should
An interesting article ran in the New York Times a week ago, but I didn't read it until this weekend. It's about Rebecca Walker, the daughter of Alice Walker of "The Color Purple" fame, and how she became a symbol of feminism but has flourished as a mother. Walker has even written a book about her views and experiences entitled "Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After a Lifetime of Ambivalence."
Walker told the Times:
“I keep telling these women in college, ‘You need to plan having a baby like you plan your career if it’s something that you want,’ ” she said. “Because we haven’t been told that, this generation. And they’re shocked when I say that. I’m supposed to be like this feminist telling them, ‘Go achieve, go achieve.’ And I’m sitting there saying, ‘For me, having a baby has been the most transformational experience of my life.’ ”
It's an intriguing article, and I imagine that the book would be similarly stimulating. Perhaps it will make it on to my endless (or so it seems) reading list.
Walker told the Times:
“I keep telling these women in college, ‘You need to plan having a baby like you plan your career if it’s something that you want,’ ” she said. “Because we haven’t been told that, this generation. And they’re shocked when I say that. I’m supposed to be like this feminist telling them, ‘Go achieve, go achieve.’ And I’m sitting there saying, ‘For me, having a baby has been the most transformational experience of my life.’ ”
It's an intriguing article, and I imagine that the book would be similarly stimulating. Perhaps it will make it on to my endless (or so it seems) reading list.
