Reviews (42)

Another very fine, but disturbing book about the problems with 'the two party system'...
Fact: The US of A was actually founded with
Interesting, vital book
I first saw the accusations in the book on a half finished Yorkshire television documentary that never made it to television. The allegations were so horrific in the film; it near enough reduced me to tears. So shocked at the material in the film I had to read the book. Sadly the book documents episodes that are far more disheartening than the film did.
Corruption In High Places
Lawyer and former state senator John Decamp's book can't be easily dismissed as a wild conspiracy theory, given all the evidence presented in the book and the solid reputation of many who believe in the crimes and the cover-up. One victim of abuse comments that this corruption must stop because next time it could be your kid. Not for the faint of heart, the book covers many grisly details of satanic ritual murder and torture of children by prominent members of society and a subsequent cover-up orchestrated by law enforcement and the press. I believe the problem will grow worse if you let people who are supposedly here to protect us and keep us informed abuse their positions of privilege, trust, and authority for their own gain or security. We might have to start limiting the amassing of great wealth and power because people who get a great amount of wealth and power think that they can get away with anything. And so far, they have.
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Subjects:  1. Abuse    2. Abuse - General    3. Child abuse    4. Drug traffic    5. Money laundering    6. Murder - General    7. Nebraska    8. Political corruption    9. True Crime / Espionage    10. United States - State & Local - General    11. DeCamp, John W    12. King, Larry   

Reviews (3)

did you read the footnotes?
Having never actually subjected the book to scrutiny, albeit rather an exageration, it comes as no little surprise that i discover both the writing style and the general cognitive processes of the authors, in addition to the lack of well-placed commas, to be, without equivocation n.1, the most obtuse, murky, singularly unreaable n.2 display of textual acrobatics i have ever, whether in or out of school n.3, had the distinct displeasure of having to plod through in one day - notwithstanding a few notable books i've also had to accept into my overstuffed head, lately.
Well . . .
Well, Judge Posner calls this (in its first edition) the greatest casebook, and surely it is that.

Hard class, horrible book
Federal Courts and Federal Jurisdiction is generally recognized as the hardest course in law school.After surviving the course myself, I can attest to this fact.Unfortunately, my course used this text which was useless in imparting an understanding of the material, and in fact did more to confuse my peers and me than anything else.Learning this material is already difficult enough, so it is extremely unhelpful when your text makes the subject even more mystifying.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Courts    3. Government - Federal    4. Judicial power    5. Jurisdiction    6. Law    7. United States    8. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law   

Reviews (13)

An excellent reference
It is difficult to say whether the contentious atmosphere that currently exists regarding the legal opinions of the Supreme Court is greater than any other time in the history of the United States. There have been times, especially during the Civil War and World War I when the Supreme Court raised the ire of many a citizen. Some of the "activist" justices, as some of them are now called, could perhaps be designated as "activist light" if compared with some of the justices of the past. This book gives ample evidence for this comparison, but also gives information on a wide variety of legal issues that the Supreme Court has had to deal with throughout its history. It would probably not be read from cover to cover, but instead serves as a general reference for those readers who are not and do not intend to become legal scholars, but are curious as to the reasoning patterns deployed by the justices who sat on the Court. Readers who are approaching this subject for the first time will find many surprises about the Court, both in the opinions expressed by the judges and in their personal histories and backgrounds. It is fair to say that legal opinions are guided predominantly by the historical context in which they are put forth, and this claim seems to gain more substantiation as more articles in this book are read and studied.
Massive tome on the Supreme Court.
_The Oxford Companion to the United States Supreme Court of the United States_(Kermit Hall, ed.) is a massive tome containing a vast swath of information: cases, traditions, theories of constitutional interpretations, historical events, and biographies of all of the Supreme Court Justices.It has the same material (word for word) as Kermit Hall's _The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions_ but this is much more worthwhile reference work because it contains more contextual material than the cases themselves.This book is by no means exhaustive, but it provides a very informative overview of what the Supreme Court has been up to for the past two hundred years and the very different personalities serving on the body.

A worthy companion
As the nation prepares to welcome the seventeenth Chief Justice, this book is a wonderful guide to the processes of the least 'media-exposed' branch of the federal government and its highest institution, the Supreme Court.
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Subjects:  1. Courts - Supreme Court    2. Encyclopedias    3. Essays    4. Federal Jurisdiction    5. Government - Federal    6. Law    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Reference    9. Supreme Court    10. United States    11. United States.    12. Comparative law    13. Constitutional & administrative law    14. Courts & procedure    15. Law / Reference    16. Law | Legal History    17. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    18. USA   

Reviews (5)

An important work that clearly and succintly makes the case.
Bringing the credibility of her many years of public service, most notably her work as a Congresswoman during the Watergate Committee and as a prosecutor, Elizabeth Holtzman, with Cynthia Cooper, has produced an important work that is, at the same time, both lawyerly and accessible.They provide the reader with the background - both historical and legal - of the important role of impeachment in the maintenance of our democratic system and then proceed to seamlessly lay out the evidence that overwhelmingly supports their conclusion.While I may not have been the hardest person to sell on their conclusion, the argument is so well-drawn that it is hard to imagine that anyone approaching the book with an open-mind wouldn't come away thinking that impeachment is a necessity or, at least, an option that needs to be explored more in the public discourse.
Every American Should Read this Book
Holtzman and Cooper have created a brilliantly organized, succinct, and vivid analysis of President George W. Bush's high crimes and misdemeanors.Their book is engrossing and enraging; it makes abundantly clear why it is crucial that Congress take steps to impeach this president, for the very survival of our increasingly threatened democracy.

It's all here
This book is clear, crisp and compelling. After reading it you will wonder what is holding up the process. Holtzman's expertise and experience shows. The historical perspective is enlightening and the legal arguments are airtight. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Government - Executive Branch    3. Government - Federal    4. Impeachments    5. Law    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Legal status, laws, etc    8. Misconduct in office    9. Presidents    10. U.S. - Contemporary Politics    11. United States    12. Cultural studies    13. Law / Federal Jurisdiction    14. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    15. USA   

Reviews (11)

Reinventing Government
This is an excellent book that covers all of the facts about our old and new government laws in comparison to current events that occur within our society. Regulations and guidelines are also described about the Private and Public Sector and how they differ.It is definately a great book.

With low expectations, it is good
Firstly, let me say that I agree with most of the other readers when they write that this book was neither academic nor "reinventive".I will say that this was strictly an idea book, a motivator to the masses.So long as one doesn't expect emperical research, evenhanded arguements, or even updated conclusions, they are fine.When reading this book, don't expect, nor should you expect, to be handed ideas on a platter to run with.Rather, they present the optimum view of their vision.Whether it is right, wrong or impossible, they put forth thoughts that could spark change.The change that I am speaking of is not a grand sweeping motion that will forever alter the government, but rather pieces of an idea.Even if these particular ideas are not implemented, the chances of them sparking new ways of approach or implementation are greater. Foolishness, Fads, and Folly
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, US Defense Contractors were also on the verge of collapse, that is until someone had the bright idea of privatizing the government. Current government privatization efforts have resulted in huge contracts costing the American taxpayer double and triple the cost of the original government employees. This book is a Conservative Pipe Dream, a guide to a fantasy bureaucracy that never existed, and a bomb that has totally disrupted the efficient operation and security of the Federal Government. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Administrative agencies    2. Bureaucracy    3. Entrepreneurship    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Government productivity    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Central government    10. Civil service & public sector    11. Political Science / Economic Conditions   

Subjects:  1. Government - Federal    2. Law    3. Taxation   

Reviews (4)

Taking Income Tax?Buy this book!
I strongly, strongly recommend this book for any law student taking an income tax course who has no experience in accounting.I read this book in the beginning of the class- it's relatively short and incredibly readable- and it made the actual class a breeze.Like most law school subjects, it's easy to lose the forest for the trees, and starting off with this book will let you understand how things fit together before you start slogging through- and get lost in- the Code.
Much more engaging than you'd expect from a tax guru
If you get a kick out of the legal writers who make no attempt to hide their arrogance (Scalia comes to mind), then you will enjoy reading Professor Marv.You get the feeling that he often wonders to himself what it's like to be stupid. As advertised
This book comes as advertised. It's a clear, succinct, helpful, and occasionally witty introduction to the law of federal income taxation. Chirelstein has a rare talent for making the sometime inscrutable rules of tax law accessible to even the most tax-phobic law student. Particularly useful are his examples (even his charts and numbers are easy and helpful!) and "Loose ends," in which he ties up a particular chapter or subchapter with some point of clarification that makes so much sense you're just sure your professor is going to have something about it on the exam. Which also bears a point of warning: law professors read it too! Beware of using it as your principal text, as, thorough as it is, the book does not cover all the cases and doctrines of tax law. I know firsthand that clever professors can and do write Chirelstein-proof exams. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Government - Federal    2. Income tax    3. Law    4. Law and legislation    5. Taxation    6. United States   

Editorial Review

By now the whory notion of doing a tell-all book about your boss, the President, is a hoary one too. (It dates back to Ike, who got the treatment from one of his doctors.)But with this book, the Clinton administration breaks new ground by being on the receiving end of a kiss-and-sell from a member of the White House Read more

Reviews (100)

Why the Oval office is oval?
As pure geometry, the oval stands alone as the symbol that is neither square nor round as symbolic of the delicacy of the Presidency and its impact upon the world.
If you don'twant your bubble busted about the Clinton years, don't read this.
As a career FBI officer, Gary Aldrich was at the pinnacle of his career.Having served with Pres. Reagan and Bush, he found the Clinton Administration to be a stark, horrible contrast.
Corruption in the White House, Eyewitness Account.
Mr. Gary Aldrich was a solid FBI man for thrity years, the last five as Special Agent.When he was near retirement age, he accepted the White House position in charge of checking background on all White House appointees.He was privy to an enormous amount of classified information, but he had experience and knew how to keep his mouth shut.He thought ti would be a gentle, dignified way to close his government career.This time, he was wrong big time. Read more

Subjects:  1. Employee screening    2. General    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Officials and employees    5. Political Science    6. Politics - Current Events    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Presidents    10. Selection and appointment    11. Staff    12. U.S. President    13. United States    14. Biography: general    15. Central government    16. Current Events / General    17. USA   

Reviews (8)

The most balanced treatment of a most misunderstood issue.
This book is arguably the most balanced treatment of one of the most poorly understood issues in contemporary American public policy.I read it when it first came out in 1996, and I feel that I a much better informed citizen on affirmative action as a result.This books is a collection of essays that present all sides of the debate on affirmative action from well-known scholars, businessmen, political and civic leaders.It dispels many of the misconceptions of the policy while highlighting its inherent flaws, explains the goals of the policy in its intended form, and includes two all but forgotten perspectives - that of women and Asian-Americans. The title alone gives offense
I have never given a one-star review, I am not unsympathetic to the emotions behind the pro-affirmative action side, but the title of this book infuriates me. Really want to understand the issue? Read this book
This publication does an excellent job of addressing this most sensitive and complex issue from all sides (liberal, conservative, ignorant), clarifying its legal, political and social significance. It should be manadatory reading, especially for all journalists in this country, whose botched -- essentially useless -- coverage shows how unfamiliar many really are with affirmative-action realities. "Debate" addresses court decisions, executive orders and legislation involving employment, education and government contracting. And thankfully it's well-organized enough so that readers truly open to understanding the issue are easily able to discern the incendiary rhetoric and willfully blind misinformation of the William Bradford Reynolds and Linda Chavezes from the thoughtful and rational analyses of Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Mary Frances Berry and pollster Lou Harris. It sheds light on nonrace-based forms of affirmative action that opponents don't like to talk about -- like so-called "legacies" in education (relatives of alumni). It discusses who actually benefits most from affirmative action -- white women. Whether you support or oppose these programs, if you honestly want to understand the issue, read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Affirmative action programs    2. Equal Employment Opportunity    3. Government - National    4. Political aspects    5. Politics - Current Events    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Multicultural studies    10. Social issues    11. USA    12. Women's studies   

Editorial Review

Kermit L. Hall, Dean of the College of Humanities, Executive Dean of the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, and Professor of History and Law at Ohio State University, is well versed in American constitutional and legal history, and has a skillful touch when it comes to editing the contributions of well over 100 legal scholars (from attorneys and state supreme court justices to professors of law, political science, constitutional history, and government), producing a reference tome that invites the attention of lay legal beagles, students of American history, and practicing members of the legal profession.Read more

Reviews (10)

Useful reference book
The "Oxford Guide to US Supreme Court Decisions" is not much more than that. It gives an extremely expansive overview of all US Supreme Court cases that can remotely be considered important, throughout the period of its existence. Every case contains information on the reference number, the composition of the majority, concurrence and dissents, and a summary of what the case or controversy was about by a legal scholar.
Oxford Guire to US Supreme Court Decisions
This is a handy reference to quickly correlate discussions of past decisions in the many articles on supreme court actions as well as during the confirmation process. It is a good book for every supreme court watcher to have on the shelf.

Great Introduction Book
This book is perfect if you are interested in important decisions of the Supreme court but do not want to spend hours reading arguments, decisions and dissents in a civics book or findlaw.Oxford explains what happened in the case, why it is important and what the Supreme Court's decision did for American law.
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Subjects:  1. Constitutional law    2. Courts - General    3. Digests    4. Encyclopedias    5. Government - Federal    6. Law    7. Legal History    8. Legal Reference / Law Profession    9. Reference    10. United States    11. United States - General    12. Civil law (general works)    13. History, American    14. Law / Reference    15. Law reports    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Federal Jurisdiction    2. General    3. Reference    4. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Business/Economics    2. Economic Development    3. Environmental Science    4. Finance    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. Industrial policy    7. Industrial promotion    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. United States    12. Finance & Accounting    13. Political economy    14. Science / Environmental Science   

Subjects:  1. Drugs    2. Examinations, questions, etc    3. Government - Federal    4. Law    5. Law and legislation    6. Medical / Nursing    7. Medical Law & Legislation    8. Pharmacy    9. Test Preparation & Review    10. United States    11. Biology, Life Sciences    12. Medical / Pharmacy   

Subjects:  1. Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice    2. Automobiles    3. Consumer    4. Government - Federal    5. Law    6. Law and legislation    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Product recall    9. Products liability    10. United States   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Federal Government    3. Government - Federal    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Labor & Employment    6. Labor And Employment Law    7. Labor laws and legislation    8. Law    9. Legal Reference / Law Profession    10. Popular works    11. Reference    12. United States   

Editorial Review

"We, the Net People, in order to form a more perfect TransferProtocol..." might be recited in future fifth-grade history classes, saysattorney Lawrence Lessig. He turns the now-traditional view of the Internet asan uncontrollable, organic entity on its head, and explores the architecture andsocial systems that are changing every day and taming the frontier. Read more

Reviews (29)

Important ideas on the future in a wired world
As it is, I spend a lot of time thinking about systems and issues like architectures, law, policy, and even individual expectations. My 2001 book Developing Trust looked at how we can deal with the policy and technology issues that make our infrastructure trustworthy. Though I dealt with the Internet and Web specifically and showed specific examples of actual failures, some readers have suggested that the discussion was somewhat theoretical, or at the very least, blazing the way for practice instead of reflecting it. My recently-published Brute Force is very different, dealing specifically with the issue of Internet cryptography.
Regardless of its style and structure, this is a IMPORTANT book.
Lawrence Lessig is not a writer, he is a lawyer. Don't expect his book to be easy nor entertaining. However, it is the more insightful writing of its time on the subject of mass media communication and control. For me the strong points are:
Good overview for outsiders - common sense for many
The premise of Code is that the architecture of the internet and not any one country's laws controls what one can do on it.One clear evidence of architecture controlling our lives is our dependence on cars.Most American cities grew large after the car had become common.Hence they have limited transportation.Hence one is expected to own a car to live a normal life.Similarly the architecture of the internet will make certain activities much easier than others.The difference is the internet is currently being formed and we can choose what we want it to be if we act now (or in 1999 anyway).
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Subjects:  1. Computer Architecture - General    2. Government - Federal    3. Law    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Science & Technology    6. Impact of computing & IT on society   

Reviews (1)

Putting the American President on the psychiatrist's couch
This is an incredibly fascinating book for those interested in the history of the American Presidency and particularly of the occupants of that office. Mr. Barber analyzes the presidents by two main factors: activity (how much effort a particular president put into performing his job) and the president's personality type and world-view (whether a president viewed his role in the world in a positive or negative light).From this Mr. Barber theorizes that there are four major presidential types: active-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, and passive-negative.By analyzing an individual's personality prior to his entry into the White House, Mr. Barber suggests that one can predict his performance while in the presidency.For example, he categorizes FDR, JFK, and Truman as active-positives (high activity while president with each having a positive view of the world), Taft, Harding and Reagan as passive-positives (low effort put into performance of their duties, while trying to show a positive, if timorous, face to the world), and Coolidge and Ike as passive-negatives (each viewing his role in the presidency as a duty to perform rather than something in which to look forward).