Reviews of books that have held my interest. And things that happen along the way.
I have made it simpler to leave a comment. Just hit the comment selection and choose anonymous at the bottom- Or at my yahoo;
robertrswwilliams@yahoo.com
And let's not forget my friends at the Public Libraries!Most of my selections come from the Libraries listed on my sidebar. They are a great resource and a wonderful use of our tax dollars.
Have you hugged a Librarian today?
John Adams wrote, in 1814, "Democracy never lasts long, it soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a Democracy yet, that didn't commit suicide." The next 2 months will tell us if he was right, or wrong.
Now the Democrats will start the Court challenges. As would the Reublicans had the outcome been reversed. Remember, they said they would accept the outcome. Of course, now they won't. Here is something to think about before our country descends into Civil Unrest.
The total death toll of the American Civil War is generally accepted to be around 620,000 soldiers and approximately another 130,000 civilians, for a total of 850,000 in the 48 months from April 1861 through April of 1865. Then it took a century more to recover from that conflict, and arguably that recovery is still going on today.
Comparatively the total deaths incurred during the 45 months of the Second World War, from December 7th, 1941 to the first week of September of 1945 was far less, approximately 113,842 in both Europe and the Pacific combined. And when the war was over we recovered almost immediately, into a post war boom both socially and economically.
The lesson to be learned is quite simple; we lose more when we fight amongst ourselves than we do when we are fighting others. Think about that.
There can be no timelier book than this. With the recent
troubles in Ferguson, Mo., the issue of police “over reach” has come to the
forefront of conversation. Particularly alarming to most people is the
militaristic buildup of the local police forces with the use of cast off
military gear.
For instance, I live in a small town in Huntersville. We
have a tank; maybe two. We also have body armor and riot gear that is more than
sufficient for the unrest which will undoubtedly accompany the Second Coming of
Christ. The question is whether or not we really need it. And if not; what
danger does having it pose to the average citizen?
In this book by Radley Balko you will find enough
information to come to your own conclusion. From the Magna Carta on through our
own Constitution, Mr. Balko has explored the path of the “Castle Doctrine”
through an ever changing world. Whether or not you agree with his conclusions,
this book will give you more than enough information to think things through on
your own. To my mind that is the definition of a good book.
The author charts the course of the Castle Doctrine; which
simply put states that your home is your castle and you have the right to
defend it. It was the cornerstone of English law, and became the corner stone
of our own Constitution, enshrined in the 3rd and 4th
Amendments by implication, if not design. He also charts the rapid decline of
those rights as interpreted by an increasingly conservative Supreme Court. And
it’s not a pretty picture.
Beginning as early as the 19th century our rights
under the Castle Doctrine were already being displaced by an increasingly large
Police Force. To some extent this development has been necessary to meet the
problems of growth. In colonial times there were almost no rapes, robberies
were rare because you couldn’t sell stuff locally; making it unprofitable; and
murder was not commonplace. That all changed as we changed; bigger cities,
bigger problems.
In the 1950’s Los Angeles Chief of Police Parker ushered in
a new age of policing; basing his tactics on military strategy and firepower. By
the Watts Riots of 1965 he saw the need for more militaristic policing and
formed a squad of snipers and assault men. These were the first SWAT team. The
term was invented after the fact by Parker himself.
With the advent of the War on Drugs, and the War on Terror,
the government has gained even more power and arms. The cast offs from the
Patriot Act funding alone have armed most small towns and large cities in
America to alarming levels.
For the most part I agree with the author’s assessment of
things. There is too much emphasis on military tactics rather than “Protect and
Serve.” But at the same time these SWAT teams would never have happened had
there not been a clear threat to law and order; as in the Watts Riots. And now,
with homegrown terror groups openly advertising for the citizenry to arm, I
have to start thinking of which gang I want to be part of.
There’s Nazi’s and Aryans; they won’t do as I am Jewish.
Then there’s the Right Wing Fascists; but they are Christian; again the Jewish
thing prevents me from joining up with them. The Leftists are too far left and
would muzzle me with politically correct speech; I talk too much and would
never fit in there. The other various and sundry groups are all too small to
make a difference and; for one reason or another; they won’t have me either.
So, I’m left with the over militarized Police and Armed
Forces. I guess I will have to take my chances with them for now. The one thing
which bothered me about this book; which has a lot to offer; is that when
covering the 1960’s and 1970’s the author never once mentioned the
assassination of scores of officers; at least 4 in New York City alone; who
were gunned down from rooftops while walking their beats. There was an epidemic of these shootings across the nation at the time.
People in those neighborhoods mourned their loss. For a balanced
account of how the militarization of the police occurred, these events must be
taken into account. To leave them out calls into question the agenda of the
author. There are abuses; to be sure; but to place the blame wholesale upon the
police is a bit much. It took 2 to dance this waltz. At least some of the heavy handed tactics came about after the rise of the drive by shooting in the wake of the crack epidemic. It would have been nice to at least see this fact acknowledged by the author.
To see a list of the police who were assassinated in New
York City during 1971-1972, use this link to the NYPD Roll of Honor. These men
were walking the street, armed with .38 revolvers; in their holsters at the
time of their murders; by killers armed with high powered rifles shooting from
rooftops in broad daylight. Some helicopters and automatic weapons would have
been of great help in stemming the tide of these tragic murders, but the militarization
of the police had not yet begun in earnest.
For years I thought this song was called “Rally Round the
Liberty Tree.” As a child I always heard that extra word in the chorus, and
somehow it became the title in my mind. It wasn’t until I was watching the
mini-series on John Adams that I noticed that the words were wrong. That’s a
joke- I mean that I had the words wrong.
I love the Star Spangled Banner; especially the history
behind the writing of it; but sometimes when I think about it, and realize that
it wasn’t our National Anthem until 1931, I find myself looking back at songs
like “Hail Columbia” and “America the Beautiful” and wonder how it was that we
didn’t have a National Anthem sooner than we did.
But, as much as I prefer “Hail Columbia”, simply because it
was written at the time of our nation’s birth, rather than some 25 years later
at the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, I would never change it. How
would we ever play baseball without it? Can you imagine, even for a moment,
70,000 people or more, singing “Hail Columbia” before the game?
That being said; let me briefly make the case for “Hail
Columbia” as the true National Anthem. First of all, it was widely considered
to be the National Anthem up until the time that “The Star Spangled Banner” was
designated as such in 1931. The song is wholly American in composition, unlike
the “Star Spangled Banner”, which was written by Mr. Key as a poem and later
set to an old British air.
By contrast, Joseph Hopkinson wrote the poem, which was
added to Phillip Phile's music. Both were Americans; one an immigrant and the
other native born. Joseph was the son of Francis Hopkinson who was personally known
to General Washington from the War for Independence. This allowed him to send
the words and music to Washington in 1798. The lyrics were the same as the
General had heard at his first inauguration in 1789, but this time the music
was different. The original title had been called “The President’s March” but
was now billed as “Hail Columbia” due to a change in the words by Mr.
Hopkinson.
Just as with the “Star Spangled Banner” there is an interesting
“backstory” here as well. It involves an actor named Gilbert Fox, who wanted to
find more rousing lyrics to go with the “President’s March.” He had chosen the
song for the debut of a benefit concert; I bet you thought that sort of thing
began with Bangla Desh; which was only days away. The concert was undersold and
slated to be a losing proposition unless he could come up with something new
and exciting.
On a Sunday afternoon he went to see Judge Hopkinson and
asked for his help in composing a new set of lyrics. When the actor returned
the next day, the song was finished.
Mr. Fox was able to open his show on time, the following
Wednesday April 25, 1798 at Philadelphia’s New Theatre. The song was a show
stopper, calling for 12 encores, with the audience quickly learning the words
and joining in on the chorus. This was clearly a song of the people.
The scene above, from “John Adams” is pretty much true to
life, as only a few nights later, President Adams and some of his cabinet; then
based in Philadelphia; caught the show.
Interestingly, the song has survived as the entrance
march for the Vice President of the United States, and is played whenever he leaves
or arrives, much as "Hail to the Chief" is for the President.
I don’t know about you, but I have been going out of my way
to avoid the 2 freak shows which have been masquerading as Conventions this
past week, as well as the one just beginning. (This is quite an accomplishment
on my part, considering the Democrats have taken over Charlotte, and the
surrounding environs, which is where I live.) To that end I have accumulated
some of my favorite all time movies about the Presidency to watch; all of which
I have seen before. But with nothing new, or unexpected, set to happen at the
Conventions, I have been getting the better part of the bargain.
In the first film, “The Manchurian Candidate”, pictured
above, the Convention becomes the backdrop of an assassination plot to kill the
party nominee while he is at the Podium. The most fascinating thing about this
movie is that it was made 1 year prior to John Kennedy’s assassination,
allegedly at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald, who had been involved in some of the
same mind control experiments as Laurence Harvey’s character in the film. As a
matter of fact, this film; much like the Zapruder film of JFK’s murder; was
taken out of circulation for 25 years. It’s re-release only came about due to a
conversation between Larry King and Frank Sinatra, in which Mr. King asked why
the movie was never shown after its initial run. Sinatra didn’t know it, but
the film had been purchased from the studio and then locked in Sinatra’s vault
without his knowledge. The film was re-released in the late 1980’s by Mr.
Sinatra. If you have never seen this original version of the film, this is a
good week to do it.
In “Seven Days in May”, which was actually filmed in the family
quarters of the White House; much to the dismay of Jackie Kennedy; Frederic
March plays the President. He has just signed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with
the Russians, which invokes the ire of his Joint Chiefs of Staff, who then plot
to overthrow the civilian government. Burt Lancaster plays the villain in this
thriller, which mirrors the events of the time to a tee. Only an accidental
observation by Kirk Douglas saves the day in this thriller, which was actually
viewed pre-release by President Kennedy. He had already read the book 3 times
upon its release in 1960.
“Dr. Strangelove” is another off my favorite movies
involving the Presidency. In this film, Sterling Hayden plays a Major in charge
of a Strategic Air Command base who decides to preserve our American way of
life; and our precious bodily fluids; by taking a pre-emptive nuclear strike
against the Soviet Union. With George C. Scott playing the General who is
tasked with recalling the planes, and Peter Sellers playing multiple roles;
including the President; this is a satire which exposed some of the weaknesses
in our official policy of Mutually Assured Destruction.
"John Adams”, with Paul Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, is
another movie high on the list of films about the Presidents. This mini-series
is at once a story of a man, his marriage, and the birth of a nation. No matter
what you might think of John Adams, the movie is superbly written, produced and
performed.
There are several more movies about the Presidency which I
have been watching in lieu of the Conventions, but these are just a few of the
best. Turn off your TV and slip in a disc. You’ll be glad you did.
I have no idea why I have not seen this incredible HBO Mini Series from 2008, nor any excuse as to why I have not read the book. I can only atone for it by writing this review. What a pleasure it was to watch history portrayed so accurately, and with such fine acting. The movie, based on the Pulitzer Prize Winning book by David McCullough, is of course, beyond reproach. The research for this project was an enormous undertaking, which included the diaries of both Abigal (Laura Linney) and John Adams (Paul Giamatti), as well as their abundant letters to one another. And in that sense, this movie is the story of a marriage, as well as that of John Adams and the Revolution.
There are 7 parts to this docu-drama, though it really could be termed a documentary.From his beginnings as a lawyer, the film follows the career of one of America's Founding Fathers, as he navigates his way through war, politics and personal tragedy, and helps to form the 13 colonies into a Sovereign Nation.
A large part of the series concerns the conflict between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. They were very much divided on several points. From the subject of currency issue and National Debt, to the formation of a Standing Army, these two men could not have differed more on so many subjects, yet both passionately loved the Ideal that defined the American Revolution.
Eventually, when the two men got older, they became great friends once again, and that friendship would last until both their deaths on July 4th, 1826. Adams last words were, "Jefferson survives." At the same time that he was uttering these words, Jefferson was only hours away from death himself at his home in Virginia. In Philadelphia, where the 50th anniversary of the Revolution which founded the Republic was being celebrated, the Liberty Bell was struck in commemoration, and cracked.
The film is lengthy, it took me 3 nights to watch it. But I actually looked forward to the next disc each evening. A knowledge of history is helpful in watching this film, but not necessary, in order to absorb the magnanimity of the sacrifices endured by the men, and women, who helped to found our Nation. These were extraordinary people, faced with extraordinary circumstances, which they met head on.
Here is a link to a great interview with the author of this beautifully crafted book and film;
