Book Description
ON A COLD, SNOWY NIGHT IN 1985, TWO MEN BEGGED FOR THEIR LIVES.In 1985, two 27-year-old friends left their suburban Detroit homes for a hunting trip in rural Michigan. When they did not return, their families and police suspected foul play. For 18 years, no one could prove a thing. Then, a relentless investigator got a witness to talk, and a horrifying story emerged. FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES, THEIR KILLERS WENT FREE.In 2003, this bizarre case hit the glare of the criminal justice system, as prosecutors charged two brothers, Raymond and Donald Duvall, with murder. With no bodies ever found, the case hinged on the testimony of one terrified witness who saw a bloody scene unfold-and who was still nearly too frightened to talk. THEN A WITNESS TOLD HER CHILLING STORYNow, the truth behind an 18-year-old mystery is revealed against the backdrop of an unusual, electrifyingly dramatic trial. Raymond and Donald Duvall bragged to friends that they killed their victims, chopped up their bodies and fed them to pigs. A Michigan jury soon had evidence of this brutally methodical execution-evidence that would lead a shocked courtroom through the heart of evil and beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Customer Reviews:
He's done it, yet again!.......2007-07-13
Another amazing and captivating True Crime book by Tom Henderson! This is a book I could not put down! Watch out Ann Rule! Tom Henderson has the ability to topple the Queen of True Crime and crown himself King!
A Great Book to Read.......2007-05-29
Do not start to read this book unless you have time to finish it. You will not put it down until you are finished.
scary and fascinating.......2007-05-14
Two buddies from Southern Michigan decide to join family and friends at their traditional deer camp up north. At last minute, they take a detour and head east for Mio, to drink, party and raise hell. There were a few sightings in the Mio area: they asked directions of a local homeowner, and they were seen at a few bars. Then nothing. But over the years rumors kept circulating that they had crossed paths with the Duvall brothers. The Duvalls lived in squallor, migrating between occasional factory jobs in Southern Michigan and raising pigs and selling wood and committing petty larceny in Northern Michigan. The locals lived in fear of the Duvalls. State Policeman Bronco Lesneski spent years tracking down the sources of rumors about the Duvalls' involvement in the disappearance. This makes for a very creepy, atmospheric story about just how bad human beings can be.
Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction.......2007-04-20
It has certainly kept my attention I am ready to read another of Tom Hendersons' books. This is a remarkable piece of work. I was born in Curtisville and am acquainted with so much of the area which,aside from this horrendous crime, I have some of the most beautiful memories from there. I live in the southwest part of the state now but still consider "Up North" home. Friends and family still live in the area. So sad that the Duvall family and their so called buddies gave some areas a "A Darker Than Night" picture of this beautiful part of Michigan. I ordered the book as soon as I heard about it and have had a hard time putting it down, even though I knew the outcome. I would like to see a movie or documentary covering the whole picture and to bring in the finer aspects. The AuSable River is awesome to me. When I was 14 I went down 12 miles tubing starting at the Mio bridge. It was hard for me to believe such a thing could happen so near there. I am thankful to Bronco, Donna and Tom and all who helped for bringing this to us and for all the astromical amount of time and effort and dedication put into it. I would hope this has brought closure to the bereaved families and comfort.
WOW! from a True-crime reader.......2007-04-13
I read a lot of true crime books, but this is one of the best, if not the best of all (not taking real "literature" into account as In cold blood).
It's very well written and extremely suspenseful. Enjoy!
Amazon.com
Thomas Sowell is a man of immense learning but with a common touch. His books reveal a dazzling mind that ranges freely and easily from history and sociology to economics to public policy. He conveys complex ideas in a simple way for a mass audience, a skill he learned as an academic who writes a syndicated newspaper column. This strength is on full view in The Quest for Cosmic Justice, which is perhaps best described as a work of moral philosophy. That may sound off-putting, but it shouldn't. Again, Sowell writes for lay readers, and his clear thinking is on immediate display. His topic is justice, broadly understood. We constantly hear of "social justice," he says. But how is social justice different from other kinds of justice? The word social, in fact, is redundant here: "All justice is inherently social. Can someone on a desert island be either just or unjust?" The book goes on to show how one person's sense of justice and equality can lead to their exact opposites: injustice and inequality. He holds no quarter for those who pursue "cosmic justice," the dangerous notion that people can right all wrongs, and favors "traditional justice," which emphasizes rules and procedures. The Quest for Cosmic Justice ought to be required reading for all students in college-level political theory courses; Sowell's conservative politics and aversion to academic jargon probably guarantee it won't be. That's a shame, because he is the very definition of a public intellectual--and The Quest for Cosmic Justice is another awesome achievement. --John J. Miller
Book Description
This is not a comforting book -- it is a book about disturbing issues that are urgently important today and enduringly critical for the future. It rejects both "merit" and historical redress as principles for guiding public policy. It shows how "peace" movements have led to war and to needless casualties in those wars. It argues that "equality" is neither right nor wrong, but meaningless.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice shows how confused conceptions of justice end up promoting injustice, how confused conceptions of equality end up promoting inequality, and how the tyranny of social visions prevents many people from confronting the actual consequences of their own beliefs and policies. Those consequences include the steady and dangerous erosion of the fundamental principles of freedom -- and the quiet repeal of the American revolution.
Download Description
In a book that is essential reading for people who want to think beyond rhetoric, Sowell exposes the disturbing issues that are urgently important today and enduringly critical for the future.
Customer Reviews:
The Quest for Cosmic Justice.......2007-09-14
This book is great in helping me pinpoint feelings I have always had in my heart. I am aware of inequalities in society -even have been the recipient of some of them -but I have never been over anxious to have them legislated away, or really had a vocalization on why that didn't even seem fair or right to me. Thomas Sowell is a great teacher and has put words to something I already knew for myself. This is a great book that will help anyone's resolve that wants to help others yet remain true to eternal principles.
LIBERALS ARE STUPID........2006-12-06
I like Thomas Sowell. I like his thinking. I agree with much of what he asserts. What I dont like is how he writes. The man needs some serious help expressing his ideas.
The nucleus-kernal of this book is: Liberals are stupid. I agree. The assertion is self-evident. And Sowell discusses all the ways liberals are stupid.
Another reviewer notes that the people who will benefit from reading this book, wont.
Mercy cannot rob justice.......2006-11-04
In a sense, Thomas Sowell has written only one book. That is to say, he has a cluster or leitmotif of core ideas that form the basis of all of his books. His essential idea is justice-justice as a basis for human behavior.
In this books four chapters--each one being it's own symposium--Sowell reflects upon how justice is being corrupted, and what the disastrous consequences.
Symposium 1 is a boilerplate discussion on how the idea of justice has shifted. Ancients such as Aristotle, Cicero, Aquinas, and moderns such as C. S. Lewis and Ayn Rand, understood justice as meaning having the same ground-rules for all people. However, many moderns--Rawls is his opposition, but it would include Kant, etc--define justice as what we call equality. Specifically, a cosmic equality that overcomes birth defects, inherited afflictions, raw-deal childhoods, and ancestral "precious condition of servitude."
This sinister amphibole is the main-spring of the world's corruption. The essential evil is that it is within our power to have a consistent framework of law, order, and stability that allows people to prosper. However, it is beyond our capabilities to compensate for Down's Syndrome, an abusive childhood, or any racial sins.
The Anointed (another book of Sowell's) try to compensate for this cosmic injustices by destroying the framework of law, order, and stability, and stacking the deck in favor of the "disadvantages." Philosophically, the problem is that two wrongs do not make a right; practically, the problem is that those who are cosmically advantaged (through no fault of their own) are, in fact, being suppressed to society's disadvantage.
The last symposium is the most chilling. The genius of America is the Rule of Law, that we are all playing by the same rules, and we have a framework of stability to prosper. In order to achieve cosmic justice, this framework is being destroyed. Instead of a democracy, we are getting an autocracy, not of King George III, but of bureaucrats, feel-good pressure groups, and run-of-the-mill factions. America is lees "One Nation, under God," but more like De Medici Italy.
Supplemental readings would include Sowell's "The Vision of the Anointed," Rand's "Philosophy: Who Needs it," Cicero's "Republic," "Laws," "On Duties," Aquinas's Treatise on Laws, and C. S. Lewis "Abolition of Man."
What goes wrong when you focus on ends rather than opportunities.......2005-07-12
This terrific book is a collection of four essays that demonstrate the emptiness of those who would define equality in terms of outcomes. There are those who claim that those who are born with superior natural endowments owe a portion of their gift to those less able. The problem begins. Who defines what is superior? Who defines what is owed to whom? How much is owed? What is equal?
The four essays are: The Quest for Cosmic Justice, The Mirage of Equality, The Tyranny of Visions, and The Quest for Repeal of the American Revolution.
None of these argues for the huge disparities between the rich and poor as goods. Rather, it argues against some arbitrary elite imposing its vision of equality on everyone else. It was Milton Friedman who advocated the negative income tax. The poor would be provided for without the creation of a huge state bureaucracy with the attendant political machinations. However, it is the growth of the state and its control of the population that its proponents actually desire. They crave the power to decide and impose.
The last essay focuses on the way our Constitution is being subverted by those who take to themselves the right to be the conscience of others. Sowell quotes a speech by Lincoln that warns us against those who are not content to carry on what was built by others. They wish to take the law to themselves. The author notes that in the French Revolution a mission was appointed to go about the country righting wrongs and then offers a quote by Chief Justice Earl Warren not asking if something follows the Constitution, but whether it is just or right.
It isn't that these folks intend to directly overthrow the Constitution, it is that their disregard for laws (rules known in advance) or the processes laid out to change those laws in order to gratify their own attitudes and views is incompatible with the American system of government. And we are now reaping the whirlwind. Property laws have been weakened for more than a century were recently all but erased by a fiasco of a ruling by the Supreme Court.
My admiration for Thomas Sowell runs deep and I commend this book to everyone.
Good Intentions, Unavoidably Terrible Results .......2005-07-12
We are constantly hearing of `social justice' as a justification for many pieces of legislation intended to remove inequities from our life at the expense of our liberty. At their heart, such legislation is inspired by Rousseau and the French Revolution, and are an attempt to achieve a utopia by making life `fair.' Well, life is not fair and we cannot make it so by legislation; especially legislation enforced by the coercive power of the state's police force. Thomas Sowell does a great job of exploring such instances where social justice is applied and the inevitable results.
Book Description
On August 7, 1998, bombs exploded at two United States embassies in East Africa. American anthropologist Susan Hirsch and her husband Jamal, a Kenyan, were among the thousands of victims, and Jamal died. From there, Hirsch went on to face devastating grief with the help of friends and families on two continents, observing the mourning rituals of her husband's community to honor him. When the alleged bombers were captured and sent to New York to stand trial, she witnessed firsthand the attempts of America's criminal justice system to handle terrorism through the law.
In the Moment of Greatest Calamity is her story--a tale told on many levels: personal, anthropological, legal, and, finally, political. The book's central chapters describe Hirsch's experience of the bombing trials in a Manhattan federal court in 2001, including a behind-the-scenes look at the investigation leading up to the trial, encounters with some of the FBI's leading terrorism investigators, and many moments of drama from the proceedings themselves. Hirsch reveals the inner conflict that results from her opposition to the death penalty and concludes that the trial was both flawed and indispensable.
Hirsch's story of this tragedy and its legal aftermath comes to life through--and is enhanced by--her skills as a social scientist. Her unique viewpoint makes it unlike any other story about terrorism.
Customer Reviews:
Susan Hirsch, In the Moment of Greatest Calamity.......2007-05-12
This is a very powerful nd readable book. I highly recommend it and hope it comes out in paperback for students to read.
An Amazing Book.......2006-12-06
This book I heard on an NPR story. A few years ago, I also heard the author, Dr Hirsch, interviewed after the US Embassy attacks in Africa. In which she lost her husband, and then attended the consequent trials of the alleged terorists, part of the then little known group, Al-Queda.
She is a smart and articulate person, and her book is very imformative in today's sensationalist driven media. She is a voice of reason, offers clear and stunning analysis on contemporary culture and ethics.
She is a Cultural Anthropologist, and actually focused her studies on Law. I highly recomend this book to anyone interested in modern culture and the growing tension between Islam and the West.
A unique and timely view on Justice!.......2006-12-04
Susan Hirsch's new book "In the Moment of Greatest Calamity: Terrorism, Grief, and a Victim's Quest for Justice" is a unique and vital introspection into the role justice can play in coping with political violence. Written from the authoratative position of being a participant in one moment of greatest calamity, while simultaneously focusing an analytical eye towards the legal anthropology this moment creates the book provides a remarkable blend of what social scientists often call the subjective and objective approaches to understanding social reality. Hirsch does a comendable job of weaving her personal story of loss together with insightful and honest analysis of what justice means in the aftermath of such calamity. Teasing out the distinctions of justice as determined by past culpability for actions AND by future projections of the good, Hisrch's work is an accessible read for both scholar and lay alike. This is a book that you will find hard to put down! If you are not captured by her story, then her analytical scholarship will surely draw you in.
Book Description
In 1994, Sierra Club Books was proud to publish Dr. Robert D. Bullard's Unequal Protection: Environmental Justice and Communities of Color, a collection of essays contributed by some of the leading participants in the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, which focused attention on "environmental racism"--racial discrimination in environmental policymaking and the enforcement of environmental protection laws and regulations. Now, picking up where that groundbreaking anthology left off, Dr. Bullard has assembled a new collection of essays that capture the voices of frontline warriors who are battling environmental injustice and human rights abuses at the grassroots level around the world and challenging government and industry policies and globalization trends that place people of color and the poor at special risk.
Part I presents an overview of the early environmental justice movement and highlights key leadership roles assumed by women activists. Part II examines the lives of people living in "sacrifice zones"--toxic corridors (such as Louisiana's infamous "Cancer Alley") where high concentrations of polluting industries are found. Part III explores land use, land rights, resource extraction, and sustainable development conflicts, including Chicano struggles in America's Southwest. Part IV examines human rights and global justice issues, including an analysis of South Africa's legacy of environmental racism and the corruption and continuing violence plaguing the oil-rich Niger delta.
Together, the diverse contributors to this much-anticipated follow-up anthology present an inspiring and illuminating picture of the environmental justice movement in the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
Good Intentions.......2006-01-30
Bullard, et al. have good intentions in that they want to correct environmental injustice and racism. However, sometimes they are too quick to call racism or get bogged down in statistics. My favorite chapter was the one on the Vieques people of Puerto Rico. If anything, I learned a lot about world politics.
Empowering.......2006-01-29
"The Quest for Environmental Justice" by Robert D. Bullard (editor) is an excellent primer about the environmental justice ('E.J.') movement. Blending U.S. environmental and social justice activists together in the late 1970s, the E.J. movement has grown to become a significant multinational political force. The numerous authors who have contributed to this volume explore the movement's rich history and chronicle many of the noteworthy struggles that have improved the lives of many people and can provide inspiration and hope to us all.
The introductory chapters include a Foreword by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who played an important role in a campaign that successfully relocated the largely African-American community of Norco, LA away from a highly polluting oil refinery; a Preface by Peggy Morrow Shepard, who believes that the E.J. movement is key to reinvigorating the mainstream environmental organizations; and an Introduction by Mr. Bullard, who recounts how some of the core principles of the E.J. movement were institutionalized at the EPA during the Clinton adminsitration.
The book is divided into four sections.
The first section, "A Legacy of Injustice" discusses the history of the E.J. movement. "Environmental Justice in ther Twenty-first Century" by Mr. Bullard compares and contrasts the Summit I and Summit II meetings to discuss both the growth of the movement and how its organizational tactics and principles have developed over time. "Neighborhoods 'Zoned' for Garbage" by Mr. Bullard drills into the author's personal experiences fighting zoning decisions in Houston, TX that first brought the fledgling E.J. movement to prominence. "Women Warriers of Color on the Front Line" by Mr. Bullard and Damu Smith offers a series of vignettes written by seven exceptional women who have led community-based campaigns to victory, often against formidable and well-financed corporate opponents.
The second section is about "The Assault on Fence-Line Communities". Beverly Wright's "Living and Dying in Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley'" connects the legacy of slavery and racism with environmental exploitation and relates the successes of historic African-American towns such as Convent, LA in achieving a small measure of justice for its citizens against a large Japanese multinational corporation. Manuel Pastor, Jr. et al's "Environmental Inequity in Metropolitan Los Angeles" documents the myriad ill health effects that are produced by the disproportionate siting of hazardous sites in minority neighborhoods. Olga Pomar's "Toxic Racism on a New Jersey Waterfront" discusses the legacy of industrial pollution in Camden, NJ and the importance of developing legal tools that communities might use to more effectively petition government to secure their rights.
The third section is on the topic of "Land Rights and Sustainable Development". "Anatomy of the Urban Parks Movement" by Robert Garcia and Erica Flores explores the unequal distribution of parkland in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the Latino community's struggle to create an inner city park at an area known as the Cornfields. "Resource Wars Against Native Peoples" by Al Gedicks weaves together the experiences of native peoples in Columbia, Ecuador and the U.S. who are resisting the sacrifice of their lands in the name of unsustainable consumption. "Tierra y Vida" by Devon Pena documents the Chicano experience in the southwestern U.S. including struggles with powerful mining, agriculture, waste disposal, real estate and water interests that have long exploited labor and land for profit.
The fourth section is "Human Rights and Global Justice". Robin Morris Collin and Robert Collin's "Environmental Reparations" calls for mainstream environmental organizations to create a more inclusive environmental movement by acknowledging the interconnectedness of rural and urban ecosystems and to fight for E.J. reparations in minority communities. Deborah Berman Santana's "Vieques" is an inspiring account of resistance by the Puerto Rican people and their struggle to create a sustainable local economy. Oronoto Douglas et al's "Alienation and Militancy in the Niger Delta" details the abysmal situation that has been created in Nigeria by the confluence of oil money and government corruption but suggests ways that might prove helpful in ending the violence and nurturing a responsible form of democracy to take root.
David McDonald's "Environmental Racism and Neoliberal Disorder in South Africa" offers perhaps the book's most insightful analytical work by demonstrating how white overaccumulation and black deprivation in South Africa may explain why neoliberalism has supplanted the apartheid system as the primary means by which the privileged class has maintained its claim on scarce environmental resources. Mr. Bullard et al's "Addressing Global Poverty, Pollution and Human Rights" provides a succinct and impassioned case for addressing inequities based on race, sex and class in order to create a sustainable global community for all to share.
I highly recommend this cogently written and empowering book to everyone.
Book Description
Civil War officer, Reconstruction "carpetbagger," best-selling novelist, and relentless champion of equal rights, Albion Tourgee battled his entire life for racial justice. Now, in this engaging biography, Mark Elliott offers an insightful portrait of a fearless lawyer, jurist, and writer, who fought for equality long after most Americans had abandoned the ideals of Reconstruction. Elliott provides a fascinating account of Tourgee's life, from his childhood in the Western Reserve region of Ohio (then a hotbed of abolitionism), to his years as a North Carolina judge during Reconstruction, to his memorable role as lead plaintiff's counsel in the landmark Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson. Tourgee's brief coined the phrase that justice should be "color-blind," and his career was one long campaign to made good on that belief. A redoubtable lawyer and an accomplished jurist, Tourgee wrote fifteen political novels, eight books of historical and social criticism, and several hundred newspaper and magazine articles that all told represent a mountain of dissent against the prevailing tide of racial oppression. Through the lens of Tourgee's life, Elliott illuminates the war of ideas about race that raged through the United States in the nineteenth century, from the heated debate over slavery before the Civil War, through the conflict over aid to freedmen during Reconstruction, to the backlash toward the end of the century, when Tourgee saw his country retreat from the goals of equality and freedom and utterly repudiate the work of Reconstruction. A poignant and inspiring study in courage and conviction, Color Blind Justice offers us an unforgettable portrayal of Albion Tourgee and the principles to which he dedicated his life.
Customer Reviews:
Albion Tourgee: Overlooked 19th century civil rights hero.......2007-05-30
If you're interested in civil rights history, the Civil War or Reconstruction and you have never heard of Albion Tourgee, Mark Elliott's Color-Blind Justice is a must-read.
Even if you know a lot about this period and Tourgee is a familiar name, this book will tell you much that you don't know and may dispel some myths popularized in other, lesser histories of the period.
The book is deeply researched with lots of new details from the personal letters and papers of Tourgee, who in the post-Civil War period was nationally famous and had the ear of a striking number of important figures, including several U.S. presidents all the way up to Theodore Roosevelt.
Tourgee is a great character. He was born of humble beginnings in northeast Ohio in a Christian family that were early white abolitionists who originally hailed from Massachusetts. He was one of the first wounded in the Civil War, run over by wagon and paralyzed, but remarkably he returned to action before the war's end. These early experiences and influnces shaped a world view that he held tightly to throughout his life in the turbulent post-war political debate.
Deeply idealistic about the opportunity to remake a slavery-free south, Tourgee moves his family to North Carolina, one of the Radical Republican "carpetbaggers." But unlike many others who came from the north, Tourgee did not hope to profit or exploit the south for personal gain. He was inspired by the ideals of the Civil War as a fight for justice. He became a judge and a political leader, helping write much of the new North Carolina constitution. He adopted a mixed race child and hired blacks to work for his businesses.
This attracted the attention of the early Ku Klux Klan, but Tourgee bravely refused to relent in the face of threats. Fascinatingly, he crossed paths with a young Thomas Dixon, even advising the future Klan leader kindly about his writing, only to later see Dixon become a force for evil in the south and a propaganda whiz who clouded public opinion by repeatedly challenging Tourgee's work. The infamous "Birth of a Nation" film that glorified the Klan mocks Tourgee in its early frames.
Tourgee wrote in northern newspapers about the true nature of reconstruction, which had an undeservedly bad reputation in the north. After 16 years in North Carolina, he left discouraged and moved north. A novel based on his experience -- A Fool's Errand -- became a national best seller, dispelling many of the misconceptions about reconstruction, if only for a brief period.
Now famous, Tourgee wrote articles prolifically and became a strong voice for civil rights, even founding a mixed race organization that was the pre-cursor to the NAACP.
But there was little Tourgee could do to stem a political backlash, a national weariness of reconstruction and the problems of the south in the late 19th century. To his great frustration, northerner's largely stood by as the south reinstituted white supremecy through "Jim Crow" laws.
In a final effort to defy this trend, Tourgee led the charge to challenge a Louisana law that forced racial separation on trains in what became the famous "Dred Scott" case. Tourgee was the lead counsel arguing brilliantly before the U.S, Supreme Court that the idea of segregation was an absurd state policy in clear violation of the Constitution.
Dred Scott lost before the Supreme Court in a 7-1 decision that at the time was a devestating setback for civil rights. And a despondent Tourgee left the U.S. to live out his years and die and France. But over time the case became seen as one of the worst high court decisions of all time. Tourgee's arguments became the basis for challenges to segregation that ultimatley would triumph with Brown vs. Board of Education.
There are other biographies of Tourgee. What makes this one unique is the detailed analysis of the evolution of his thinking about race, politics and social issues. Elliott adeptly shows how practical and political considerations sometimes shaped Tourgee's opinions and at other times thwarted him when he stood on principle.
To understand the racial turmoil of the 20th century, and to better know nature of racial tension in America today, Tourgee's story is crucial and Elliott's book is instructive.
Albion Tourgee.......2006-12-13
Albion Tourgee comes alive in this riveting biography, which emphasizes his role in the post Civil War era. It is a must read for any student of U.S. History.
Book Description
The Nuremberg Trials at the end of World War II established the principle that individual leaders could be held responsible for "crimes against humanity." Although various ad hoc tribunals were held in the last half of the 20th century, it was not until 2002 that a permanent international court was established, under the auspices, of the United Nations. The international Criminal Court has been controversial with many key nations most notably, the United States refusing to ratify the treaty establishing the court. Some critics object to the adoption of a judicial system that seems to supersede national judicial systems; others fear that the court will be used to pursue narrow political ends. This book will comprise three sections: the first will examine the history of the creation of the court; the second will contain articles that outline objections to the court; the third will contain articles defending and promoting the court. The authors include primary sources on both sides of the controversy, with special attention to America's involvement. A glossary of key terms, and the text of the Rome Statute establishing the court will also be included.
Customer Reviews:
A good overview of the International Criminal Court.......2005-06-03
This book begins with a good introduction, which explains the idea of international justice. This concept was invoked to prosecute the losers in World War II, at Nuremberg and at Tokyo. But there are problems with the entire concept. Definitions of justice are different in different countries. And there are serious concerns about jurisdiction. Finally, there are quite legitimate worries about political uses of such a court. By this, I do not mean a fear of a dubious decision which favors the majority of the world against a single nation. I mean the fear of a horrible decision that hurts the entire world, in the name of injustice. That is, we have seen the court system in Germany become perverted in the 1930s and 1940s. Could the same thing happen to the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
Yes, it could. We've seen the United Nations applaud Arafat. By the same token, an ICC could try to arrest an American President and try him for totally bogus "war crimes." Obviously, the United States has been worried about having its citizens facing wrongful charges, possibly for the undefined crime of "aggression." In addition, there is a concern that real war criminals may be unprosecutable by the ICC. If a leader committed genocide against his own people, that would be outside the jurisdiction of the ICC.
In Part One, we see the goals of the ICC, which include achieving justice for all, ending impunity, helping to end conflicts, remedying the deficiencies of ad hoc tribunals, taking over when national criminal justice systems are unable or unwilling to act, and deterring future war criminals.
In Part Two, we see some objections. India was puzzled that the ICC gave itself the authority to block trials for war crimes. And it was clearly upset that it refused to ban any weapons of mass destruction by calling their use a war crime. Israel was pleased to see the ICC proposed, given that the idea came out of prosecuting those who committed the Holocaust. But it was more than mildly spooked when the ICC made it clear that it would regard it a war crime were Israel to permit Jews to live in disputed territory or even in Eastern Jerusalem. Not only was such a plan bad in and of itself, it also served as a precedent: literally anything might be called a war crime.
Another article, by David Rivkin, Lee Casey, and Darin Bartram, explains that "few notions of justice and procedural fairness truly transcend national frontiers." In addition, there is the risk of political use against the United States, which would weaken our potential for deterrence and therefore encourage aggressors.
There are rebuttals to these concerns, and the entire book makes for interesting reading. I am not convinced by the rebuttals. I think the ICC as it now exists is counterproductive. But read this book for yourself and see what you think.
Book Description
George G. Higgins and the Quest for Worker Justice: The Evolution of Catholic Social Thought in America is a comprehensive and fascinating examination of the Catholic Church's involvement in social issues from the late 19th to the end of the 20th century through the lens of the life, career, writings, and ministry of the legendary Monsignor Higgins. Much more than a limited biography, John O' Brien offers a sweeping history of the social questions facing America over the past 100 years, the thought behind one of the leading figures in the worker justice movement, and a moving application of the rich heritage of Catholic Social Thought.
Customer Reviews:
Concise account of American Catholic social justice history.......2005-01-05
John O'Brien has produced a labor of love in which he concisely recounts the history of the American Catholic church in the pursuit of economic and social justice through the writings and deeds of its most articulate and tireless advocate, Msgr. George G. Higgins. O'Brien discusses the movement from civil religion to public theology, the historical development of American Catholic social teaching, and Higgins' work in the social apostolate both as a labor mediator and public commentator. O'Brien presents a careful study of the latter role through analysis of Higgins's syndicated column, The Yardstick, for 1945-1994, and the annual Labor Day Statements for 1946-2001. This study is a fitting tribute to a great man and a great resource for scholars, students, and the general public. The appendices are especially good though one wishes that a selection of photographs were included.
Book Description
Harvard's first black tenured law professor combines fiction with fact to dramatize continuing racial injustices in the United States.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Book.......2001-07-25
This novel is a must read for everyone. Bell presented a funny yet sadly true concept of reality from the past to the present.
Excellent historical perspective and overall analysis.......1999-03-29
This book provides a chilling account of traditional race relations in the United States, and also forces the reader to confront the problems with many of the proposed modern solutions. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever grappled with the issue of race in this country--even if one does not agree with all of Bell's analysis, the level of thought provoking questions and challenges are outstanding!
Book Description
The 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which more than 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were massacred in just 100 days, was an unparalleled modern-day slaughter. How does a nation pick up the pieces after the killing has stopped?
In a gripping narrative that examines the power of the press and sheds light on how the media turned tens of thousands of ordinary Rwandans into murderers, award-winning author and journalist Dina Temple-Raston traces the rise and fall of three media executives -- Ferdinand Nahimana, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, and Hassan Ngeze.
From crime to trial to verdict, Temple-Raston explores the many avenues of justice Rwanda pursued in the decade after the killing. Focusing on the media trial at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, she then drops down to the level of the hills, where ordinary Rwandans seek justice and retribution, and examines whether politics in the East African nation has set the stage for renewed violence.
In the months leading up to the killing, two local media outlets, Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) and the tabloid newspaper Kangura, warned that a bloody confrontation was brewing. No one would be spared, they said. Observers said later that fearmongering from RTLM and Kangura played a key role in igniting the genocide, so much so that the three men behind the media outlets became the first journalists since Nuremberg to be tried in an international court for crimes against humanity.
Drawing on extensive interviews with key players, Dina Temple-Raston brings to life a cast of remarkable characters: the egotistical newspaper editor Hassan Ngeze; hate radio cofounders, the intellectual Ferdinand Nahimana and the defiant legal scholar Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza; an American-led prosecution team wary of a guilty verdict that might bring a broadly written judgment muzzling the press the world over; the bombastic American defense attorney John Floyd; heroic Damien Nzabakira, who risked his life to drive forty orphans to safety only to spend eight years in prison accused of their murder; and Bonaventure Ubalijoro, a Rwandan diplomat and politician who believed in miracles.
An extraordinary feat of reporting and narrative, Justice on the Grass reveals a Rwanda few have seen. A searing and compassionate book, Justice on the Grass illustrates how, more than a decade later, a country and its people are still struggling to heal, to forgive, and to make sense of something that defies credibility and humanity.
Download Description
"The 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which more than 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were massacred in just 100 days, was an unparalleled modern-day slaughter. How does a nation pick up the pieces after the killing has stopped? In a gripping narrative that examines the power of the press and sheds light on how the media turned tens of thousands of ordinary Rwandans into murderers, award-winning author and journalist Dina Temple-Raston traces the rise and fall of three media executives -- Ferdinand Nahimana, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, and Hassan Ngeze. From crime to trial to verdict, Temple-Raston explores the many avenues of justice Rwanda pursued in the decade after the killing. Focusing on the media trial at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, she then drops down to the level of the hills, where ordinary Rwandans seek justice and retribution, and examines whether politics in the East African nation has set the stage for renewed violence. In the months leading up to the killing, two local media outlets, Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) and the tabloid newspaper Kangura, warned that a bloody confrontation was brewing. No one would be spared, they said. Observers said later that fearmongering from RTLM and Kangura played a key role in igniting the genocide, so much so that the three men behind the media outlets became the first journalists since Nuremberg to be tried in an international court for crimes against humanity. Drawing on extensive interviews with key players, Dina Temple-Raston brings to life a cast of remarkable characters: the egotistical newspaper editor Hassan Ngeze; hate radio cofounders, the intellectual Ferdinand Nahimana and the defiant legal scholar Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza; an American-led prosecution team wary of a guilty verdict that might bring a broadly written judgment muzzling the press the world over; the bombastic American defense attorney John Floyd; heroic Damien Nzabakira, who risked his life to drive forty orphans to safety only to spend eight years in prison accused of their murder; and Bonaventure Ubalijoro, a Rwandan diplomat and politician who believed in miracles. An extraordinary feat of reporting and narrative, Justice on the Grass reveals a Rwanda few have seen. A searing and compassionate book, Justice on the Grass illustrates how, more than a decade later, a country and its people are still struggling to heal, to forgive, and to make sense of something that defies credibility and humanity. "
Customer Reviews:
Subtle, Frightening, and Wise.......2004-11-15
This is a highly nuanced book that deals with all the complexities of an impossible situation. The characters are almost Shakepearean, some of them good, some of them foolish, some of them manipulative, some of them darkly evil. The situation is extraordinary. Temple-Raston has a wonderful ear and is able to let people tell their own stories, and make their own judgments. This is elegant, brilliant journalism, written with great moral clarity but without ever moralizing.
Book Description
Cry Rape dramatically exposes the criminal justice system’s capacity for error as it recounts one woman’s courageous battle in the face of adversity. In September 1997, a visually impaired woman named Patty was raped by an intruder in her home in Madison, Wisconsin. The rookie detective assigned to her case came to doubt Patty’s account and focused the investigation on her. Using pressure and lies, he got her to recant, then had her charged with falsely reporting a crime. The charges were eventually dropped, but Patty continued to demand justice, filing complaints and a federal lawsuit against the police. All were rebuffed. But later, as the result of her perseverance, a startling discovery was made. Even then, Patty’s ordeal was far from over.
Other books have dealt with how police and prosecutors bend and break the law in their zeal to prevail. This one focuses instead on how the gravest injustice can be committed with the best of intentions, and how one woman’s bravery and persistence finally triumphed.
Customer Reviews:
Haunting journey into my own mirror.......2007-01-05
As I read this book, I could not stop turning the pages. I read the first 120 pages without getting up. I already knew the end of the story, but I had to read the remarkable journey. This lady opened herself up for such an honest portrayal of the most hideous events of her life to share them publicly and it is truly amazing. Know this, Patty, and Bill for writing it, if for nothing else, I am a life that was touched.
My mirror holds much the same story, and the same deals are offered to me. Everything within me says "stand by the truth" - but the truth is so hard when it hurts you. You have given me renewed courage to fight the fight. I will not give in and I will continue to tell the truth. The system has got acknowledge when it's wrong. Thank you both so much.
A Horror Story.......2006-10-20
I sat in stunned silence as I turned the final page of "Cry Rape," Bill Lueders' heart-rending story of a rape victim doubted, and ultimately tormented, by police. My 10-year-old son asked about what I had been reading, saying, "Is it a mystery?"
I replied, "No, it's about a lady who was hurt badly in a crime and told the police. Not only did the police refuse to find the person who hurt her, they accused her of lying. Eventually they found the criminal who hurt her but even then, the police didn't help her."
His response: "Oh, so it's a horror story."
It is the most fitting summary I've yet seen of this tremendous book. Lueders' story unfolds chronologically from the first page, which begins with the shock and terror of a brutal rape. It leads to eventual vindication, but not without further terror and further brutality -- at the hands of police, attorneys and others the victim trusted most.
This book must be read not for how it is written though Lueders' dramatic-documentary style makes the story impossible to forget. It must be read because it shows us how our most vulnerable citizens can be further victimized by the very systems designed to help them. In short, it is a morality tale that highlights the immorality of the institutions many of us trust.
The Madison Idea.......2006-09-20
Cry Rape is the story of a rape victim's victimization by the criminal justice system. It is a story about a cop who seems predisposed to "prove" rape victims liars, about a police department that protects bad cops, about a district attorney's office willing to further victimize the victim to protect bad cops, about judges willing to interpret the law in ways that protect bad cops and bad policies, about elected and appointed officials who stand behind the victimization, and (though only peripherally) newspaper editors who don't seem to care.
It is also the story of one woman's heroic and uphill fight against the system and the small group of people who believed and supported her and were sometimes victimized as a result.
Conversations in Cry Rape, suggest that the majority of rape victims choose to walk away and admit defeat rather than standing up to a criminal justice system that is more interested in closing their file than helping them find justice. This victim's inner strength makes her story the exception.
This story takes place in Madison, Wisconsin, long perceived to be a bastion of progressive ideas. But Cry Rape exposes the plain fact that Madison's government can be as self-serving and self-protective as governments anywhere. The central story is the rape victim's years-long ordeal; but the strong secondary story is the way the system deals with a cop who shouldn't be a cop. He is rewarded and remains today an honored officer.
In spite of the ugliness exposed in Cry Rape, it does offer us a spark of hope. It shows that investigative journalism can make a positive difference and that there are some reporters and editors willing to stick with a difficult story. We learn that there actually are honest attorneys who seek justice for their clients instead of just clocking billing hours.
Readers unconnected to Madison or Wisconsin will be entertained by Cry Rape's distinct detective novel feel and the twists and turns that lead to surprising discoveries throughout the story. Alert, informed readers might find similarities between the way Madison's city government and the University of Wisconsin, Madison deal with liars and bad apples. Promoting such people seems to be the Madison Idea.
Books:
- Design-Build for the Public Sector/With 2004 Supplement (Construction Law Library)
- Detecting Lies and Deceit: The Psychology of Lying and the Implications for Professional Practice (Wiley Series in Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law)
- Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most
- Doing What Comes Naturally: Change, Rhetoric, and the Practice of Theory in Literary and Legal Studies
- Effective Environmental Assessments: How to Manage and Prepare NEPA EAs
- Enhancing Trader Performance: Proven Strategies From the Cutting Edge of Trading Psychology (Wiley Trading)
- Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings
- Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy
- Freedom's Coming: Religious Culture and the Shaping of the South from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Era
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Books Index
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Murder & Mayhem
| True Accounts
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Shattered Justice: A Savage Murder and the Death of Three Families' Innocence (True Crime (Avon Books))
Tacoma Confidential: A True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief's Secret Life (48 Hours Mystery)
No Regrets (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Vol. 11)
Lipstick and Blood
Never Leave Me: A True Story of Marriage, Deception, and Brutal Murder (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
