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The book started off with the cornerstone pieces of the Anglo-Saxon law - mens rea (criminal intent), non-retroactiveness of new laws, presumption of innocence until proven guilty, sanctity of attorney-client privilege, property rights, and went on to cite laws and legal cases, some of the very high-profile, that helped chip away the these cornerstone pieces and made the law no longer a guarantor of constitutional rights. This dangerous practice of eroding the "Right of the Englishman" is, according to the authors, a result of well-intended, but poorly thought-out legislation and over zealous government prosecutors, who were driven by political ambition, pressure of revenue and even personal enrichment.
It is frightening development. It is hard to believe that this country has allowed its cherished legal system to deteriorate to one that, in essence, is no different than that of a police state - one that prosecutors could at will use the full force of the government to break any individual, sometimes by threats, lies and confiscations. Most people will dismiss this notion as alarmist, until they read what this book has explained and chronicled. After 9/11, the Ashcroft regime seeks to greatly enlarge federal powers to fight terrorism, but that inevitably be at the expense of our cherished civil liberty. We should all be vigilant about what is being done. History has taught us that some really bad things that are done with good intentions are very, very hard to undo.
Reading this book forces me to revise my opinion on those who had been vilified by the prosecutors and the media, like Charles Keating, Jr. Leona Hemsley and Michael Milken; as well it dims the much-heralded Rudolph Giuliani legacy. It also reconfirms that damages done by FDR's New Deal - the emergence of the administrative state, and his Court-packing initiative, not to speak of the unleashing of the welfare state.
The presentation of the book, unfortunately, seems to lack clarity and force, and the organization is somewhat loose. There are anecdotes abound, but they are not backed by statistics, and the reader has no idea if the outrageous prosecutorial excesses are 10% of the cases, 1%, or less. The book is otherwise very readable. I will recommend this book if only for the seriousness of the subject matter.
The Tyranny of Good Intentions should make those who participate in our political and legal systems uncomfortable, if not self-loathing. Paul Craig Roberts and Lawrence M Stratton's principal argument is that what passes for "law" in the current civil climate is far removed from the "long struggle to establish the people's sovereignity" that dates back to pre-Norman England. Simply put, the law has been transformed from a shield that protects the people from the encroachments of government power into a sword that enables the government to lord over people. Those who are weary of the ongoing government assault on Microsoft and the tobacco industry or of the continued evisceration of civil liberties under the tutelary banner of the drug war should immediately recognize this transformation.
The Tyranny of Good Intentions highlights two broad areas in which the content and enforcement of the law now serve as a sword against what is loosely termed "the Rights of Englishmen": namely, "prohibitions against crimes without intent, retroactive law, and self-incrimination." First, the authors consider how government prosecutors, manifesting a win-at-all-costs mentality, sacrifice the quest for truth in order to advance their careers. Second, the adbication of legislative power to administrative agencies has eroded the Anglo-Saxon legal maxim "a delegated power cannot itself be delegated."
Those who are actively engaged in policymaking and law enforcement would do well to read The Tyranny of Good Intentions, even if it gives them only momentary pause in their assorted "public interest" crusades to leave hoof prints on the people's constitutional liberties.
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I also don't understand the "basic recipe" selection process. I kind of think that sweet pie dough is more basic than honey-chickpea ice cream. Call me crazy. This section needs an overhaul.
For somebody as admirably obsessed with perfection as Charlie Trotter seems to be, the proofing errors and dumb editing decisions littering this book make me think that the authors just don't care as much about empowering me to stretch my limits and learn as they do about providing a showcase for themselves and selling books. If not, then what's the explanation? I just wish I could spend my energy exploring the recipes instead of having to painstakingly look for sources for ingredients. I know that sources change. How about posting them on the web site?
Sigh. Buy it anyway.
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Miguel Llora
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The plot is original, and littered with attempted plot twists. What I am trying to say is that I enjoyed reading this book, and I am not upset that I spent my time reading this book, but the plot twists and revelations were as easy to anticipate as sunrise and sunset.
I am always a sucker for books dealing with a resergeance of the Nazi idology. I was surpised with how much I enjoyed this book it does a wonderful job of keeping you awake
Fallom and Sivia Roth. Our villains were Curt Decker and the Curator.The Fuhrer's Reserve is a cache of old and valuable paint
ings that were stolen and hid by the Nazis(from the Jews of Europe).The paintings are being hunted by a group hoping to bring
the Nazis back to power. Fallon and Roth are in hot pursuit of the Criminals hunting for the paintings.There is nonstop action
from start to finish of this book.The final identity of the evil
Curator is a surprise. There is also a conspiracy that is to be
undertaken. This all makes for a surprise ending. You will enjoy this book.Read it.
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There was nothing really action and the problem was if Brandon could get his grandpa back to Little Water. They didn't really have the problem involved until the end of the book and in between they didn't talk a lot about it.
I would recommend this book to people who dont' like a lot of action.
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This book tells the great story of the German 6th Army. The Army that captured Warsaw in 1939, then Paris in '40, crushed the Russians at Kiev (capturing 600,000 Men) in the summer of 1941, now, this great Army was on the move again------ towards Stalingrad. Why was it destroyed, why was it so poorly led, what happened to this magnificent army. How could it have happened. What did the Soldiers think.
This is the secret to Paul Carell. He writes of the men, the 'soldats,' the Grunts. If you want to know what really happened to the great 6th Army. This is the only book you'll ever need to read.
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Overall, Not So! is OK but it could have been better if there was more cohesion.
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And for those already committed to the cause espoused by the authors, this book contains little in the way of useful reasoning. Its avowed purpose is to contrast Jeremy Bentham's utilitarian version of law, which it states is in force today, with Blackstone's absolutist version of civil liberties -- but instead of defeating Bentham's arguments, the authors call him names and say Blackstone's version of law is more traditional (i.e., older). There are good arguments to be made against weighing peoples' civil rights against a general societal benefit. For instance, whenever it's done and individual rights are made to yield to the public good, it seems that the public doesn't benefit. But the authors do not discuss the contrast they claim they are making between absolute rights and utilitarianism; they just say utilitarianism loses, make fun of it, and move on.
Considering the two levels on which The Tyranny of Good Intentions is supposed to work are two on which it fails utterly, I find myself surprised to be giving in three stars. But there is a level on which it is extremely useful. The authors' research for emotional arguments to replace the logical ones they do not make has revealed a large number of concrete examples of injustice done to real, named people under the present system of proescutorial overenthusiasm. While these are reported in the conclusory style I so deplore, they are useful beginnings to my own researches, and they make for splendid talking points.
There are people out there to whom the potential for abuse of governmental power is purely theoretical because they have never heard of anyone who actually suffered. Properly used, the examples in this book can raise awareness that not only can government get out of hand, but it has. No one who learns of the Depression-scarred doctor who kept cash in his shoeboxes, and had it seized when he tried to give it to charity, will look at drug forfeiture the same way again. No one who hears of the pizza restaurant forced to clean toxic waste out of a landfill because some of its boxes were found in it will be an unequivocal supporter of the Superfund.
For all its many faults, The Tyranny of Good Intentions will raise the level of skepticism about government power, and for this alone it is worth the three stars I give it. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance, and this book is an inspiration to pay this price.