Monday, April 25, 2011

Count them one by one : Black Mississippians fighting for the right to vote by Gordon A. Martin, Jr.


Forrest County, Mississippi, became a focal point of the civil rights movement when, in 1961, the United States Justice Department filed a lawsuit against its voting registrar Theron Lynd. While thirty percent of the county's residents were black, only twelve black persons were on its voting rolls.United States v. Lyndwas the first trial that resulted in the conviction of a southern registrar for contempt of court. The case served as a model for other challenges to voter discrimination in the South, and was an important influence in shaping the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Count Them One by One is a comprehensive account of the groundbreaking case written by one of the Justice Department's trial attorneys. Gordon A. Martin, Jr., then a newly-minted lawyer, traveled to Hattiesburg from Washington to help shape the federal case against Lynd. He met with and prepared the government's sixteen black witnesses who had been refused registration, found white witnesses, and was one of the lawyers during the trial.

Decades later, Martin returned to Mississippi and interviewed the still-living witnesses, their children, and friends. Martin intertwines these current reflections with commentary about the case itself. The result is an impassioned, cogent fusion of reportage, oral history, and memoir about a trial that fundamentally reshaped liberty and the South. (Publisher's description)

The rights of the people : how our search for safety invades our liberties by David K. Shipler.


From the best-selling author of The Working Poor, an impassioned, incisive look at the violations of civil liberties in the United States that have accelerated over the past decade—and their direct impact on our lives.

How have our rights to privacy and justice been undermined? What exactly have we lost? Pulitzer Prize–winner David K. Shipler searches for the answers to these questions by examining the historical expansion and contraction of our fundamental rights and, most pointedly, the real-life stories of individual men and women who have suffered. This is the account of what has been taken—and of how much we stand to regain by protesting the departures from the Bill of Rights.

With keen insight and telling detail, Shipler describes how the Supreme Court’s constitutional rulings play out on the streets as Washington, D.C., police officers search for guns in poor African American neighborhoods, how a fruitless search warrant turns the house of a Homeland Security employee upside down, and how the secret surveillance and jailing of an innocent lawyer result from an FBI lab mistake. Each instance—often as shocking as it is compelling—is a clear illustration of the risks posed to individual liberties in our modern society. And, in Shipler’s hands, each serves as a powerful incitement for a retrieval of these precious rights.

A brilliant, immeasurably important book for our time. (Publisher's description)

Human dignity by George Kateb

Noting the frequency of appeals to "human dignity" in human rights declarations, and citing a dearth of theoretical defenses of the concept, Kateb (politics, Princeton U.) endeavors in this essay to define and defend the idea in secular terms--as an existential rather than moral value--while paying particular attention to conceptual difficulties inherent in a formulation of the notion that is not theologically assisted. The first half of the essay examines human dignity as a matter of the equality of all persons. Latter sections consider human dignity as a product of the special status--i.e., the uniqueness and, in some respects, unnaturalness--of the human species. The relationship between these two aspects of human dignity is examined and applied to concerns including the structuring of human societies and humanity's role as a steward of nature. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Liberty defined : 50 essential issues that affect our freedom by Ron Paul.


Dr. Ron Paul's newest book, LIBERTY DEFINED, returns to the format and scope of his number 1 New York Times bestseller, The Revolution. Rather than delve so deeply into one issue (as End The Fed did) or simply update the topics discussed in The Revolution, this is a brand new, comprehensive, A-Z guide to his position (unwavering support of personal liberty and small government) on 50 of the most important issues of our times, both foreign and domestic. His devoted followers will be able to use it as a guide book for 2012 and beyond, for all their political and educational efforts. With entries ranging in length from a few pages to over ten, LIBERTY DEFINED is very accessible, easy to digest and clear cut in its ideology. (Publisher's description)

A simple government : twelve things we really need from Washington (and a trillion that we don't) by Mike Huckabee.

Author Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, now hosts popular television and radio talk shows. Here, he advocates applying 12 commonsense principles for transforming government, with one chapter devoted to each principle. Writing in plain language for general readers, he argues in favor of a return to family values and local government, control of spending and debt, a simplified taxation system, immigration reform, and a strong approach to terrorism. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Real common sense : using our founding values to reclaim our nation and stop the radical right from hijacking America by Brian Kahn.


Kahn, a public radio host, calls for a "common sense" return to the values of our forefathers and a shift in our priorities from consumers to citizens, stressing the importance of interdependence and community bonds. He wags his finger at corporate excess, right-wing rhetoric, and consumer greed before launching into his earnest advice. Few of his ideas, such as his call for media reform and a renewed public service requirement, are revolutionary, but he argues them with an effective blend of fact ("In 2005, an Institute of Medicine report found that 80% to 97% of food product aimed at children and teenagers are of "poor nutritional quality") and rhetoric ("why isn't our government willing to pass regulations to protect kids from junk food advertising? Our public officials believe that junk food profits are more important than the health of our nation's children"). Cynics might find his perspectives simplistic-and Kahn is no Tom Paine-but his is a well-intentioned reflection on what it means to be a citizen in today's imperfect America. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

California politics and government : a practical approach by Larry N. Gerston, Terry Christensen.


This concise guide provides basic information on California conditions and governance, including the history of political and economic involvement, issues raised by political parties and direct (perhaps too direct) democracy, campaigns and candidates and the media's fix on the voters, interest groups and their real power, the legislature and the perils of policy making, the courts and politics, the executive branch and fragmentation, budgetary policies and politics, local government, and the chaos-cooperation of state-federal relations. Includes very helpful charts and maps. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Finding the answers to legal questions : a how-to-do-it manual by Virginia Tucker and Marc Lampson.


Tucker, a county law librarian who teaches at San Jose State U., and Lampson, a lawyer and librarian, help reference librarians at small and medium-sized libraries aid patrons with legal questions, as well as paralegals, students, and general readers doing legal work. They first explain the US legal system and give recommendations for secondary sources and finding information at the federal, state, and local levels, then teach the basics of legal research and how to find answers to questions related to lawsuits, family law, landlord-tenant contracts, wills, estate planning and probate, bankruptcy, employment and unemployment, and criminal law. The final section covers building a collection and evaluating online information, self-help law books, and creating a library website. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Nolo's encyclopedia of everyday law : answers to your most frequently asked legal questions by Shae Irving & Nolo editor


Updated to reflect current laws, the eighth edition of this reference for general readers provides answers to common legal questions and lists print and online sources for more information. Questions and answers are grouped in sections on housing, money, work, small businesses, patents, cars, wills, marriage, and children. An appendix explains how to do basic legal research with a focus on Internet searches. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Marshalling justice : the early civil rights letters of Thurgood Marshall edited by Michael G. Long ; foreword by Derrick Bell.


The first collection of Thurgood Marshall's selected letters repositions Marshall as first and foremost a groundbreaking and vibrant Civil Rights activist in the tradition of Martin Luther King and Julian Bond--not as the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court.

Contracts : the essential business desk reference by Richard Stim.


Stim, an attorney who specializes in small business and intellectual property law, provides an alphabetical reference of terms related to contracts, for small business owners, landlords, and individuals who work with contracts in daily life, in areas from real estate to insurance to hiring employees. While defining terms ranging from addendum to yellow-dog contract, he explains how to write a contract or contract provision, provisions that should be in contracts, and types that should be put in writing. Examples of clauses, contracts, and language are provided, but generic forms are not. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Making it legal : a guide to same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships & civil unions by Frederick C. Hertz with Emily Doskow.

Both Hertz and Doskow have significant experience as attorneys working with and assisting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. This text, now in its second edition, serves as a reference book for same-sex couples--and the professionals assisting them--on the state of laws across the United States governing gay marriage, domestic partnerships, and civil unions. The subject matter is not limited to the law however, as the text also touches on the emotional and philosophical questions of marriage and finding a lifelong partner. Ten chapters cover topics ranging from whether to create a prenuptial agreement to estate planning for same-sex couples. A useful set of appendices includes an updated chart of the different forms of relationship recognition in each of the 50 states, a list of legal, financial, and personal resources for those interested in same-sex marriage, and a multiple-choice marriage license test designed to test readers' knowledge of the legal consequences of marriage. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Profit from your idea : how to make smart licensing deals by Richard Stim.


San Francisco-based intellectual property attorney and entrepreneur Stim is a legal editor at Nolo and the author of several Nolo books on legal topics. He presents an updated practical guide for individuals who have come up with an invention and now need to license their great idea. Major topics addressed include ownership rights, soliciting licenses, the license agreement, and dealing with licensees. The seventh edition incorporates changes in licensing law and patent rules since publication of the 2008 edition. The accompanying CD-ROM contains selected full-length sample agreements and audio files summarizing licensing tips from the book, and documents addressing the miscellaneous provisions included at the end of each licensing deal, damages in contract disputes, and common contract problems. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Legal guide for police : constitutional issues by Jeffery T. Walker, Craig Hemmens.


Walker (U. of Arkansas, Little Rock) and Hemmens (Boise State U.) examine constitutional issues and how they limit and empower police officers and other law enforcement personnel. Topics include authority to detain, due process, detention at roadblocks and the admissibility of evidence. The eighth edition of this constitutional guide for law enforcement personnel includes a CD-ROM. Anderson Publishing is a member of the LexisNexis group. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Friday, April 15, 2011

Finding the answers to legal questions : a how-to-do-it manual by Virginia Tucker and Marc Lampson.

Tucker, a county law librarian who teaches at San Jose State U., and Lampson, a lawyer and librarian, help reference librarians at small and medium-sized libraries aid patrons with legal questions, as well as paralegals, students, and general readers doing legal work. They first explain the US legal system and give recommendations for secondary sources and finding information at the federal, state, and local levels, then teach the basics of legal research and how to find answers to questions related to lawsuits, family law, landlord-tenant contracts, wills, estate planning and probate, bankruptcy, employment and unemployment, and criminal law. The final section covers building a collection and evaluating online information, self-help law books, and creating a library website. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Queer (in)justice : the criminalization of LGBT people in the United States by Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie, and Kay Whitlock.

Written by activists and legal advocates Mogul, Ritchie, and Whitlock, this work examines the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people within the contemporary US criminal legal system, particularly focusing on how other class, race, occupational, gender, immigrant, and other status marginalities interact with LGBT as a category in US crime and punishment. They argue that the way that the criminal legal system polices notions of sexual and gender "deviance" serves both as a tool of race-based law enforcement and as an independent basis for punishment within an institutionalized setting of systemic violence and injustice. Chapters address historical precedents, queer criminal archetypes, policing gender and sex after Stonewall, treatment of queers in criminal courts, queer experiences in prison, criminal legal responses to violence against LGBT people, and responses to the problem of criminal injustice towards LGBT people. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Inherently unequal : the betrayal of equal rights by the Supreme Court, 1865-1903 by Lawrence Goldstone.

A potent and original examination of how the Supreme Court subverted justice and empowered the Jim Crow era.

In the following years following the Civil War, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery; the 14th conferred citizenship and equal protection under the law to white and black; and the 15th gave black American males the right to vote. In 1875, the most comprehensive civil rights legislation in the nation's history granted all Americans "the full and equal enjoyment" of public accomodations. Just eight years later, the Supreme Court, by an 8-1 vote, overturned the Civil Rights Act as unconstitutional and, in the process, disemboweled the equal protection provisions of the 14th Amendment. Using court records and accounts of the period, Lawrence Goldstone chronicles how "by the dawn of the 20th century the U.S. had become the nation of Jim Crow laws, quasi-slavery, and precisely the same two-tiered system of justice that had existed in the slave era."

The very human story of how and why this happened make Inherently Unequal as important as it is provocative. Examining both celebrated decisions like Plessy v. Ferguson and those often overlooked, Goldstone demonstrates how the Supreme Court turned a blind eye to the obvious reality of racism, defending instead the business establishment and status quo--thereby legalizing the brutal prejudice that came to definite the Jim Crow era. (Publisher's description)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

J.K. Lasser's 1001 deductions and tax breaks 2011 : your complete guide to everything deductible by Barbara Weltman.

A straightforward guide to taking tax breaks and deductions. Completely revised to reflect important changes in this year′s tax laws, J.K. Lasser′s 1001 Deductions & Tax Breaks 2011 will help you take advantage of every tax break and deduction you may be entitled to. This comprehensive guide is clearly organized by subject matter so you can easily find situations that may apply to you. Each tax benefit is also clearly explained-along with the eligibility requirements for claiming the benefit-while planning tips and common pitfalls associated with the benefit in question are discussed in detail. New tax law alerts are also included throughout the book, so you can make the most informed decisions possible. Discusses deductions and tax breaks with regard to your family, home, car, job, investments, education, charitable giving, health coverage, and much more. Packed with hundreds of updated examples, practical advice, and real-world examples. Online supplement to update developments. (Publisher's description)



Toxic loopholes : failures and future prospects for environmental law by Craig Collins.

The EPA was established to enforce the environmental laws Congress enacted during the 1970s. Yet today lethal toxins still permeate our environment, causing widespread illness and even death. Toxic Loopholes investigates these laws, and the agency charged with their enforcement, to explain why they have failed to arrest the nation's rising environmental crime wave and clean up the country's land, air, and water. This book illustrates how weak laws, legal loopholes, and regulatory negligence harm everyday people struggling to clean up their communities. It demonstrates that our current system of environmental protection pacifies the public with a false sense of security, dampens environmental activism, and erects legal barricades and bureaucratic barriers to shield powerful polluters from the wrath of their victims. After examining the corrosive economic and political forces undermining environmental law making and enforcement, the final chapters assess the potential for real improvement and the possibility of building cooperative international agreements to confront the rising tide of ecological perils threatening the entire planet. (Publisher's description)

The mob and me : wise guys and the Witness Protection Program by John Partington with Arlene Violet.

Partington, a former U.S. Marshal, and former Attorney General Violet deliver a fascinating, first-person true crime memoir of the development and evolution of the Witness Protection Program.

How to win your case in traffic court without a lawyer by Janet Traken

According to the National Motorists Association, as many as 50 million Americans are issued traffic tickets for moving violations. Many of those tickets will be paid and forgotten about, but many more will be added to a growing list of traffic court cases - with an estimated $7 billion in annual tickets and a good percentage of them being taken to court. For many people though, the cost of hiring a lawyer and fighting a case over a $300 ticket is too hard and they just accept it, paying the fine begrudgingly. With this book, you no longer have to cave into government pressure and pay your fines. If you feel you have been wronged, this book will walk you through every step of the process to uncovering exactly what you can do to win your traffic court case without a lawyer.

You will learn the total number of people who receive tickets every year and just how many are successful in their fight against them, including how they were successful. Learning to understand the law is essential in knowing whether you can effectively fight your ticket and this book will provide multiple chapters designed to break down and outline the details of the law for each major type of moving violation. You will learn what the three different kinds of speed limits are and when you can fight the ticket. You will learn which defenses absolutely will not work in court and whether you will be wasting your time by using them. Different ways in which your speed was measured and understanding how the officer handled the ticketing are vital to making your case and a comprehensive chapter on analyzing this evidence will be presented.

You will learn how to start building your case by using discovery and obtaining all of the necessary evidence. The trial specifics are outlined in a step by step manner, including the process of finding witnesses, preparing testimony, and presenting diagrams and visual cues that will help you make your case. Learn how to talk to the officer that issued the ticket and prepare yourself for the onslaught of questions your prosecutor will present.

With the help of professional opinions from dozens of lawyers and legal specialists, you will learn exactly how each traffic court case is handled and what you can expect when you take your particular case to court. There is an essential difference between jury and judge only trials and you will learn how to handle each of them, as well as how to tweak your case to match any of the 50 states in which you live. If you have received a traffic violation and you know it is unfair, the only choice you have is to fight it in court, and this book will help you do just that without the need of a lawyer or an expensive defense. (Publisher's description)

The Eichmann trial by Deborah E. Lipstadt


Award-winning historian Lipstadt presents a compelling reassessment of the groundbreaking trial that has become a touchstone for judicial proceedings throughout the world in which victims of genocide confront its perpetrators. (Publisher's description)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Thirty years of California library ballot measures, 1980-2009 [electronic resource] by Richard B. Hall

"This comprehensive report covers 307 library-related ballot measures held in 95 out of 181 library jurisdictions across the state. Almost 54% of the ballot measures passed, with approval rates increasing slightly over each of the past three decades. General tax measures requiring a simple majority passed 77% of the time, while special tax measures requiring a supermajority (2/3 approval) passed 45% of the time. Ballot measures for facilities only were most successful, while measures seeking funds for both facilities and operations were least successful."
(From Introduction)

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The world government : a blueprint for a universal world state by Nicholas Hagger


In The New Philosophy of Universalism Nicholas Hagger outlined a new philosophy on the oneness of the universe and humankind and its applications for many disciplines including international relations. In this work of political Universalism Hagger presents the long yearned for human dream of world government and a World State that would enforce peace. In the hands of conquerors of self-interested elites concerned to loot the Earth's resources to enrich themselves this could be disastrous. 
(Publisher's description)

Monday, April 4, 2011

Burial for a King : Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral and the week that transformed Atlanta and rocked the nation by Rebecca Burns


In the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, riots broke out in 110 cities across the country. For five days, Atlanta braced for chaos while preparing to host King’s funeral. An unlikely alliance of former student radicals, the middle-aged patrician mayor, the no-nonsense police chief, black ministers, white churchgoers, Atlanta’s business leaders, King’s grieving family members, and his stunned SCLC colleagues worked to keep Atlanta safe, honor a murdered hero, and host the tens of thousands who came to pay tribute.
 
On April 9, 1968, 150,000 mourners took part in a daylong series of rituals honoring King—the largest funeral staged for a private U.S. citizen. King’s funeral was a dramatic event that took place against a national backdrop of war protests and presidential politics in a still-segregationist South, where Georgia’s governor surrounded the state capitol with troops and refused to lower the flag in acknowledgment of King’s death. Award-winning journalist Rebecca Burns delivers a riveting account of this landmark week and chronicles the convergence of politicians, celebrities, militants, and ordinary people who mourned in a peaceful Atlanta while other cities burned. Drawing upon copious research and dozens of interviews— from staffers at the White House who dealt with the threat of violence to members of King’s family and inner circle—Burns brings this dramatic story to life in vivid scenes that sweep readers from the mayor’s office to the White House to Coretta Scott King’s bedroom. Compelling and original, Burial for a King captures a defining moment in America’s history. It encapsulates King’s legacy, America’s shifting attitude toward race, and the emergence of Atlanta as a new kind of Southern city. (Publisher's description)

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Deep water [electronic resource] : the Gulf oil disaster and the future of offshore drilling : report to the President / National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.

On April 20, 2010, the Macondo oil well blew out, costing the lives of 11 men, and beginning a catastrophe that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and spilled over 4 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.The spill disrupted an entire region's economy, damaged fisheries and crucial habitats, and brought vividly to light the risks of deepwater drilling for oil and gas, the latest frontier in the national energy supply.Soon after, President Barack Obama appointed a seven-member commission to investigate the disaster, analyze its causes and effects, and recommend the actions necessary to minimize such risks in the future. The Commission's report offers the American public and policymakers alike the fullest account available of what happened in the Gulf and why, and proposes actions-changes in company behavior, reform of government oversight, and investments in research and technology-required as industry moves forward to meet the nation's energy needs.

From representation to inclusion [electronic resource] : diversity leadership for the 21st-Century military : final report

This report represents the findings and recommendations of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission. Congress asked the commission to "conduct a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of policies that provide opportunities for the promotion and advancement of minority members of the armed forces, including minority members who are senior officers." The commission's recommendations support two overriding and related objectives: (1) that the armed forces systematically develop a demographically diverse leadership that reflects the public it serves and the forces it leads and (2) that the services pursue a broader approach to diversity that includes the range of backgrounds, skill sets, and personal attributes that are necessary to enhancing military performance. The commission finds several tacit barriers to advancement throughout a service member's career, such as a lack of clarity regarding promotion opportunities, and also one overt barrier: the policy excluding women from combat. The commission proposes changes which would start at the moment of recruiting, and proposes allowing women to serve in combat.