Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Federalist, No 62, by James Madison

Among the priceless treasures of American history is work collectively known as The Federalist, written while the adoption of our Constitution was still a matter of public controversy. Some, looking to the chaos and confusion stemming from trying to govern thirteen unruly colonies under the weak and ineffective Articles of Confederation, believed that only a united government could keep America strong and free—or, in the words of the Preamble, to “secure the Blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity.” Others, the Anti-Federalists, feared that a strong, centralized government would be a vehicle for tyrants to impose their will on the population.

In the ensuing public debate, a writer known only as Publius, wrote a series of persuasive essays, pointing out the benefits on the new federal constitution, as well as explaining its provisions to the reading audience. In truth, the essays were written by three giants of American history: James Madison, who would become our fourth president; Alexander Hamilton, who would become our first Secretary of the Treasury; and John Jay, who would become the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

In the sixty-second essay, James Madison explained the purpose and theory behind having a second house in the Legislature, which the proposed Constitution called the Senate. Among its benefits was intended to be to lend a degree of stability to the new government: since its members would serve six-year terms, he argued, they would be more inclined to take a broader view—and would serve as a brake upon the House of Representatives, which—being elected every two years (and expected to have a high turnover, service in the House being perceived as a sacrifice for those elected to serve), would lack the institutional memory needed to keep the young nation on a steady course.

To the modern reader, such concerns may seem prophetic—for Madison wrote of the need of the nation to avoid being “inconstant” or to “carry on...affairs without any plan at all,” to escape becoming “a speedy victimness to...unsteadiness and folly.” A constant parade of ever-changing laws and regulations, he feared, would give the “moneyed few” a distinct and unconscionable advantage over the industrious masses—for money would enable the elites to monitor and manipulate changes in the laws to their own advantage, while leaving the rest of the country in scrounging for a living in the dust and mud. And constantly changing laws would “be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood,” leaving the “prudent merchant” or farmer or manufacturer reluctant to “hazard his fortunes” on any new enterprise, mindful of the fact that the laws were as variable as the wind, and that his fortunes would always be at the mercy of “an inconstant government.”

Like many passages in the Federalist, Number 62 is remarkable for its concise logic, the gracefulness of its expression, and the persuasive quality of the writing. It is also among the most prescient and insightful commentaries on the risks of self-government—and its lessons about incoherent and intrusive laws appear to have been forgotten, when they should be required reading for everyone, most particularly those who aspire to take upon themselves the responsibility to write our laws and set our policies.

From The Federalist, No. 62, by James Madison:

To trace the mischievous effects of a mutable government would fill a volume. I will hint a few only, each of which will be perceived to be a source of innumerable others.

In the first place, it forfeits the respect and confidence of other nations, and all the advantages connected with national character. An individual who is observed to be inconstant to his plans, or perhaps to carry on his affairs without any plan at all, is marked at once, by all prudent people, as a speedy victim to his own unsteadiness and folly. His more friendly neighbors may pity him, but all will decline to connect their fortunes with his; and not a few will seize the opportunity of making their fortunes out of his. One nation is to another what one individual is to another; with this melancholy distinction perhaps, that the former, with fewer of the benevolent emotions than the latter, are under fewer restraints also from taking undue advantage from the indiscretions of each other. Every nation, consequently, whose affairs betray a want of wisdom and stability, may calculate on every loss which can be sustained from the more systematic policy of their wiser neighbors. But the best instruction on this subject is unhappily conveyed to America by the example of her own situation. She finds that she is held in no respect by her friends; that she is the derision of her enemies; and that she is a prey to every nation which has an interest in speculating on her fluctuating councils and embarrassed affairs.

The internal effects of a mutable policy are still more calamitous. It poisons the blessing of liberty itself. It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow. Law is defined to be a rule of action; but how can that be a rule, which is little known, and less fixed?

Another effect of public instability is the unreasonable advantage it gives to the sagacious, the enterprising, and the moneyed few over the industrious and uniformed mass of the people. Every new regulation concerning commerce or revenue, or in any way affecting the value of the different species of property, presents a new harvest to those who watch the change, and can trace its consequences; a harvest, reared not by themselves, but by the toils and cares of the great body of their fellow-citizens. This is a state of things in which it may be said with some truth that laws are made for the few, not for the many.

In another point of view, great injury results from an unstable government. The want of confidence in the public councils damps every useful undertaking, the success and profit of which may depend on a continuance of existing arrangements. What prudent merchant will hazard his fortunes in any new branch of commerce when he knows not but that his plans may be rendered unlawful before they can be executed? What farmer or manufacturer will lay himself out for the encouragement given to any particular cultivation or establishment, when he can have no assurance that his preparatory labors and advances will not render him a victim to an inconstant government? In a word, no great improvement or laudable enterprise can go forward which requires the auspices of a steady system of national policy.

But the most deplorable effect of all is that diminution of attachment and reverence which steals into the hearts of the people, towards a political system which betrays so many marks of infirmity, and disappoints so many of their flattering hopes. No government, any more than an individual, will long be respected without being truly respectable; nor be truly respectable, without possessing a certain portion of order and stability.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

The War on Laughter

The impulse to control others seems inbred in some of us.  I've always suspect that it burns with particular fervor in the hearts of those intent on saving humanity from itself, and willing to force the rest of us to endure hardships fof our own good.  In some dark corner among those self-annointed saviors, there are things beyond their comprehension, that they feel the urge to crush in their fellow human beings...laughter and joy foremost among them.

In this country, we can see it in the self-righteous prudishness of true believers of many different stripes, religious as well as secular.  Perhaps because of an emptiness in their own souls there is, among some eager to save the world, a bitter undercurrent of resentment that people can smile amid sorrow, or find joy and pleasure in life when misery exists all around them.  Among the truly serious-minded, laughter is a frivolity that must never intrude on the task at hand...whatever that task might be.  Thus, some religions ban dancing and frown on music; and some secular "true believers" would ban any form of entertainment---from video games to musical genres---that conflict with their vision of what the "correct society" would look like.

Fortunately, Americans traditionally have little patience with busybodies, and usually ignore them.   But that tactic carries its own risks:  while most of us are too busy living to worry about what other people are doing for fun, the busybodies are too busy fretting to have much of a life---and, unfortunately, busybodies with nothing to divert their attention can still manage to capture the ears of our politicians, who are too busy running for office to waste time thinking.  The growth of the Nanny State is one outcome, one that we are free to ridicule and, if it gets out of hand, to change.  The rest of the world isn't always as lucky: totalitarians, it seems, are puritans at heart, and tend to take a dim view of joy and laughter.

In Soviet Russia, the communists reduced art and literature to propaganda arms of the state.  Lenin, its founder, dismissed music as tending to make people soft-hearted and tender---hardly the sort to kill each other for the sake of making a revolution.  Islamic fundamentalists seem enraged by the tendency of ordinary people to savor the joys of life:  Aytollah Khomeini, the founder of the theocracy that currently rules Iran, once remarked that "Allah did not create man so that he could have fun"; rather, the whole point of creation was to put us through "hardship and prayer."  While this may explain a lot about the regime's behavior during the past thirty years, it doesn't make them easier to live with.  And the Chinese, though discarding Mao's approach to economics, seem to be adopting his approach to dealing with humorous irreverence, silencing one of their people's favorite comics---a gifted comedian named  Guo Degang---for committing the offense of Wit Against the State.

In the end, I suspect that the self-annointed saviors of the world are fighting a losing battle. The human spirit is stronger than any attempt to stamp it out.  Joy is, in the end, a more attractive lure than the promise of endless misery.  And ridicule being the best weapon in the battle against pomposity, laughter will always prevail over prudishness.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

A New Addition to the Family

For good or ill, we're often defined by those we share our lives with. Others may judge us by the company we keep, and those we choose as friends can offer insights into our hearts that a simple conversation can never reveal. And, after all, those who lay down with dogs shouldn't be surprised if they have to live with fleas. Which brings us to today.

Until this past winter, Nonie and I had never been without a dog. Our first dog was Honey --- a pet she inserted into our marriage (against her new husband's wishes), because she couldn't bear the thought of seeing the poor creature put down. She'd had a rough upbringing, wasn't completely housebroken, was afraid of her shadow, and was, in essence, the world's wimpiest dog. She was also one of the canine world's great escape artists, vowing at an early age that no fence could hold her. But, she had a good heart and, though I would have much preferred starting out a new marriage with a new puppy, she managed to infiltrate our house to the extent that evicting her became impossible. Kind of like the stepchildren of a new spouse, stepchildren, except that stepkids usually don't pee all over everything.

Shortly after Honey and I can to a grudging truce, another dog appeared at our house...again, courtesy of my wife, who apparently was unable to resist taking any stray home with her. (I was too kind-hearted to demand that she take the intruder immediately to the pound. It is a persistent shortcoming of mine --- one that I've been working to remedy --- but on this occasion I could only grunt and resign myself to more years of living pergatory). Skipper was peppy, and filled with a zest for life. He was also far more fearless than his small size warranted, showing a willingness to take on (and get tossed about) by dogs twice his size, without the slightest inclination to learn from his experience and adopt a more discreet attitude about defending the world from other dogs. He did like Honey, however, and would growl at salesmen who overstayed their welcome. The two of them formed a real odd couple, and were with us for many years.

When Honey finally died at a ripe old age, the family was finally ready to exist as Nature intended: with one dog. Since this state of affairs proved intolerable to at least one member of our household, however, I soon found a small beagle puppy named Daisy gracing our house. A bout with parvo virus and extensive vet's bills later, she was a fully functioning member of the family...running off following her nose whenever possible. Though not an escape artist, she would usually take off for hours at the Yanik Family Farm...usually just before we wanted to leave. On one of these adventures, she led an aging Skipper on a merry adventure, through fields and forests, and causing a forest-full of worry for Nonie, who does not take kindly to any misadventure visited upon any of her pets.

We found both dogs a bit later...courtesy of neighbors by the farm, who called the number on their dog tags. Daisy, a healthy young dog, was none the worse for the wear; Skipper, the old codger, didn't fare quite as well. He died a few months later --- although not directly from his ordeal: it weakened an already aging dog, and probably shortened his life. But I suspect he found the freedom of wandering about to be quite an adventure.

Back to being a one-dog family, life seemed far less chaotic: there was only one animal to feed and let outside---Daisy. (Well...aside from the cat, but I continue to deny any active involvement in any cat-enabling activities). One animal to play with and shower attention on. One animal to worry about and take for a walk. One animal to crap in the back yard.

Obviously, something had to change...and, true to form, one day Nonie came home with a puppy she'd stumbled across at the soccer field. A cute, rolling ball of fuzz that resembled a small golden retriever. But, apparently a lot more domestically astute than her clueless husband, her approach to smuggling newcomers into the house had become far more sophisticated. This time, she took care to introduce the animal to our two small kids first. And, realizing at once that she'd managed to turn my flank yet again, there was little to do but groan and accept the reality that the little fuzz ball would be around for a while. We named her Callie.

Daisy and Callie were with us together for many years. Daisy seemed to be a magnet for misadventure and played the part of the animal world's Don Knotts. She was also stubborn as a mule, liked to howl, and tended to venture off on any scent trail that crossed her path. Callie, on the other hand, was sociable and loved to play fetch. She also loved camping, and accompanied us on many of our most memorable trips. We lost them over the course of the last two years---Callie two years ago at Christmas; and Daisy earlier this year, as we were getting our new house ready. Both dogs would have loved the new place: plenty of room, and lots of interesting smells. And their shadows will still haunt our memories.

Since we moved, Nonie has been increasingly agitated, insisting that the absence of a canine presence meant that the new place was seriously understaffed. For myself, I appreciated the respite, the lack of drool, and the absence of crap in the yard. Today, though, the Zoo had one of its many pet adoption events...and so we drove to Royal Oak to see if any of the animals struck our fancy.

There were, of course, the beagles: sweet and serene, pleading to be taken home. There were even two adorable beagle puppies---eight weeks old, and cute as the dickens. We do, after all, have 4-1/2 acres for a dog to explore. But with their tendency to roam---and with horses nearby---we weren't quite sure that a beagle would be our best bet.
We saw a number of other nice dogs...of various cross-breeds. In the end, Nonie was drawn to a black lab mix...with a sweet disposition and an eagerness to please. It's also a male...which will be quite a switch, since nearly all the dogs I've had (all but Skipper) have been girls.
The animal shelter named him "Bosley"...a name I like, and would just as soon keep. I think it has just the right mixture of whimsy to suit him.

Alana thinks we should call him "Buster" (possibly after the Mythbusters test dummy...though I'm not sure she had that Buster in mind). I suspect "Buster" will prevail.

So...welcome Bosley. Or Buster.  Or Whatever.

And if it's not too much trouble, please try to keep the crap outside.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Time Portal

Part of being human is experiencing the constant pull of emotions. As we grow, our experiences blend into the montage that becomes "me". And throughout our lives, we often trigger memories that call to mind earlier days. Some of these memories can be sad or scary; others cause our eyes to mist and our throats to swell, as we recall bygone days that are special.

Much of my childhood was spent playing sports. I passed most of my summers playing baseball, often at the ball diamond adjoining the local elementary school. But come September, a chill would creep into the air, and the wistfulness at the end of summer would make way for a new sport: football.

I played organized football for a few seasons, but soon found it too regimented for my tastes: the coaches were usually drill-sergeant wannabees, and the plays they insisted we run largely reduced us to the status of machines: cogs in their own visions of glory. I was always a good athlete, playing both offense and defense in various positions; and I was the team's punter as well. But I soon found myself bored by the routine and grind of practice. By the time I reached high school, I found that playing with my friends was a lot more fun than being screamed at by adults. And so I came to spend most autumn afternoons after school on the field adjoining that same old elementary school...running and passing and punting until dark.

When I think back on all the memories of my youth, the purest joys I had came from things we kids could do on our own, when we escaped the world of adults and family responsibilities and just played together as friends.

Seasons come and go throughout our lives; and as we grow older our responsibilities grow with us. But for me, the cool crispness of freshly mowed grass on a sunny September afternoon will always call to mind touch football...and a young boy too busy having fun to worry about the burdens of adulthood that were looming in the shadows.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Burning Books Instead of Reading Them

In one of the low moments of our current interval of xenophobic exhuberance, it seems that a church in Florida is planning to reinstitute a centuries-old tradition of small-minded people throughout the ages: burning books they don't like.



In 1821, the writer Heinrich Heine wrote: "Where they burn books, they will end in burning human beings." We regard the Nazi book-burning rituals with horror: one of my favorite lines from the last Indiana Jones movie has Sean Connery telling one of the evil Nazis that "goose-stepping morons like yourself should try reading books instead of burning them". And Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 gave us a vision of a futuristic society where the authorities institutionalized the practice of burning books they deemed unfit to read. I find it depressing that in the 21st Century America---the Land of Liberty and home of the First Amendment---we are facing the prospect of another round of book-burning.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Marketing

Writing is a lot of fun...though it can, at times, be a lonely pursuit.

Unfortunately, marketing sucks---largely because I seem to have no talent for it. In fact, my entire upbringing makes me wince at the thought of blowing my own horn. I suppose it must be nice to have no shame when it comes to self-promoting...but it still makes me feel uncomfortable.

Inspired by my son, Jason --- who is a gifted writer in his own right, and is trying to launch his own career as a game developer --- I've started up a new page on Facebook, hoping to drum up some interest in some of my writing, especially now that I'm about to release a new book. (Clouds of Darkness, for those keeping score at home...due out some time this fall). But I have my doubts about whether anything I do will succeed in attracting readers.

It seems that those who can, do...those who can't teach...and those who are awful at anything, but good at self-promotion, get rich. Doesn't seem fair...but if I can move from being awful to being passably mediocre at it, I suppose everything will turn out well.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Under the Bus

Though we have all experienced it while growing up, there are few things more cruel than to be punished for something you didn't do. Even worse is to be punished for doing something noble...especially if you show some personal vulnerability while doing it.

With President Obama under fire for any number of reasons, and the NAACP taking heat for casting the Tea Partiers as racists without anything as mundane as proof, it seemed the obviously wise political move to react swiftly and forcefully when a member of the Administration---speaking at an event sponsored by the NAACP---made remarks that could be construed as overtly "racist": talking of her attitudes about helping a white farmer facing the loss of his farm while a lower level employee at the Department of Agriculture, she spoke of viewing it through the prism of race, and "not doing all she could" to help him. So, she was promptly fired from her job with the Obama Administration, and the NAACP issued a statement denouncing her. All without bothering to check with her first...since, after all, there is simply no excuse for racist comments.

The only problem was that the remarks quoted were not racist at all. Rather, speaking of her early days as a USDA employee, she was speaking over her personal struggle to overcome the racial attitudes she grew up with...and the need to overcome prejudice of all kinds in order to work for a better world.

Shirley Sherrod is probably not perfect; I may not like her politics, and it's entirely possible we wouldn't get along if we met at a party. But there's something sad---and curiously ironic---in having our purported guardians of racial attitudes rush to judgment, hurl insults, and threaten the livelihood of someone who's only crime was speaking candidly and openly about her own personal struggle to move past race and toward a place where people view each other simply as people.

Of course, this morality tale probably won't give our modern day race-baiters and civic Morality Patrol cause to pause the next time someone is quoted on a blog saying something that, at first blush, sounds a bit odd. But, at least, it should give the rest of us something to think about.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

A Modest Proposal for Balancing the Federal Budget

It's no secret that people in this country are furious with our Federal Government for wasting our money.

In any given year, we spend billions on pet projects for various congressmen that do nothing for the country, but which they deem indispensible to their own bids for re-election.

Various proposals have been floated over the years, from a balanced budget amendment, to priority-based budgeting. But the red ink just keeps piling up, and the Government keeps on doling out money like drunken sailors. And in recent years, it doesn't matter much which party is in charge; the only thing that changes is which set of well-connected cronies gets to gorge itself on our hard-earned money ---money which we give up because we can't boycott paying our taxes without going to jail.

I think the better solution is not to keep forking over more money to the government; we'd be better off demanding that they spend no more money than they take in. To that effect, my own modest proposal has been to pay the President and Congress out of any surplus funds---ie, money left over after we paid all our bills. Kind of like what happens to the proprietor of a small business, only with free health care. If we don't have a surplus...or we're bleeding money that year...they don't get paid. I think that probably would do more to balance the Federal budget than any number of laws, amendments, or protests by angry taxpayers.


JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Friday, July 2, 2010

An Afternoon of Blood

One of the pivotal moments in the history of the United States occurred 147 years ago today, on the second day of the battle of Gettysburg.

On July 2, 1863, a professor at a small college in Maine, had ascended to command the 20th Maine. On the second day of the battle, Col. Joshua Chamberlain was ordered to take his regiment to defend the extreme left flank of the Union lines on a hill known as Little Round Top at all costs. Soon after taking their position, they came under a fierce assault by the Confederates, who realized that turning the Union flank at Little Round Top would let the Confederates send the Union forces scattering, and win the battle.

After repelling assault after assault, with his men exhausted and almost out of ammunition, Chamberlain realized that his men could never withstand another assault by the Confederates. Reasoning that the enemy was probably just as exhausted...and perhaps running low on ammunition themselves, Chamberlain concluded that if they could not withstand another attack...and could not retreat from their position guarding the Union flank...his only option was to attack. Ordering his men to fix bayonets, and in the face of another Rebel assault, they charged down the hill....breaking up the Confederate assault, turning the near-disaster into a rout, saving the Union from defeat on the second day of battle, and setting the stage for the fateful third day...when the Union center would face Pickett's Charge.

For his extraordinary bravery in the face of almost certain defeat, Joshua Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Presidential Implosion in the Gulf?

Unfortunately, Obama's reaction to events in the Gulf are starting to reinforce all the doubts many people had about him during the election campaign. Even his erstwhile supporters are starting to turn against him. And once a liberal loses Jon Stewart, disaster is already nipping at his heels.

I guess we'll see if he can turn it around...but each day the oil keeps gushing, it will only get worse for the president's image.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Brothers in Song


It's said that music touches something deep in the human heart, summoning emotions that we don't always realize we had. When music has been a large part of someone's life, familiar sounds can also trigger memories that envelope the soul and, if you're lucky, can make the years disappear.

This was the case for me this weekend, when I returned to a glorious weekend of fellowship and musical communion with my college choir, the Michigan Men's Glee Club. It was wonderful seeing familiar faces, including many that I hadn't seen for nearly forty years. They're older now, of course...and one of the things we found we shared was the experience of a naive college kid looking into the mirror at some aging stranger each day. But when we sat down and began to sing, time simply melted away. The music all came back without effort, and raising our voices in songs we'd sung together brought back more than our youth: we found ourselves moving with the same nuances and swells we'd shared in another day, and spent the entire weekend helping each other make the audible magic that human ears recognize as music and our hearts feel as love.

The event itself was a unique confluence of events: it was the Glee Club's 150th anniversary, and the Club and some of the alumni had spent the last five years planning to bring us all together. Some arrived on Thursday, many from far away --- in all 35 states, and a half-dozen or so countries --- and we spent all day Friday, and much of Saturday preparing a concert. We divided into groups by generation, and except for the oldest group (whose director, Philip Duey, passed away years ago) we largely sang with the same directors we sang for in college: my group was the only one with three directors, as we spanned a time of transition for the club, during the 70s and 80s.

Each group sang three numbers, pieces we'd sung together as kids in college, at a time in our lives when the entire world was before us, and life and reality hadn't yet made us come to grips with careers and families, mortgages and responsibilities. Mine sang two spirtuals from the Club's repetoire --- Ain't Got Time to Die, and Soon Ah Will Be Done --- as well as The Last Words of David by Randall Thompson, the piece that clinched our place as the best men's choir in the world back in 1971, and ensured my group's place in Glee Club history. Our rehearsals were like time machines: before long we found ourselves once more moving through time and sound as a single group, focused and intent on making beauty come alive in song.

We also worked up several numbers as a group --- a number of old "Michigan Songs" that the Club always sings, and the Ave Maria by Franz Biebl, a piece some of us had never done before...and which, quite frankly, scared some of us, at least a little: it was a piece that was new to many of us; it involved an antiphonal choir (the current Glee Club, which would be performing from the balcony); and we had only two days to pull it all together!

We had a wonderful banquet on Friday night, and as Saturday's concert approached we all knew we were creating something special. But as much fun as the rehearsals were, they could not approach the magic of the concert itself, which was remarkable: our sound was as incredible and thrilling as ever. Each group had a different sound...the older singers enjoying a rich bass sound that only comes with the years, and the younger singers possessing a lighter, more youthful sound that was just as entrancing.

My wife and son, who came to hear it, said it was amazing and moving. They were awed by our dynamic range, and the breathtaking precision we showed throughout the concert and across all the different groups. And both were entranced by the sound of it all...as we were ourselves, since many of us had forgotten (or, perhaps, never realized) just how good we sounded back when we were kids, or how forgiving Hill Auditorium is to a singer. We sang in voices as low as whispers, and in ringing crescendos that shook the foundations and hung in the rafters. The effect on the audience, as well as the singers, was electric. And in the end, the Ave Maria...the piece I was so worried about...moved my wife to tears.

Blended together by shared memories and traditions, united by a common love of singing, we spent the weekend working once again toward a common goal: sharing the joy we find in singing with anyone who wanted to come and hear us. And for a few hours Hill Auditorium was bathed in sound, as memories washed our souls and made the years melt away like mists on a foggy morning. We were, for a time, home again...young...and timeless.

Of course, as the sun falls and rises, reality always returns. And after the weekend there will still be jobs and families, mortgages and responsbilitites for all of us. But just as hearts are only as old as they feel, I hope I discovered the secret of eternal youth, something I can summon on command for the rest of my life simply by remembering this weekend, or hearing that glorious sound rising once again. There is, I think, a secret corner of the human soul that awakens whenever we come in touch with ourselves, giving us the power to make time vanish by tapping into something that makes us feel fully human, makes us part of something greater than ourselves, and connects us to others around us. I suspect we all have many such corners waiting to be discovered, needing only the barest trace of a memory to blossom into joy and wonder. One magical weekend showed me one such corner in myself: it seems I can make time disappear simply by waiting for a downbeat, opening my heart, and joining my brothers in song.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Passing the Torch

Yesterday, the US Supreme Court gave me a bit of a going-away present: they granted our petition for review on the last case I argued in front of the Michigan Supreme Court, almost exactly a year ago.

The case is Michigan v Bryant, and it should be argued some time in the Fall. When we filed the petition last summer, I'd already offered to let one of our "new kids" take it over, since I'd already had an argument in Washington, and I was already officially "retired" --- even though it didn't feel like it at the time. It would have been a nice coda to my career...but I thought it was more important to give a boost to one of the younger attorneys in the office, rather than hog the spotlight for one last encore. Ironically, if the County hadn't made such an effort last year to broom out so much of its experienced legal talent, the issue wouldn't even have come up...and I'd be spending most of this year getting ready for my second trip to the mountaintop.

The case itself should be a no-brainer, involving the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment...and the State Supreme Court's curious belief that police confronting a citizen who's been shot, and is bleeding on the pavement, is not confronting an "emergency" situation sufficient to allow them to ask the victim "what happened"? As soon as the decision came out, it had "certiorari" written all over it...and the only real question was whether it was too goofy to interest the USSC.

I'm already planning to attend the argument...and though I am a bit disappointed not to get another chance to argue there, I think I made the right call last summer.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor from Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Friday, February 26, 2010

A Fork in the Road

It's hard to leave a job you love...even after thirty years. This is the farewell letter I sent to the attorneys and staff of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office today. Even though there are many things in life I'm still looking forward to, it can be hard to say goodbye.

To the Attorneys and Staff of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office:

Patricia Boyle, the greatest state supreme court justice of my lifetime, once remarked that being a prosecutor was the best job the legal profession had to offer. I've often thought the same thing, never more than in recent days. There aren't many jobs an attorney can have where you're charged only with doing justice, and expected to do the right thing even if you could get away with sharp dealing. I was lucky enough to stumble through the doors here in 1980, and immediately felt that I’d found a home. Part of it was the work; the rest was because of the people I’ve worked with, who have truly been among the treasures of my life, and whose friendship I will cherish for the rest of my life.

I've spent much of the last thirty years feeling guilty about my good fortune — though, having been born a Catholic, I suspect it comes naturally. Confucius said: "Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." That pretty much sums up my whole career. The work here has been fulfilling and challenging, making every day a new adventure. Add the fact that I've had the chance to do things most lawyers just dream about, earn a decent living while doing it, and at the same time have the gift of spending as much time with my family as they could reasonably be expected to tolerate, and it's hard to believe that one man could have so much luck in one lifetime.

I’ve seen many changes in my thirty years as a prosecutor: we no longer have to write everything out in longhand, and now that we’ve entered the 21st Century we do our research online, rather than sifting through stacks of books...though we’re still looking for that case we can’t quite find. On the other hand, we never shut down in the “good old days” because we needed Technical Support to get our pens working again, and things never ground to a halt because the library was off-line. Somehow, County finances seemed just as bleak in the early 1980s as they are today. And we’re still appearing before the same wide range of judges — running the gamut from wise to idiotic — that we’ve always had.

There are, of course, some aspects of the Office that need renewing from time to time. When I started, it seemed I’d joined a large and boisterous family, filled with squabbling siblings, goofy uncles, and batty aunts. But we had a sense of shared adventure, and an instinctive “all-for-one-and-one-for-all” willingness to face any challenge together. We all watched out for each other, and the older attorneys each shared the responsibilities of training the new ones in the traditions of the office — meaning, in their crusty way, knocking our heads as needed to make sure we understood that our mission was Justice, that our presence meant that the judge would have at least one honest lawyer in court that day, and that the “People” we served included the same defendants we were trying to throw in jail, to whom we owed fairness and a measure of respect whether we felt they deserved it or not. Today, with the County’s coffers empty once again, we seem to be stumbling a bit. But our mission is the same as ever; and as I leave the office I’ve had the pleasure of serving for the last thirty years, the people I’ve worked with over the years seem much the same. Only the faces have changed.

A year ago, after I turned in my retirement papers, it felt as if someone I loved had died. Now that it’s finally time to leave, it feels more like sending a kid off to college — starting a new chapter of life, filled with new challenges and adventures. But I'm sentimental enough to have found myself lingering later than usual at the Office these past days, often feeling sad when it was time to go home. I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter...but it’s still hard to say goodbye.

I hope to be back regularly, to visit friends, check on things, and perhaps help out from time to time. The road hasn’t always been an easy one: being a prosecutor isn’t for everybody, and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. But for those with a sense of fair play, a commitment to justice, and a spark of idealism in their souls, it really is the best job any lawyer could ever have.

The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere, ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost

It’s been an honor and a privilege to share my career with you.

Best wishes always,
Jeff Caminsky

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a retired public prosecutor living in Michigan, writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Daisy

In the Spring of 1994, a new arrival joined our family.

Daisy was a small puppy who immediately fell onto hard times. She’d contracted parvo virus, and nearly died before she could take her first run in the field.

Over the years, she seemed to have a knack for mischief. Taken to Wyoming on a camping trip in 1995(despite the misgivings of an unidentified adult male member of the Caminsky Clan, who warned that taking a beagle into the wilderness probably wasn’t a very good idea), she ran off while on a hike. She was on the verge of supplying lunch to the local pack of coyotes, but we managed to lure her back before the entree was served. This was, I think, her one and only major camping trip.

Often wandering off at the Yanik Family Farm, she once went missing for days — most likely leading Skipper, her companion, along for the adventure — finally surfacing well down the road, miles away and completely lost.

Even her own back yard was a constant source of adventure: she spent much of her puppyhood confronting enemy invaders, chasing squirrels and barking angrily at distant, rounded objects...which looked like ordinary balls to us, but must have carried with them some alien life form to warrant such vigilance in the protection of her family. And one fine morning, we looked out to see that she’d impaled herself on a branch that had fallen from our maple tree — prompting a mad rush to the Vet by the human members of the family (one, a grumbling, bathrobe-clad male whom authorities declined to identify, was seen sighing harshly in the parking lot of Morris Veterinary Hospital while others went about their business).

But, through all the goofiness, wanderings, and barking, Daisy was a loyal and loving companion, whose tail always wagged when someone came home, and who loved her walks and her treats...and, most particularly, her meals, inhaling them with a gusto usually reserved for Olympic-level competitions. Her face always brightened when she started her walks...even in recent days, when her hindquarters were shriveling from old age, and she’d gone deaf (possibily from a lifetime of listening to ear-splitting barking at close range). Like our other dog --- Callie, whom we lost a year ago just before Christmas --- she gave her love unconditionally, asking nothing in return...except maybe an occasional treat, when she came inside from the backyard.

Lately her pace had slowed to a crawl and she seemed confused and bewildered, often wandering about aimlessly, as if searching for something that she couldn’t quite remember. But coming in from the back yard still excited her, and she still expected a treat. Though we kept putting off the inevitable, cleaning up after her when she couldn’t quite make it outside to conduct her business, we knew that our time together was growing short. And today, after giving her a lunch of chicken, her favorite thing in the whole world, and one final walk around the block she knew so well, we took her for her last ride.

Even though she’ll always be with us in our memories, it’s hard saying a last goodbye to a friend.

But these days I seem to be saying “goodbye” a lot.


JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Getting Started

I actually submitted a short piece to one of the local papers the other day.

It was (if I do say so myself) a rather interesting take on the current "panty-bomber" controversy du jour...making the point (largely unmade by others in the legal profession) that there was no earthly reason to Mirandize the panty-bomber and cut off their access to what he knew. Since the only consequence of failing to read a suspect Miranda rights is that the State can't use any ensuing confession, and since the Feds didn't need his confession to make the criminal case against him (give his charred underwear, smoldering body, and 200 witness who can testify that he tried to blow up the plane), they didn't need his confession.

What the Feds did need --- the information he possessed about the higher-ups who sent him --- wasn't relevant to the criminal case either. Just to how to strike back at the bad guys.

But...for one reason or another, this doesn't seem to interest the media...or, at least the big-town papers here in Detroit.

I may still try to peddle the story to a smaller outlet (and try to remember, next time, to reserve the right to make "simultaneous submissions" so I'm not stuck waiting around. Or I may just post it here in a few days.

But...I am getting excited about getting a chance to do a few different things in the coming months.

With any luck, I may even start getting others to publish what I write.

And that, wuuld be a real boost for my self-confidence as a writer. And for my ego. Actually, mostly for my ego...but it is nice to see my name in print, now and then.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Movie Review: Avatar


Though I hope my semi-retirement changes this for the better, for a variety of reasons I haven't gone to see as many movies as I'd like. The upside of this is that I get to wait for the DVD to come out, and can see the same film for a fraction of the cost. The downside is that I'm often behind the times, when it comes to talking about current movies.

There are, however, several movies I insist on seeing live...in the theater...on a big screen. One of them was Avatar, the newest movie by Titanic director James Cameron. Still, with all the hype and hoopla surrounding the film, my wife and I waited until the crowds had died down a bit, and went to see an early show. The movie was well worth the wait.

To call the visual imagery stunning really doesn't do the film justice. The world created --- a moon orbiting a large, Jupiter-sized planet, and chock-full of a mineral that Earth craves desperately --- was lush and filled with energy. The scenery --- a thick jungle filled with life that glowed in the dark (at least, to the eyes of the natives) --- was a seamless blend of fantasy and reality. The story, told largely from the perspective of the alien natives, drew the viewer into a rich world, filled with a spiritual connection between all living things. The humans (the villains of the piece) were shown divided between the truth-seekers (the band of nerdy scientists running the "Avatar" project) and the militaristic head-bonkers, enlisted in the service of the ruthless corporate pursuit of wealth.

Though notworthy most for the stunning visual effects, the story, though somewhat simplistic, was never a distraction. There were a few holes in the storyline, that an alert viewer could pick apart by thinking too much. And the alien culture created was perhaps a bit too close to the Native Americans for those looking for a non-human look at the Universe around us. But the net effect was to create a world where Nature, trying simply to exist, confronts a soul-less human culture consumed by the pursuit of riches; in the end, Nature proves victorious, though a cynical viewer might wonder how long the victory would last, given the limitless wealth that Nature could provide to those willing to sell their souls to exploit it.

Many of the common criticisms of the movie struck me as rather silly: for example, the movie is in no way the "racist" view of Creation some issue-mongers insist. The method chosen to draw the human audience into the alien world --- the insertion of a crippled human who finds himself made whole by merging himself into the Na'vi world of Nature --- seemed natural, almost organic. Their world of Pandora, in which Nature envelopes those living within it, breathes life into the concept of "The Force" from Star Wars, by showing Nature living in balance, with the Na'vi surrounded by its bounties and beauty. Those denoucing it as a display of pagan pantheism seem to forget that there are different ways of looking at the world than through the eyes of Western Christians. And though its anti-war message is a constant theme throughout the movie, it is hardly the mindless "peacenik-tree hugger" movie that some of its more conservative critics contend. Instead it poses, in starkly beautiful fashion, the dilemma faced by Modern Man: what do we gain by subduing Nature, if we lose its bounty in the process?

Still, being a work of art crafted by human hands, the movie was not without its flaws. Lost in translation was the fact that, in its own way, the Na'vi culture was just as warlike as our own, only more primitive. Though obviously intelligent, they seemed to overlook the obvious superiority of the Earthers' weaponry in their initial response to our attacks, and their strategy and tactics --- flying wildly at the invaders, and hoping for the best --- would have come to disaster if Nature (having been summoned by the hero at a place called the Tree of Souls, where the Na'vi would commune with their deity, Eywa, an apparent blend of Mother Earth and the Yaweh of the Old Testament) hadn't come riding to the rescue in the nick of time.

Still, the flaws all pale in the glow of the spectacle, and the nitpickers really need to look beyond their own noses once in a while. The movie was stunning and often moving, enticing the viewer into a world of beauty and danger and rewarding anyone with a sense of adventure with a captivating tale of love and redemption.

RATING: Five Stars

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Debating Point: Gays in the Military

I suppose that I may simply be losing touch with what's going on in the world. But I wonder if anyone seriously thinks that the military should switch to having co-ed barracks...other than perhaps as a plot for a comedy. If not, I'm having trouble understanding the difference between forcing a woman to undress, shower, and sleep with men ogling her every move, and forcing a man into same situtation...the only difference being the gender of the recipient of unwanted attention. But the recent obsession with undoing the military's policy of "don't ask-don't tell" strikes me as rather an exercise in looking for problems...perhaps to distract us from the very real financial, economic, and foreign policy problems that are being crowded off the public stage.

I think that the military exists for one purpose, and one purpose only: to neutralize or destroy any threat against the country, and to do it as efficiently as possible. Anything that detracts from that mission --- such as introducing internal sexual tension into a unit that should be concentrating on destroying the enemy --- is a luxury. We can do so if we choose, because at the present time we're far more powerful than any country on the face of the earth. But there is a reason why all military units in history have separated men from women...at least, until the present day: they don't want romantic thoughts and conflicts to intrude on battlefield responsibilities. Introducing the same thing into all-male or all-female barracks isn't something to do lightly, or out of some sense of political correctness.

This does not mean that homosexuals should be hounded out of the service, or beaten within an inch of their lives merely because of their sexual orientation. If push came to shove, I'd be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those trying to protect our comrade who was being attacked from within. And away from the front lines, there are many jobs in the military for which "sexual tension" in the ranks simply wouldn't matter. But we don't train our military to be enlightened philosophers: we train them to kill enemies on command, and without mercy. And when our surival is on the line, we're better off being defended by a division filled with Conan the Barbarian, rather than one consisting of Mr. Sensitivity.

Unlike most people voicing opinions on the subject, I don't pretend to know the answer. But I do know that we are not asking the right questions. As a result, the current "gays in the military" debate is missing the whole point of having a military in the first place: we should be concentrating on what makes our armed forces stronger, more powerful, and more ruthlessly effective. We should not be using it as a laboratory for conducting experiments in human sociology.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Monday, February 1, 2010

One Month...and Counting

One month to go on my consulting contract...and my career as a prosecutor. It will end almost thirty years to the day after I started with the County. Last year at this time, as I put in my retirement papers, it felt as if somebody I loved had just died. Now...it's still sad, but I'm looking forward to having the time to do a lot of things I've been putting off for quite a long time.

These days, it seems like most of my time is taken up getting ready for our big move to White Lake. We're nearly done with our "hired" remodeling (though we still have some new flooring to install), and are mostly painting and decorating. Our geothermal system is up and running...and there's still a lot of paperwork to do --- changing tax records, our drivers licenses, and the like.

But things are starting to move, and the house is starting to take shape. I hope to be completely moved in by the end of the month --- just in time for my retirement --- but I have a feeling that I'm just dreaming.

Of course...I do tend to dream a lot. Sometimes, it gets me into trouble....but mostly, in the end it leaves me with a smile.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

A Lot of Standing Around

A British soccer coach once complained to me that he found American football very boring, compared to soccer: "Typical American sport," he groused. "Most of the time is spent watching players standing around waiting for something to happen." A recent article in the Wall Street Journal provides the statistics to back him up.

During of the typical 3-hour football broadcast, it seems, about 67 minutes is devoted to players huddling or generally milling about, 60 minutes is spent on commercials, 17 minutes is devoted to replays, 12 minutes or so are devoted to showing referees or head coaches...and just 11 minutes --- or about 1/16 of the total air time devoted to the game --- is actually taken up playing football.

And we wonder why we're losing our edge in the world: even our top athletes spend more time loafing on the job than they do working.



JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Obama Worship, and the Perils of Political Correctness

A recent article in the Weekley Standard caught my attention, about the relationship between Obama the Candidate and Obama the President. In this view, much of the recent disappointment in Obama's performance as president is traced to the perception among some of his supporters as the Grand Messiah of the "Religion of Humanity"---a world-view which elevates the god of science to prominence in a modern world often caught between those too primitive to understand it, and those too unenlightened to recognize it. To these adherents, it is proposed, Obama reflects the hope that the world can be saved, if only the "right thinkers" of the politically correct crowd manage to persevere. I thought the article was very interesting, though there is always a danger in pressing interesting thoughts and theories a bit too far.

I've long thought that there was a quasi-religious bent to a quite a lot of the "politically-correct left", both in terms of their fixation on dogma to the exclusion of facts (as with the Global Warming crowd), and their demonization of "non-believers" (as in branding as racists, sexists, or warmongers anyone who disagrees with them). Some organized religions have similar tendencies: though usually the sharper edges are mitigated by a sense of humility, some exhibit the same "holier-than-thou" attitude that seems to be all the range among the "right thinkers" in the PC crowd.

All the same, I think it's a mistake to take this thought too far: I suspect most of what the writer identifies is subliminal, rather than deliberate. In many respects, I think it reflects the longing for an ideal leader or a way toward a less-imperfect world, rather than a conscious effort to establish a specific set of new institutions. But this doesn't really change the possible dangers inherent in our modern version of orthodox "political correctness." It is still as stifling, as destructive of liberty and a free human spirit as if it were deliberate.

Perhaps I'm hopelessly naive, but I think it's more productive to view it as misguided and amenable to reason than the result of a conspiracy of "correct thinkers." I usually follow the advice of Napoleon...who said, more or less, that it's usually a mistake to ascribe to malice that which can be explained by stupidity or incompetence. Besides...at least if I'm any guide...calling someone an idiot for believing what they believe rarely changes any minds; showing them that they're mistaken may. At least, as long as they're not actually idiots...but then, you can't always reason someone out of an idea they never reasoned themselves into in the first place

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Crony Capitalism

Just in case anyone needs help getting depressed over what's happening these days, we can always learn about how big business makes things worse for us --- and better for themselves --- by making small investments in our elected representatives.

I watched one of John Stossel's shows on the Fox Business Channel last night...and was even more appalled that usual at the spectacle of our government selling itself. At firesale prices, no less!

I think it's obvious that our Federal Government is too big, and careening out of control. Many of the regulations we see --- like the ones on kid's toys, which do nothing to make anything safer, but do one heckuva job at crushing small toymakers, and are putting thrift stores out of the used toy business --- serve no real purpose except to allow big business to avoid the messiness of competition.

I suppose in a democracy, it's always possible for us to take our country back from the special interests. But I suspect there may well be a point of no return for us. And the bigger and more powerful our government becomes, the closer that "point of no return" may come.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Rustbelt Odyssey


We released Rustbelt Odyssey today, the autobiography of by parents' longtime friend, Norman Krandall.

It was a long time in coming: Norman contacted me nearly two years ago, when I was busy trying to get three books ready to release, and began work in earnest sometime in late 2008.

Aside from my Dad's book --- which was a surprise 85th birthday present --- this is the first book I've edited. (Well...I guess I could include my Shakespeare book, too. But he's been dead for quite a while, and wasn't likely to yell at me if I did something he didn't like. I have heard stories that the cemetary groudskeepers in Stratford-upon-Avon keep hearing the sounds of someone turning over in one of the graves, but I think they're mostly internet rumors). It was fun, but quite a challenge, trying to smooth out the writing without "taking over", and losing the author's own narrative voice.

I hope people like it. I enjoyed working on it...though I'm looking forward to having time to work on my own stuff now. Like the already-completed novel I need to release...and figuring out how to market the damn things!

But for now...it's nice to take a deep breath. And it's nice, helping to bring someone else's dream to print.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Faith, Hope, and Monkeys

We leave a lot to chance, hoping that things will somehow work out for the best. And, often as not, the things we worry about most do not come to pass --- and we are, instead, laid low by something we never saw coming.

Investors, for instance, saw much of their wealth evaporate in the great Wall Street Meltdown of 2008. In the meantime, casinos and lotteries keep doing a booming business, as some some come to see random chance as a good substitute for courage, foresight, and planning for the future. In this view, bad luck is seen as evidence that self-denial is for suckers, and that the future will somehow take care of itself.

On the other hand, random chance does have its limitations as a philosophy of life, and we see evidence that planning usually helps keep us afloat. After all, the advent of the Internet has disproved the hypothesis that an infinite number of monkeys, typing at random, could reproduce the works of William Shakespeare. So, perhaps applying some foresight and intelligence has a place in the Universe, after all.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Getting a Grip

"What a piece of work is man," wrote William Shakespeare in Hamlet. "How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties..."

Unfortunately, Shakespeare was exaggerating. Either that, or the human race has gone markedly downhill since Elizabethan days in jolly old England. And as this article by Denis Duton in the New York Times demonstrates, we have a tendency to go off the deep end with alarming regularity. The end of the world, it seems, is always upon us.

Early predictions, based on the estimated size of Noah's ark, had the end of the world coming in 500 AD.

Sometimes, these events were heralded by obvious signs of looming disaster --- like Haley's Comet in 989 or 1910, or the year 1666 (which not only ended in the "Beast's number" of 666, but was also the year that London played host to both the Bubonic Plague and the Great Fire of London...kind of a disaster-scenario equivalent of the same city winning both the Super Bowl and World Series in the same year).

But lest we scoff at these visions of the world ending as superstitious musings by the deluded, we have our own modern versions of doomsday. The western world (except for the Italians, whose view on most issues appears to be que sera sera) was gripped by Y2K frenzy for much of the late 1990s...only to be disappointed when the computers of the many countries (mostly in Asia) who believed the "Y2K deniers" like Bill Gates carried on just as smoothly as those in countries (like Britain, Germany and the US) who had swallowed the disaster scenario hook, line, and sinker. And today, we're confronted with the specter of Climate Change destroying us.

One common thread in all these manias is that we're all doomed...unless we repent our wicked ways and follow the "correct" creed. Another is that time and reality tend to prove them false.

In hindsight, the Y2K panic seems silly and unnecessary.

But in hindsight, most fears seem overblown. And our tendency to overdo things tends to distract us from the things that we really need to fear: Hitler in the 1930s, for instance; or Islamic extremism today.

Shakespeare was right, though: we are "a piece of work." It would be nice if Man really were "noble in reason" and "infinite in faculties." I guess we're simply a work in progress.

JEFFREY CAMINSKY, a veteran public prosecutor in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in the appellate practice of criminal law and writes on a wide range of topics. His books include the science fiction adventure novel The Star Dancers, the exciting second volume in the Guardians of Peace-tm series, The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, and the acclaimed Referee’s Survival Guide, a book on soccer officiating. All are published by New Alexandria Press, and are available on Amazon, as well as directly from the publisher.