Customer Reviews

The Rape of the American Constitution

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chuck Shiver points out several areas and incidents, dating practically from the Founding, in which the practice of the US federal gov't dramatically contradicts its Constitution (and the treaties it has signed). Everyone knows about the drug war, but not about the genocidal treatment of various native American tribes, the Japanese internment, and many Supreme Court decisions practically sneering at the founding document. The "Bonus March" on Washington, and its unConstitutional disruption, was a huge political event of the 1930's of which I was not aware. Every American history student should read this book. The only drawback is the lurid cover, which shows a line drawing of the statue of Liberty being raped by men in robes. Adults should buy this book, spraypaint the cover, and give it to their middle-school or high school children.

This is a book a incredible insight. It opens your eyes to the possibility that we may soon lose all of the right gauranteed to us by the bill of rights. Hundreds of pages document the systematic destruction of our gauranteed rights. It should be required reading for every student, make that every American. One of the best books I've ever read. It made me furious.

While Shivers' books is a valuable alternative account of American legal history and the contemporary state of American constitutionalism, it should be seen as only that-- alternative. Noam Chomsky rightly points out that those who present alternative view points must also present the in depth analysis of evidence to back up those view points. Shivers presents little evidence and even less that can be traced to other sources. He has an agenda and he pursues that at the expense of accademic and historical good faith. With no basis he numerically quantifies the current worth of every protection in the bill of rights, and approaches criticism of the Supreme court from a rather dogmatic and cliched angle. However, to his credit, his account of the tragedies of Andrew Jackson's term in office and the Bonus March are among the best and the most detailled I have seen. If you choose to read Shivers' book do so skeptically and use it as a secondary and supplemental source rather than a primary political and historical doctrine.