No comments about Friedrich Arnold Brockhaus. Sein Leben und Wirken nach Briefen und andern Auszeichnungen geschildert von seinem Enkel: Theil 2.

1 comments about DAN DANIEL.

1. ~Dan Daniel and the Persistence of Conservatism in Virginia~ is a biography of the late Congressman who represented Virginia's southside which was once renowned for its tobacco and textile industries. Sometimes, dubbed 'Dan River Daniel' by his critics, "Daniel was a Southern Democrat who admired Richard Nixon, played golf with Gerald Ford, opposed Jimmy Carter, and supported the Reagan Revolution." Daniel, a national commander of the American legion, state legislator, and United States Congressman for twenty years before his death in 1988, exemplified the old school southern conservatism. His biographer Jack Hayes, claims he isn't trying to be hagiographic, which might actually be at the root of the book's problem, because it kind of detracts from those simple mildly sympathetic biographies. Instead it comes across as sort of a moral judgment upon Daniel. The book's jacket lead reads, Daniel opposed "the spread of social equality and political democracy."
   
   Daniel is presented as a humble civil servant who rose from obscure origins. A man of modest means, he respected President Dwight Eisenhower. As commander of the American Legion, Daniel, the cold warrior from the 1950s onward, championed national readiness and was sensitive to national security issues. He also lobbied on behalf of war veterans, insisting that they be afforded respect by their communities, and be compensated for their faithful discharge of duties. Daniel criticized the Baker v. Carr decision, which gave federal courts the right to wipe out perceived inequities in legislative apportionments, on principled grounds, because one-man, one-vote was not reflective of republicanism and the constitutional order established by the American founders. Hayes writes, "Daniel's political ambition placed him comfortably within the Byrd organization, the conservative Democratic machine that governed the Old Dominion and permeated the Southside for the first six decades of the twentieth century. Byrd's support by captains of industry in companies like Dan River Mills insured a preference for conservative policies: laissez faire government, fiscal restraint, economic individualism, low taxes, a minimum of social services, and respect for private property." All very good if you ask me. The Commonwealth lost its way in our time. Daniel's principled republicanism compelled him to be "a proponent of federalism," but to fear "the growth of the central government at the expense of the state governments. As a supporter of the doctrine of separation of powers, he feared the endurance of the American system was threatened by Supreme Court aggrandizement."
   
   Giving spellbinding oratory at his American Legion rallies, he preached to throngs of Goldwater Democrats. Daniel wrote an inspiring political manifesto of his political principles, such as his advocacy of: "a virile, free-enterprise... system, and against the despotic evils of communism;" "for self-determination among state and local governments, and against excessive centralized power;" "for an impregnable national defense, and against spending ourselves into bankruptcy in an attempt to buy friends;" "for constitutional law, and against treaty law," et al. He perceived America through a typical Cold War lens, and sounded alarms about the traditional American values threatened by "collectivists, leftists, and one-worlders" whose odd doctrines were in Daniel's words, "conceived in the womb of socialism, born in an era of economic and social conflict, and nursed in the lap of communism." His principles compelled him to challenge U.S. government attempts to aid regimes that practiced socialism, whether the Marxist variety or not, "because it encouraged them to remain victims of their own economic systems." Such logic is lost to today's politicians, and foreign aid has crippled the Third World, by propping up corrupt socialist kleptocracies. "There's no escaping the truth," proclaimed Daniel, "that the $60,000,000,000 in economic aid which we have given away since World War II has seriously jeopardized our economy."
   
   Occasionally, Daniel wasn't afraid to tell uncomfortable truths publicly, when he dismissed the civil rights movement as awash in communism, and communist ideology. The Virginia legislature created a Commission of Constitutional Government, which Daniel supported, to concentrate on "the old-fashioned doctrine of constitutional government in the pattern of the founding fathers." The commission served an educational purpose, reprinting over "one million copies of the pamphlets, The Kentucky-Virginia Resolutions of 1798, and the Fort Hill Address of John C. Calhoun, praising states' rights and nullification. Beyond doubt these added substance to Daniel's already conservative political philosophy." Daniel defeated a bill that would dismantle the Commission.
   
   As the social fabric of America began to weaken, Daniel complained about the 1960s anti-war, pro-Viet Cong radicalism, and avowed, all these young people do is "eat, sleep and protest."
   
   Throughout his career as a Congressman, he was a steadfast advocate of national defense, and a vociferous critic of the Soviet Union.
   
   Part lift story, part political vignette: this book is a fairly good overview of the life and political career of the late Dan Daniel. By 1988, shortly before his passing, Daniel held posts as Assistant to the Chairman of Dan River Mills, National Commander of the American Legion, President of the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Daniel was a different kind of Democrat, and though the party realigned in 1948 and 1968, conservative Virginia Democrats tended to stay registered Democrats well into the 1980s. His constituency that put him in office, consisted principally of so called Reagan Democrats. They found a worthwhile successor in Virgil Goode, the present representative. Goode himself was a Democrat before becoming an independent, and eventually a Republican.

3 comments about Patent Piracy.

1. On a recent trans-Atlantic flight from New York City to Geneva, I couldn't help notice the passenger seated next to me reading this book I had never heard of, "Patent Piracy". What made me notice it was the young man reading it would often smile and kind of nod to himself, but, also, at least three times during the flight, I noticed him wiping what appeared to be tears from his eyes. As the flight ended, I asked him about the book, and he simply handed the book to me and said "read it for yourself, Its a great story." I went on to read Patent Piracy in two night at my hotel room and was brought into a powerful tale of a man who simply would not give up. If you've ever been knocked down in life, Patent Piracy will encourage you to get back up. Excellent!



2. This story has "movie" written all over it. It's about a regular guy, a child of the Great Depression, who awakes from his quest of the American Dream to find himself caught in the twin hells of the American legal system and global "big business." Abandoned by most of his friends and investors, he must call upon unknown reserves of strength to fight his way out of this seemingly impossible situation. If a film-maker could ever do justice to this true story, people will still end up saying that the movie wasn't as good as the book.



3. books about patents are not my cup of tea, but this book is much more than that. It's the story of a man who goes up against the allmighty establishment, ( courts, big business) gets knocked down but keeps on getting back up and fighting back. Even if you are not interested in patents, - which I am not - Patent Piracy is an powerful story of never giving up. Highly recommended

No comments about The Day John Died Prepack.

No comments about The Legacy of Milton Friedman As Teacher (Intellectual Legacies in Modern Economic).

No comments about Colin Chapman: The Man and His Car.

1 comments about Not Just Your Average Joe: Terror in St. Petersburg.

1. Having enjoyed many success stories based on peoples lives, business and various ups and downs, this book was refreshing in that the overall story was not only true but balanced. It could probably be a story based on many people who had similar trials and tribulations. A very quick read.

1 comments about Business As a Vocation: The Autobiography of Wu Ho-su (Harvard East Asian Legal Studies).

1. This extraordinary tale of success of a low-born man, honestly and against all obstacles, to me reflects how we understand the modern United States to have been created. Mr. Wu built his business on straight-dealing and hard work. His story might be rare, but its the example that we'd all like to follow. In particular, the way in which he adapted Western business practices to the local culture should be read by every entrepeneur looking for ethical profit. The first person narrative reveals the humility and humour of a truly great man.

No comments about Restaurateur.

No comments about The Public Image of Henry Ford: An American Folk Hero and His Company (Great Lakes Books Publication).