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5 comments about The Keeper of the Flame: The Supreme Court Opinions of Justice Clarence Thomas 1991-2005.

1. For a decade and a half now, Clarence Thomas has been a proverbial "thorn in the side" of liberalism. They just don't know how to take someone who goes against every fiber of their being. The American system so successfully constructed by liberal lawmakers has simply failed them, therefore, they do the only thing they know how, they attack him. With a tenaciously dogged vengeance, they attack him. A black man is suppose to stay on the plantation and be a good democrat, keeping them in office while waiting for the next handout. A black man in America isn't supposed to pull himself up out of poverty. The Democrat created and nurtured system just isn't designed for such an anomaly. So they attack him. At every venue, with every ruling, and for unfounded reasons other than shear loathing, they attack him.
   
   For fourteen years now, only Justice Antonin Scalia has joined Justice Clarence Thomas as the only consistent voices to the original intent of the Constitution. Over the fourteen year span, from 1991 to 2005, as a presiding Supreme Court Judge, Justice Thomas rendered 327 judicial opinions. Each opinion is presented in the book, THE KEEPER OF THE FLAME by Henry Mark Holzer. This extraordinary piece of work goes far beyond previous works regarding Thomas' distinguished career, and is presented in common language that those of us with non-judicial backgrounds can easily comprehend.
   
   This is not a biography of the life of Clarence Thomas. For that, see Clarence Thomas: A Biography, by Andrew Peyton Thomas, a 600-page behemoth that chronicles every aspect of his life. No, this is a close examination of every one of the 327 written opinions Thomas rendered from appointment until the books publication. This book lends clear and concise illustration, primarily in Thomas' own words, to his methodology on rendering decisions and his positions on fundamental Constitutional questions.
   
   Much like Ronald Reagan, Clarence Thomas will never see a national public fully cognizant of his greatness, nor willing to acknowledge his accomplishments. His continual display of an incessant desire to judiciously adhere to the principles upon which our country was founded and our laws enacted should have left Thomas with an unquestioned legacy, but because he doesn't "fit the mold" they attack him. This book is a brilliant presentation which will, hopefully, open the eyes of the masses who have bought into the character assassinations this man has endured while upholding the values our forefathers cherished.
   
   It remains to be seen as yet, whether Justices Thomas and Scalia still stand alone as our last great hope in returning to the virtue that once was America, but we must pray that the recent, and near future appointments to the country's highest court will stand beside Thomas and Scalia as bastions of American sovereignty and freedom. This book lends critical insight to one of the two great Justices of our time and clearly illustrates the importance of future appointees.
   
   Monty Rainey
   [..]



2. Henry Mark Holzer's, The Keeper of the Flame is a fascinating and enlightening examination of Justice Clarence Thomas' brilliant legal mind, his integrity and his strong moral base. Holzer brings to light the incredible purity of one of the nation's best thinkers. He does this by citing the Justice's own words and analyzing those words with the greatest degree of objectivity and clarity. Holzer reveals himself to be a master-scholar of Constitutional Law guiding us through the history of its creation by the Founding Fathers and how it has come to be interpreted by the Supreme Court. He helps us to truly understand the Constitution and its undeniable value to our free society. He takes us through the Bill of Rights so that we know and can appreciate how they apply to our own lives. Professor Holzer is not only a fine scholar-he is a fine writer and a fine teacher. His exceptional skills make this a marvelous educational text, yet a completely easy and enjoyable read.
   
   I was especially impressed by the examples Justice Thomas' unequivocal dissents. He pulls no punches in taking on the Court's majority decision makers when he disagrees. He repudiates with unimpeachable logic and fierce moral conviction. Holzer has proven him to be not only "the keeper of the flame," but to be a man of heroic proportions. We should all be grateful that Clarence Thomas sits on the highest court in the land.
   
   I plan to purchase several copies of The Keeper of the Flame to donate to local school and public libraries; an idea I would hope others, after reading it, might embrace.
   
   Jeff Warren, teacher
   Los Angeles



3. Professor Holzer has cleared away the cloud surrounding the jurisprudence of Clarence Thomas. In the ongoing debate between those who adhere to the idea of a "living constitution" and those who seek original meaning and intent, "The Keeper of the Flame" is essential reading for anyone who wants a better understanding of each viewpoint. This book also shines a bright light on the Justice who might be called the stepchild of "conservative" Supreme Court Justices. Preconceived notions and popular public images of Clarence Thomas are swept away with powerful and very readable text supported, always, by the only real authority on Justice Thomas' judicial philosophy, his own words.
   
   We learn that Justice Thomas' opinions are well thought out and often eloquent. For anyone who has read, or even read of, Supreme Court opinions over the years, it is evident that the Court as a whole has often struggled and equivocated over the principles it applies. But, not Clarence Thomas. Whether you agree or disagree with his judicial philosphy, once you read this book you will never think of Justice Thomas in the same way he has often been portrayed.
   
   Professor Holzer does a masterful job of placing Clarence Thomas in his proper place and, as an added bonus, Holzer gives us a concise and easy to read synposis of the important constitutional issues the Supreme Court has faced over the years.



4. KEEPER OF THE FLAME
   
   Stanley Gray
   
   The charge that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is an Uncle Tom "doing the white man's bidding" is so unfair and so untrue that it makes me want to cry! Thomas is definitely his own man, and it is abundantly clear that Justice Thomas truly understands what it means, and what it takes, to uphold and defend our Constitution.
   
   Holzer's book, surprisingly easy to read, gave me a better understanding of our Constitution and of the workings of the Supreme Court. Most importantly for me, The Keeper of the Flame gave me new ammunition to use in my attempts to persuade fellow blacks that Justice Thomas's decisions in support of the Constitution should be better appreciated.
   
   I especially found it refreshing that race plays absolutely no role in The Keeper of the Flame. Holzer wrote about Clarence Thomas the thinker, not Clarence Thomas the black thinker.
   
   Professional or layman, butcher or baker, all Americans need to read Professor Holzer's book. I'm not sure that I wouldn't make it mandatory reading for high school seniors. And for sure, it is a must read for those entering, or already in, the legal profession.
   
   If I were Professor Holzer I would send a copy to every member of the senate so that they would understand the proper questions to ask future Supreme Court nominees, and so that they'll be reminded of the crucial importance of their task.
   __________________
   Stanley Gray writes froj San Gabriel, California.



5. Yes Clarence Thomas is a very originalist Supreme Court Justice
   indeed! I haven't heard justice Thomas speak much, but his
   opinion writing is great, with both feet planted on the center
   of a rock solid US Constitution.
   
   This book is right on track, and we should thank the author
   of "Keeper of the Flame" for producing this much needed book
   which happens to be an effective `rebuttal' of the prejudice
   and UGLY confirmation hearings that Clarence Thomas was
   subjected to..
   
   The mind of Clarence Thomas is very well sharpened..
   A strong intellect such as he possesses garners facts..
   just the facts..then it digests, develops and communicates
   very consistent rulings as he has done throughout his tenure
   as a modern era Supreme Court Justice.
   
   Justice Thomas' Jurisprudential history the author has shown
   clearly in this book to inform us in this most succinct and
   powerful way. This book is indeed quite fascinating.
   
   The author is very qualified to write on Supreme Court's
   degree of departure from the required conformance to the
   US Constitution, and Clarence Thomas' tendency to defend
   the Original Intent of the Constitution in his opinions,
   dissents and rulings. The Author is a long time professor
   of constitutional law, and has argued on the appellate level,
   including some cases argued before the US Supreme Court!
   
   In my view, no one reading this book through should ever fail
   to gain a feeling of profound respect and appreciation for
   Clarence Thomas' jurisprudence, driven in the center lane
   of "Constitutional Originism' -- he does his utmost to defend
   the US Constitution he knows profoundly, from being trampled
   upon by efforts of other justices..even judges from lower
   courts, to "make laws" from the bench by judicial wordsmithing.
   
   Again, Great book!! Talk about food for legal thought!!!

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5 comments about Eliot Ness: The Real Story.

1. This has to be the definitive book on the subject of legendary crimefighter Eliot Ness. It's quite a story and is obviously well researched and written with an exacting and engaging style. If being the leader of THE UNTOUCHABLES alone, was enough excitement and fame for someone like Ness. He goes on to tackle other crime and even get into business ventures that prooved to be far ahead of their time.
   
   Eliot Ness never lived to see his story portrayed on TV or the movies.
   Shortly before his death, he did receive a $1,000 advance from his book titled THE UNTOUCHABLES co-written by his sportswriter friend Oscar Fraley. That was the only money the honest lawman ever got from his fame as the G-Man who took on gangster Al Capone. And long before Hollywood was playing with the truth or simply taking poetic license. Ness or more precisely Fraley, had built up the gangbusting exploits to almost the same level of American hero mythology as Wyatt Earp. Actor Robert Stack who to millions the world over was Eliot Ness, could always be seen each week shooting it out with the bad guys. Whereas the real Ness, only fired his gun once to gain entry to an illegal brewery by shooting the lock off. In 1959, at a time when there were already 48 TV westerns on the air, ABC's Desilu produced show THE UNTOUCHABLES was really a western itself. The most violent show on television and naturally it was highly rated.
   
   Just like in a typical Hollywood western, when the good towns people hire a lawman to rid their streets of crime and then finding that he's done such a good job that business starts to suffer. Well thats what happens to Ness when this book chronicles his career in Cleveland. Not as skilled at dealing with politicians as he was with crooks (that is if there is a difference), his life goes into decline and becomes an American tragedy.
   Author Paul Heimel remembers him well though and indeed the true story of Eliot Ness warrants a more respectful Hollywood tribute than just the rattle of "tommy-guns" shooting up a still.



2. Paul W. Heimel has done a superb job of uncovering and relating the life and times of Eliot Ness, including the role that he and his team of "Untouchables" played in the destruction of Al Capone. Ness was a far more interesting and complex individual than the Hollywood characterizations of him. He was every bit as honest, diligent, and hard-working as his fictional counterpart, but also flawed in terribly human ways. The reader comes away with a deeper understanding of a very real, ultimately tragic human being. Heimel knows how to tell a story well and captures Ness's fascinating life without bogging the tale down in minutia. He provides clear images of Capone and a host of other characters, including FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The paranoid, delusional "G Man" was a neurotic tyrant who could not stomach Ness getting any publicity or credit, no matter how deserved, because he believed it upstaged him and his agency. Ness even merited one of Hoover's many secret files. Indeed, Ness seems to have been harmed by his own success in destroying crooked cops, politicians, and labor thugs, which inevitably made him enemies. His own inability to convert his exemplary public service into business or political success reveals him as all-too human. His final years, and the lack of any material reward for his deeds, are both moving and tragic. This is a real slice of Americana without any glamorization. Heimel deserves our gratitude for rescuing a wonderful man from both near-obscurity and horrible distortion.



3. The second edtion uncovers more information about Ness, disputing those who dismiss his exploits in helping the Treasury Dept. smash Capone's empire. It also disputes those rumors that he was a drunk. The real man is shown here with all his humanness and surprise, he's doesn't come up short. He finally gets the consideration he deserves as a lawman.



4. Eliot Ness was a legendary lawman in the twenties and thirties. But entertaining as they are, the various Untouchables movies and television shows don't paint an accurate picture of him.

   And The Untouchables (by Ness and Oscar Fraley) and Four Against the Mob (by Fraley) tell part of the story, but leave a lot of detail out, including just about any unflattering pieces.

   Heimel's book is the first true attempt at an unbiased look at Ness' life. And have no doubt, Eliot Ness did some amazing things in law enforcement. His time as Cleveland's Public Safety Director is more episode-filled than his Chicago days. As of 2003, there is not a better book out there on Eliot Ness.




5. Heimel's first book was good, this one was excellent. Even if you're not a crime-fighing history buff, this chronology of Ness' life strikes an optimistic cord concerning what ultimately matters in life. Ness made plenty of mistakes in his life, but the testimony to man's efforts at doing the right thing is inspirational. He was not the person Hollywood portrayed him to be, but in some sense, he was much, much, more. This second edition is full of new information and insight. Just as you may find that the "professional" movie critics reviews didn't jibe with how you felt about a movie, you'll most likely come to the same conclusion about this book. Read it yourself. It's well worth the effort!

2 comments about Slaying Dragons: The Truth Behind the Man Who Defended Paula Jones.

1. FROM A CHILD TO A MATURE MAN JOHN WHITEHEAD SHOWS STRENGTH AND INDEPENDENT THINKING. HIS COLLEGE REALTIONSHIP WITH A FUTURE JUDGE AND PRESIDENT GAVE HIM A PRIVY INSIGHT INTO WHAT MAKES THESE PEOPLE TICK.........I VERY MUCH ADMIRE JOHNS WIFE CAROL WHO BELIEVES AND SUPPORTS JOHN AND MOST OF HIS DECISIONS, NO MATTER WHAT, SHE IS HIS GREATEST FAN. I HAVE NOTICED HOW WE CHRISTIANS ARE APATHETIC, LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, REFUSE TO STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT, HOWEVER THIS CHRISTMAS WAS UNDER TOTAL ATTACK AND THIS CHRISTIAN IS WIDE AWAKE, HOWEVER, IT TOOK AN ATTACK ON THE HOLLIDAY I LOVE MOST CHRISTMAS TO SPEAK OUT.........A GREAT BOOK, EDUCATIONAL IN FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, ADVENTEROUS AND SHOWS A VERY TIGHT AND LOVEABLE FAMILY................



2. John Whitehead comes through as a real person with a not so promising background who emerges as a "bigger than life" Christian man. He truly makes one believe that with God all things are possible. Not only do we learn the truth about Paula Jones, but he also has met Clinton, Dobson, Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, Anita Hill, Pat Robertson, Randall Terry, etc, etc. And, though the book is not about her, I am equally enthralled with his wife, Carol. What a woman! She should write her own book about her life with John and how she perservered. You will be fascinated about John Whitehead's "conversion story."

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