Slouching Towards Gomorrah; Modern Liberalism and American Decline
Sigrid Estrada (Jacket Photograph) New York: ReganBooks [An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers], 1996. First Edition. [stated Eighth Printing [stated]. Hardcover. xiv, 382, [4] pages. Illustrations. Endnotes. Index. Front of dust jacket has a large tear, taped repair from the inside. Inscribed to Steve on the fep by the author. The inscription reads Steve--I appreciate your help with this book. Best wishes in '97 Bob. Robert Heron Bork (March 1, 1927 – December 19, 2012) was an American judge, government official and legal scholar who served as the Solicitor General of the United States from 1973 to 1977. He served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1982 to 1988. Reagan nominated Bork to the Supreme Court in 1987, precipitating a contested Senate debate. Opposition to Bork centered on his stated desire to roll back the civil rights decisions of the Warren and Burger courts and his role in the Saturday Night Massacre. His nomination was defeated in the Senate, with 58 of the 100 Senators opposing his nomination. Bork traces the expansion of liberalism that occurred during the 1960s, arguing that this legacy of radicalism demonstrates that the precepts of liberalism are antithetical to the rest of the U.S. political tradition. He then attacks a variety of social, cultural, and political experiences as evidence of U.S. cultural decline and degeneracy. Among these are affirmative action, violence in and sexualization of mass media, the legalization of abortion, pressure to legalize euthanasia, feminism and the decline of religion. Bork argues that the judiciary and judicial activism are catalysts for U.S. cultural corruption. A former judge's stinging indictment of the havoc postmodern liberalism has wrought on the state of the American union. Bork defines latter-day liberalism as an ad hoc coalition of cultural elites committed to a radical egalitarianism and unfettered individualism. He assesses the corrosive impact these credos have had on a host of activities and institutions. Cases range from the lyrics of rap music through permissive sexual attitudes, the debasement of university curricula with spurious courses of study, insistence on equality of outcomes, and the emergence of moral relativism. He also condemns activist judges who usurp power with decisions that owe more to political correctness than constitutional authority. The author is not certain that the US can reverse its long-term slide. He concludes that people will have to regain control over coercive bureaucracies and courts that have been setting an agenda at odds with majority wishes. A thoughtful conservative's devastating judgment on intemperate liberalism. Derived from a Kirkus review: A former judge's stinging indictment of the havoc postmodern liberalism has wrought on the state of the American union. An eloquent, often elegant, advocate, Bork defines latter-day liberalism as an ad hoc coalition of cultural elites committed to a radical egalitarianism and unfettered individualism. In sorrow as well as anger, he assesses the demonstrably corrosive impact these no-fault credos have had on a host of activities and institutions. Cases in point range from the violently misogynistic lyrics of rap music through permissive sexual attitudes that have escalated teen pregnancy rates, the debasement of university curricula with trivial or spurious courses of study, insistence on equality of outcomes as well as opportunity, and the emergence of moral relativism as an acceptable alternative to traditional values. Citing an increasing incidence of self-segregation by ethnic minorities, a discernible rise in anti-intellectualism, antipathy toward mainstream religions, the left's intolerance of dissent, and a half-hearted approach to crime and punishment, Bork decries liberalism's capacity for divisiveness. He also condemns ``killing for convenience'' and activist judges who usurp the power of the people with decisions that owe more to political correctness than statutory or constitutional authority. The author is by no means sanguine on the score of whether the US can reverse its long-term slide. To do so, he concludes, the populace will have to regain control over increasingly coercive government bureaucracies and court systems that have been setting an agenda decidedly at odds with majority wishes. A thoughtful conservative's devastating judgment on intemperate liberalism, one that seems sure to reopen the bitter national debate over individual rights and responsibilities. Condition: Very good / Fair.
Keywords: Supreme Court, Judicial Activism, Federalism, Constitutional Law, Earl Warren, Judicial Review, Ronald Reagan, Liberalism, Abortion, Affirmative Action, Crime, Egalitarianism, Feminism, Popular Culture, Supreme Court, Yale University
ISBN: 0060391634
[Book #27342]
Price: $125.00