by Max J. Skidmore
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In this remarkable book, Skidmore discusses his “atypical life and career,” and reprints representative articles and book chapters from his long life in academe. The first of the essays considers Alito’s Dobbs decision, demonstrating that it distorts history, ignores the 13th and 9th Amendments, and relies on reasoning uncomfortably similar to that undergirding the worst decision in the Court’s history: Dred Scott. It points to the danger arising from denying a right to abortion because the Constitution does not contain the word: the Court’s major power, judicial review, itself is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution.
Other essays deal with the principles and creation of constitutions, with America’s admirable Social Security system, with covert efforts to change public policy, and with the effects of “conventional wisdom.” Others examine anti-government attitudes, the influence of language usage on politics, and church-state relations. Some deal with presidents, the presidency, and economics. Still others discuss the ability of Americans to travel and relocate, and deal with the development of ground transportation in the early Twentieth century. The final essay discusses the importance of protection and self-defense in the modern world.
Max J. Skidmore is among America’s most prolific scholars. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota during its “golden age of American Studies” which provided his grounding in interdisciplinary scholarship. That enabled him to achieve a modest version of what William Harbaugh (in referring to Theodore Roosevelt) called “virile intellectualism.” As his 90th birthday nears, Skidmore remains vigorous, both physically and mentally.
Westphalia Press 