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Summary: The Title Says It All
Review: Mr. Bork's book is a collection of conservative platitudes based in idiology rather than logic. One need look no further than the title which is a twisted paraphrase of the line from William Butler Yeat's poen "The Second Coming." In his poem first published in 1922, Yeats is referring to the anarchial conditions of society at the time of the first world war when "The blood-dimmed tide is loosed." Faced wtih the world appearing to have gone mad, Yeats sees a vision wherein the "rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born." This "beast" is the dreaded agent of God's wrath to be loosed upon the world where "The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity." Whether it's Christ or Anti-christ, the beast is God's work. Bork however, also apparently lacking all conviction and full of passionate intensity, turns the imagery of the poem topsy turvey and sees the beast, not as the handiwork of God whose hour has come at last, but as "a monster of decadence, a plague several generations in gestation, and we, as a nation, are now slouching, not towards Bethlehem, but towards Gomorrah." In other words, by casting the poem's problem, "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," into the role of the "rough beast" he has lost the entire meaning of the poem and its sence of dred at the second coming. This is just one example of Mr. Bork's mixed metaphors of biblical origin which illustrate his confused analysis. ...
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Summary: Required Reading 101
Review: Don't listen to the avalanche of liberalist criticism; buy the book, read it, and heed Bork's warnings. In spite of what his critics will certainly identify as vituperative right-wing ideology, Bork is right on almost every count. Bork's "harsh attack" on liberalism is every bit as justified as the unprecedented and unwarranted assault made by radical students on the American "establishment" of the '60s & '70s.
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Summary: God smiled while Judge Bork was writing this book
Review: Spanking the liberals and putting to bed.
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Summary: Searching For a Remnant to Repulse the Barbarians
Review: I once almost had a physical encounter with the author of "Slouching Toward Gomorrah". One night while walking through Lambert Airport in St. Louis, I turned to find myself face to face with Robert Bork, burdened with two suitcases. At least I knew where I was going. From the look on his face I am not sure that he was as well oriented. In "Slouching Toward Gomorrah" I had an encounter with the mind of Robert Bork. This is one of those books which gradually builds and then pulls it altogether at the end. When I began the book I was wondering if its thrust would be legal or political. I could not make up my mind until the last section, at which time I determined what type of a book it is. It is a book about culture. It is the voice of an intellectual conservative who knows what is worth saving in American culture and understands the liberal assault being made against it. In the beginning, Bork relates some of his experiences as a conservative in academia. He describes in detail some of the assaults by the left led by those who substitute feelings for thought and who try to rewrite history to conform it to their preconceived conclusions. Bork then goes on to describe the forces assaulting American culture. He dates the start of the assault from the Port Huron Statement of 1962 which became the Charter of the radical leftist movement. He explains that, whereas there was once a common core of beliefs which held American culture together, that core of beliefs has fallen under incessant liberal attack Step by step, Bork goes analyzes the evils arising from the assault on American culture. He makes a case for censorship of vulgarity in order to prevent a descent into a brutalized and chaotic culture. He goes on to explain how the rise of crime and illegitimacy resulted from the decline in American culture. Abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide are shown for what they really are, "Killing for Convenience". The assault from radical feminists and on racial questions is deftly exposed. Bork then proceeds to delve into the effect the leftist assault has had on the churches before examining the wistful leftist hope to remake human nature. Throughout the analysis of the problems of the modern era, Bork examines how the dominance of the left has come, not from converting the masses, but from converting the traditional conservators of the cultural heritage. He points out that a relatively small proportion of the population, which controls academia, the media and the courts, have used their power to promote the implementation of the leftist agenda. At the end, Bork confronts the crucial questions, of whether democratic government can survive this assault and whether America can avert Gommorah. While recognizing that there is strong justification for pessimism, Bork also sees some reasons for optimism. On the political front, he sees the attack on democratic government in the form of a Supreme Court which has taken adopted the practice of imposing its wishes as constitutional law. In so doing, it effectively removes ever larger segments of public policy from the realm of the democratic process. Shifts in political control have not reversed, or even arrested this trend. The remedy proposed by Judge Bork is a constitutional amendment which would subject the decisions of the Supreme Court to democratic review. On the wider question of whether or not America can avoid Gommorah, Bork seems to feel that the jury is still out. Throughout much of the book, he has been telling us how the Left has succeeded in gaining control of the cultural elite. This power grab has left us with a society in which the shared virtues which made America a unified and successful society have been in headlong retreat for 30 years. Much like the era of the Barbarian invasions, bastions culture and civilization has been swept away by the waves of assault. In an earlier era, the destruction of the Roman culture seemed complete to the contemporary observer. What only became apparent later was that a remnant of that culture was preserved in the most isolated outposts of monastic life in the west of Ireland. From islands of culture, such as Skellig Michael, seven miles off the Irish coast, arose a renaissance which restored Western Culture at the end of the Dark Ages. Despite the apparent victory of the Left in America, Bork sees a similar preservation of traditional values and culture in American society. He thinks that there are signs of a cultural renaissance occurring in America today. Whether it will be strong enough to reclaim the battlefield of the recent culture wars remains to be seen. It is a struggle in which all must play our parts.
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Summary: Revelations on the Pathology of the Left
Review: Robert Bork, who had his character assassinated by Joe Biden during his nomination hearing for the Supreme Court, has written this sweeping epic against Liberalism and its various manifestations in American society. Bork is systematic in his attacks, and his arguments demolish the mythos of Leftism. Bork believes that modern Liberalism has two manifestations: radical egalitarianism and radical individualism. Sometimes these two features act independently, other times they act in concert. The result, however, is the same: the undermining of American values and morals. Liberalism exists to constantly break down constraints. Eventually, there won't be any constraints still in existence to hold it back. The results of this breaking down process will be anarchy or a totalitarian form of government. Bork looks at John Stuart Mill and the history of Liberalism to see how it has changed and why. He believes that the American strain, which is a particularly virulent pathogen, reached an acme in the 1960's, when several factors came together that greatly accelerated the process that has brought us to where we are today. Bork believes that the huge baby boom population greatly outstripped social mechanisms that would have assimilated them into traditional American values. In other words, there were too many people and not enough schools, churches and other institutions that act as delivery devices for our culture. The Vietnam War also acted as a catalyst that allowed these spoiled brats to express their anti-institutional views, and also acted as a unifying force that helped to coalesce the various forces that were to constitute the New Left. Today, these people now run government, universities and other social institutions. They also control the media systems, which gives them a wide audience in which to disseminate their propaganda. Bork also examines Feminism, which he reveals as an academic and social fraud that is not only unhealthy, but also dangerous to the country at large. Bork pretty much leaves no stone unturned, and of several books that I've read on the Culture Wars, this is one of the best. What I like best about this book is that Bork is a realist. On many occasions he states that things may have gone too far, and fixing the problems may well be impossible. He also states that a democratic society may not have the legal means to fix some of these problems. This is what happens when so many people are on handout programs from the Government. I like this clear-headed analysis, and it gives the book a different cast from other similar texts. I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned about our future.
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Summary: Rants from the right, rants from the wrong
Review: This is a piece of garbage from a whining right-winger that repeats the same old Republican platitudes about how America is falling into decay because of liberal values taking over and destroying the traditional structures and institutions on which our country was founded and has pride, etc. etc. etc. I don't understand what the great deal over this one book is when there's so little that's novel in here. Bork not only condemns things like homosexuality that there's nothing wrong with, but goes so far as to twist the meanings of words by saying that *liberalism* leads to -- are you ready for this -- "oppression". That's right, condemning two men because they love each other or condemning a woman because she wants to have equal authority to a man and do anything a man can do isn't oppression, but according to this guy, liberalism *is* oppression! And the author needs to get his facts right. He says that the world is in a terrible shape when the president's [alleged] relationship with Paula Jones is condoned, but he would have been creamed in any other era! Clinton was acquited because there wasn't sufficient proof that he HAD been sexually harrassing Paula Jones; it was even Paula Jones herself who pulled out of the sexual harrassment lawsuit she had started. And other eras? Gee, I sure don't think JFK got into any trouble for what he *did* do with all his little...female acquaintances. As usual with most pieces of pseudointellectual conservative tripe like this, Robert Bork devotes a heck of a lot of the book to trashing America's youth. He keeps saying that kids today are all so rotten, that all we do is live in a world full of guns and gangs and violent entertainment. This guy thinks that just because kids are exposed to movies with guns and rape, they're all being turned into heartless bloodthirsty animals. He bashes pop culture and those evil liberals who create it about 2,400,000 times across the book. He pouts that there's no artistic merit in Madonna and that all her music does is promote immorality. Think, people, when you watch Madonna videos on MTV, does it make YOU think, "Oh, I've got to do what the messages say. This song has told me it's AOK to turn this planet into an evil Abaddon, and I'll do so."? Here is another oh-no-it's-the-end-of-civilization! excuse for insulting my generation that goes over the usual laundry list and rhetoric like everything else of its ilk. Don't even bother picking it up off the bookstore stand to read its blurb.
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Summary: A Legal Brief Against Liberalism
Review: Bork will certainly be remembered in history with his publicized Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Many of us as other reviewers of this book have stated were brought through this media covered confirmation to the realization that our justice system was shifting from interpreting the law to creating the law by interpretation. We've now seen this come to the fruitful realization by the Florida Supreme Court's day in the media spotlight recently. Bork presents argument after argument for liberalism spilling its way into cultural segments by presenting substantial data to back up his hypotheses. Cross examine the witness? It's a great read! Major surprise to this reader was how much he stuck on the illigetimate children for the country's ills. Makes one think! Will be a classic!
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Summary: A Sober Analysis and a Prophetic Warning
Review: I had always known that America was on a moral down slide, but I didn't understand the root causes in much detail until I read this book. Keeping in mind the maxim that heresies survive by the truths they retain, it is disheartening to realize how the lofty ideals of liberty and equality, the twin gems of the American Revolution, have been so perversely distorted and misapplied in this century. Robert Bork has hit the nail right on the head. Liberty and equality are wonderful ideals in certain contexts and to a certain degree, but if taken too far and misapplied in a distorted, illogical way, they can have the ironic effect of producing their opposites: oppression and preferences, both doled out by government. I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. Robert Bork is controversial. You don't have to agree with everything he writes, but you have to admit that he makes you think.
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Summary: an example of borkian reasoning
Review: a supreme court / robert bork? / my oh my / gouge out my eyes / with a spork
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Summary: In a world where "Partisan" is an evil word,can we read this
Review: In a world where "partisan" is a dirty word, can we read anything with an actual point? Many may say, "no." They are explained in this book. Here Robert Bork, denied Supreme Court Justice, explains the birth of liberalism and for that it is well worth it. He, through both internal reasoning and empirical proof, shows how modern liberalism was born. It may sound like a simple thing and, at times, even Bork himself oversimplifies the matter, but it is nonetheless well explained. His main point is that there simply were too many people born in the "baby boom" for the socializing agents of society to socialize. And, for that argument, he may very well be correct. The problem with his argument is that he does not include within his reason the family as a socializing agent. Too bad. It is really the only glaring flaw in his viewpoint. His view may still stand, but by overlooking such an important thing he loses some credibility. But, the book continues and really earns its pay when it shows the effects of modern liberalism. Here there is much to be learned from this thought provoking book. I wonder what Prof. Putnam (Bowling Alone) would say about this book?
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