As Director of the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), one of my key objectives was to close down the radical Left-wing Legal Services program. I even had a promise, confirmed by Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), Congressman Lamar Baker (R-Tenn.), Senator Jim McClure (R-Idaho), and others that President Nixon would veto a proposal to establish a Federal Legal Services Corporation.

Unfortunately, then White House Chief of Staff Al Haig succumbed to pressure from Senators Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), Walter Mondale (D-Minn.), Jacob Javits (R-N.Y.), and Robert Taft (R-Ohio) that, if Nixon did not sign the Legal Services Corporation legislation, money for his Watergate lawyers would be terminated.

The Legal Services program operated on a supposed mandate to promote "group representation", "community education", and "law reform". "Community education" meant the promotion of Saul Alinsky-style, Marxist-Socialist propaganda, "law reform" meant placing Left-wing lobbyists in virtually every state legislature and "group representation" meant creating Left-wing activist groups, promoting everything from homosexuality and abortion to welfare rights.

A key element of the Legal Services agenda was the class action suit. It is, therefore, interesting to note the information which follows:

"For Martin Redish, it’s a constitutional travesty. The longtime professor at Northwestern University School of Law, a self-professed liberal Democrat, has caused a stir in academic circles by suggesting that the class action as we know it violates the U.S. Constitution. His reasoning is simple: Since the right to sue belongs to the individual, only the individual can choose to give it away.

"In a typical class action, lawyers sue on behalf of a group of plaintiffs who theoretically hold the same claim – purchasers of a stock that fell on bad news, say – and a judge approves combining them into a single group. In some cases plaintiffs can opt out of the class; in others the judge orders everybody in. Usually the majority of ‘plaintiffs’ never even knew they were involved. …

"This is an unpopular view with class action lawyers, who are very well compensated for putting these cases together. Securities class actions alone generated $3.1 billion in settlements last year, according to Cornerstone Research, with plaintiff lawyers probably collecting $600 million in fees. …

" ‘The class action mechanism is one of the most important tools available to the public,’ says Stephen Garcia, a Long Beach, Calif. lawyer who frequently sues on behalf of consumers. ‘All the meaningful social alterations of the past 20 years have been accomplished through the class action or a similar legal procedure.’

"Redish … says the process is illegitimate.

" ‘These are individually held rights,’ he says. ‘What a lot of class action scholars and proponents have done – quite cleverly, I must say – is engage in a sort of alchemy to transform individual rights into collective rights.’ …

"More problematic are ‘settlement class actions,’ where lawyers for the plaintiffs and defendant agree beforehand to settle the case – as long as the judge approves a class that ropes in all the potential plaintiffs. Redish argues these are flat-out unconstitutional because there is no ‘case or controversy,’ a constitutional requirement for making a federal case out of something. Since the lawyers are all on the same side, he says, the only losers are plaintiffs who are forever barred from suing over the matter again. The Honda case was settled before the class was certified, for example, and would prohibit class members from participating in subsequent regulatory proceedings. …

"None of this came out of the democratic process. Class actions were pulled out of the ether by an unelected board of legal experts appointed by the equally unelected chief justice of the Supreme Court. Under a 1934 federal law the experts created and revised the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including Rule 23, covering class actions. In 1966 Harvard professor Benjamin Kaplan pushed through a controversial change that allowed judges to approve the aggregation of individual claims into a single case, where previously such groups had to have a legal relationship such as partnership." Source: Daniel Fisher, Forbes Magazine, 2/08/10, pp. 20, 22

Sumner G. Whittier, who died recently at the age of 98, was my friend when he was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and, subsequently, a candidate for Governor of the Bay State.

Whittier was a very fine man with the incredible gift for memorizing dozens of names of people whom he had just met in large gatherings. It is a tragedy that, when he ran for Governor of the Commonwealth, he was defeated by Endicott "Chub" Peabody, a very liberal Democrat and former Harvard All-American football player.

"Sumner Gage Whittier was born and raised in Everett, Mass. He graduated from Boston University in 1935. He served as a local alderman and then as a state representative and senator, and he was reelected senator while serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

"Mr. Whittier, a Republican, served as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957. He ran for governor in 1956 but lost, despite the endorsement of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had carried the state that year in his reelection bid. Eisenhower appointed Mr. Whittier to the VA as the director of insurance programs. He was promoted to agency administrator in late 1957.

"Mr. Whittier resigned that post when President John F. Kennedy took office in 1961 and headed west to lead the Michigan Blue Shield and, later, the national office of Easter Seals.

"In the early 1970s, he returned to the Washington area to work for the Social Security Administration and implement the Supplemental Security Income program, which replaced a patchwork of state and local programs and doubled the number of people with disabilities who received government assistance. He worked at the administration until retiring at age 80.

"At 92, he won a gold medal in Ping-Pong at the National Senior Olympics, where he carried the Maryland flag in closing ceremonies. In 2004, he published a book of poems in memory of his wife, the former Jessie Johnston, to whom he was married for 38 years. She died in 1981.

"Survivors include three children, Jaye Whittier of Gloucester, Mass., Janis Whittier of Ellicott City and Jill Kelly of Vancouver, Wash.; a sister; five grandchildren; and a great-grandson." Source: The Washington Post, 1/18/10, p. B4, Emma Brown

My dear friend, Marion M. Hurley, died on September 15:

"Marion passed away peacefully at her home in Pasadena after living in the San Marino area for over 60 years. She is survived by her three children Alan (Mary of San Marino, Holly (Ron) of Downey and Gail (Jim) of Fallbrook), five grand-children (Erik, Stephen, Carrie, Robert and Wendy), and one great-grandchild (Ember). She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Clayton.

"Throughout her life she was a steadfast crusader for her Christian faith, this country and righteousness. She did everything in her power to educate all those around her to the Bible and our great Constitution.

"She has been laid to rest with her beloved Clayton in the Court of Freedom, Forest Lawn, Glendale. She is now with her Lord and loved ones in Heaven.

"Her wish to all her friends at this time of year was to always remember that Christ was born and died for us. Christmas time is our chance to renew our faith to give us strength and hope that with Christ all things are possible. This country was born with Christian faith, and only with Christian faith will it survive. It is our duty to teach this to all future generations.

"Memorial gifts may be made in her honor to: United Republicans of California, P.S. Box 80575, San Marino, CA 91118."

Marion was a strong supporter of The Constitution Party and my various Presidential candidacies.

My beloved friend, Dr. Howard L. Hurwitz, "educator, author and former principal of Long Island City H.S. died on September 23 at age 91 of natural causes.

"Hurwitz is best remembered for the controversy that swept over his tenure as principal of the once-troubled school, where his hard line tactics won him the admiration of parents and the wrath of Board of Education and law enforcement officials.

"In his 1988 novel, The Last Angry Principal, Hurwitz described his experiences as principal of Long Island City H.S. including the day parents barricaded him in his office to prevent him from being fired by the Board of Education.

"A woman named Marge was 17-years old and in her senior year at the school when Hurwitz arrived in 1976. She recalled how Hurwitz' decision to discipline a troubled student lit a firestorm of controversy that lasted for days ending when a federal judge ordered his arrest. ‘The girl was always in trouble,’ Marge said. ‘So we weren't surprised when he learned that Dr. Hurwitz wanted to suspend her.’

"Records indicate the student became belligerent when asked by administrators and Hurwitz to produce a hall pass. When Hurwitz suspended the student, the Schools Chancellor ordered him to reinstate her or be fired, Marge said. Hurwitz refused to follow the Chancellor's order.

" ‘The next thing we knew, there were parents at all the school entrances and they had barricaded Dr. Hurwitz in his office,’ Marge said. ‘We were handed signs supporting Dr. Hurwitz when we arrived at school and we were told to hold them and picket outside to show support for the principal.’

"The standoff lasted several days, until a federal judge ordered Hurwitz' arrest for his failure to produce data on teachers and students at the school.

"Hurwitz later returned as principal of Long Island City H.S., where he remained for just over one year.

"Hurwitz penned four books, including his 1974 Dictionary of American History and The Best of Hurwitz on Education in 1991 and the life story of his developmentally disabled son in his 1973 offering titled, Donald: A Man Who Remains A Boy."

Recently I was asked "If you were going to homeschool your own children today, what curriculum and method would you choose?".

I am, in fact, helping to homeschool four of my grandchildren, and my method is very simple: a) I share life experiences with them, b) I give them books to read which I think are of particular value and importance, c) I ask them to write reports on each of those books, d) I emphasize vocabulary and grammar, et cetera. So far, each of them is doing very well on their College Board tests and college admissions.

My youngest son, Sam, was homeschooled, even while he resided in his mother’s womb, and he was accepted at every college to which he applied, including Hampden-Sydney, William and Mary, Virginia Military Institute, Christendom College, and The Citadel. In most cases, he was offered scholarships.

We had no fixed curriculum, but we made sure he was well versed in the Constitution, the Bible, current events, history, et cetera.

You also ask "If you were going to invest in career education today, where would you place a bet on demand for the future? What skills would you develop in order to be a viable worker in the economy of the future?".

My answer is very simple. There will always be a demand for integrity, energy, as well as verbal and written communication skills.

Good men are hard to find, and they usually will have no problem whatsoever in finding suitable opportunities.

Thanks for asking.

My dear friend, Carol Jean Groshell Maddox, died on November 20.

She was an extraordinary chronicler of the conservative movement, and was one of my most faithful and encouraging supporters.

PUBLIC DEMANDS MORE EFFECTIVE BORDER SECURITY

The American public expects the Federal government to implement more effective measures to stop the flow of illegal immigrants across the border with Mexico, according to a poll conducted by The Conservative Caucus (TCC).

The goal of U.S. border policy should be a complete elimination of illegal immigration, according to 95% of those questioned. When asked about specifics, 93% favored a combination of fencing, more Border Patrol agents, physical and electronic surveillance, and deployment of the U.S. military. Concerning the fence, 60% supported twin 15-foot high cyclone fences with razor wire, motion sensors, and observation towers, with a two-lane road between them.

A strong 89% wanted the 700-mile fence previously approved by Congress to be completed promptly.

Amnesty for illegal aliens in the U.S. was supported by only 2%, and opposed by 97%.

Respondents urged the government to encourage Mexico to do more to help stem the flow of illegal immigration. Seventy-nine percent favored a mix of diplomatic discussions, a letter of protest, sanctions, and military action.

The poll was conducted by mail during the summer with about 2,500 responses.

The Conservative Caucus (TCC) is a grass roots action organization, formed in 1974. It was active in defeating the SALT II Treaty, repealing the Catastrophic Coverage Act, blocking the Clinton health-care takeover, and impeaching President Clinton.

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