Promises Kept: A Memoir
Author: Sidney S McMath
Sidney Sanders McMath is a pivotal figure in the history of Arkansas, of the Democratic Party, and of American law. Still vibrant and engaged in his nineties, he sets out his story in full for the first time in this powerful and engaging memoir of his youth and his extensive military service, his rise and fall in public office, and his long career as a lawyer seeking justice for ordinary people. He has divided his life story into four parts. In the first, he shows how his early life in rural Arkansas sparked his commitment to people. Then he describes his service to democracy in the military, including his commission in the U.S. Marines, a battlefield promotion in the Pacific and other honors, and his subsequent advancement to the rank of major general. The revealing third section details McMath's extraordinary life in politics, starting with his explosive debut in 1945, when he and other veterans dethroned the state's most powerful and corrupt political machine. Later, as a two-term governor, he fulfilled his promise of reform and modernization: he brought the first roads and electricity to rural areas, fought the poll tax, and built the state's first medical center. McMath describes how he worked with President Truman to keep the segregationist Dixiecrats from taking over the Democratic Party -- and the presidency. He also helped change the party's rules so that black citizens could vote in primaries.
But here his story takes a dramatic turn: political opponents alleged bribery in the highway program, and although no indictments were handed down, McMath's political career ended. Arguing his case for the first time in fifty years, he sets the facts straight. McMath turned to the practice of law to fight for the people he had represented as governor. In the concluding section of the book he describes some of his most important cases, examples of how he put his life's experience, knowledge, and integrity in the service of those who had few resources. Sid McMath's memoir shows us the excitement and the hard choices of real democracy, offering compelling human stories, new information on past conflicts, and the crucial perspective of a man at the center of history.
Table of Contents:
| List of Illustrations | ix | |
| Dateline | xiii | |
| Foreword | xvii | |
| Acknowledgments | xxiii | |
| Prologue | xxv | |
| Part 1. | Roots | |
| I. | The Old McMath Homeplace | 3 |
| II. | John Ray Sanders | 9 |
| III. | Papa Rudd | 15 |
| IV. | The Confederacy and Reconstruction | 21 |
| V. | "Mother Mae" | 25 |
| VI. | "Old Judd" | 29 |
| VII. | "Pap" | 33 |
| VIII. | The Jack Parham Place | 37 |
| IX. | "Uncle Spooks" | 39 |
| X. | Bussey | 41 |
| XI. | Foreman and Taylor | 47 |
| XII. | Home Again | 51 |
| Part 2. | Duty Calls | |
| I. | Hot Springs | 63 |
| II. | Elaine Broughton | 75 |
| III. | "The Old Breed" | 81 |
| IV. | My Hometown | 87 |
| V. | The Pull of the Corps | 91 |
| VI. | American Samoa | 99 |
| VII. | In the Mood | 107 |
| VIII. | New Zealand | 109 |
| IX. | Guadalcanal--The Solomon Islands | 113 |
| X. | Bougainville | 127 |
| XI. | Coconut Grove | 155 |
| XII. | Anne Phillips | 159 |
| Part 3. | Politics and After | |
| I. | The GI Revolt | 167 |
| II. | Prosecuting Attorney | 181 |
| III. | My Race for Governor of Arkansas | 191 |
| IV. | The Governor's Mansion | 213 |
| V. | My First Term | 225 |
| VI. | My Second Term | 245 |
| VII. | Power Versus the People | 267 |
| VIII. | A Race for the Senate | 295 |
| IX. | Little Rock Central High School, 1957 | 301 |
| X. | Vietnam | 307 |
| XI. | A People's Law Firm | 319 |
| XII. | Betty Dortch Russell | 325 |
| Part 4. | Conclusion | 331 |
| "A Nation's Prayer" | 337 | |
| Appendixes | Cases That Made a Difference | |
| I. | Get the Facts | 341 |
| II. | Let the Jury Decide | 349 |
| III. | Sauce for the Goose | 357 |
| IV. | A Subsequent Shock Shows How: Admissibility | 363 |
| V. | Guns Don't Kill: Fleeing Fugitives Do | 369 |
| VI. | Advertisements That Prey: Negligent Inducement | 373 |
| VII. | Justice Weeps: A Petition for Redress | 383 |
| VIII. | A Scream in the Night | 389 |
| IX. | Death Takes a Holiday | 397 |
| X. | Poisoning a Neighbor's Well | 403 |
| XI. | Willful, Wanton, Reckless Disregard for Safety--A Policy Decision | 415 |
| XII. | Insult and Outrage--Defamation--Projecting an Innocent Person in a False Light | 423 |
| XIII. | Gee, Dad, That's a Lot of Tomatoes | 431 |
| XIV. | The Wrong Road Taken | 449 |
| XV. | Seek Justice, Plead for the Widow, Champion the Fatherless, Relieve the Oppressed--And Put the Money in Trust | 459 |
| Index | 465 |
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The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office
Author: Dave Lindorff
It's time to act--and this is the guide.
Now in paperback to meet a rising public demand, here is a hard-hitting argument for the impeachment of George W. Bush--and top members of his administration. Events since the book's hardcover release--including court decisions regarding war crimes and violations of the FISA law on wiretapping--have only heightened the urgency.
Methodically detailing the Bush regime's offenses and refuting its lies and deceptions, investigative reporter Dave Lindorff and constitutional rights specialist Barbara Olshansky explain why the president and his inner circle should be removed from office for high crimes and misdemeanors. Among the most grievous harms:
- misleading the nation into war
- authorizing and encouraging the use of torture
- failing in almost every way to defend the homeland and our borders
- undermining habeas corpus and other traditional rights
- illegal NSA wiretapping, mail opening, and other assaults on the Bill of Rights
- the catastrophic federal failure to respond to Hurricane Katrina
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