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By: AlanaP,
on 1/14/2013
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Learned Hand (1872-1961) served on the United States District Court and is commonly thought to be the most influential justice never to serve on the Supreme Court. He corresponded with people in different walks of life, some who were among his friends and acquaintances, others who were strangers to him. In the letter below, Hand writes to Mary McKeon, a New Yorker troubled by Hand’s decision to invalidate the warrantless search and consequent arrest of the Soviet spy, Judith Coplon.
To Mary McKeon
December 28, 1950
Dear Miss McKeon:
I have your letter about the Coplon case and I can understand why you are troubled about the result; and because you were not abusive, I am going to try to explain it to you.
It is a rule — well settled by the decisions of the Supreme Court — that evidence which the Government secures by its own violation of law it may not use against the person whose rights have been invaded. An extreme example of this would be in case a United States marshal were to break into the house of an accused person and seize his papers; the Government would not be allowed to use the papers against the person whose house had been entered. The same thing is true of documents found upon the person of one who is unlawfully arrested as was Judith Coplon. That was one ground for the reversal. The other was that during the trial it became necessary for the Government to depend upon evidence which it was unwilling to let her see. The Constitution provides that a person accused of crime is entitled to have all witnesses, who are called against him, brought into court at the trial.
Thus in these two instances the rights of the accused were violated, which is entirely consistent with her guilt. Perhaps, if you reflect, you will agree that it is not desirable to convict people, even though guilty, if to do so it is necessary to violate those rules on which the liberty of all of us depends.
Truly yours,
Learned Hand
The letter above was excerpted from Reason and Imagination: The Selected Letters of Learned Hand, edited by Constance Jordan, a retired professor of comparative literature and also Hand’s granddaughter. In 1944, Coplon, who worked for the Foreign Agents Registration section, was recruited as a spy by the NKGB, i.e., the People’s Commissariat for State Security. In 1949, FBI agents detained Coplon as she met with Valentin Gubitchev, a KGB official employed by the United Nations, while carrying what she thought were secret U.S. government documents; in actuality, they were fakes, planted in her purse at the order of J. Edgar Hoover. Declared guilty of espionage by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1949, Coplon appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In United States v. Coplon, in an opinion authored by Hand and announced on December 5th, her conviction was overturned.
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Image credit: Judge Learned Hand circa 1910. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
The post A letter from Learned Hand appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Stacy A. Nyikos,
on 11/7/2012
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Code Name VerityElizabeth Wein
YA
I have the very distinct impression I may be coming a little late to the
Code Name Verity fan club, it's that good. Nonetheless, I can't not write about this story either. It's that riveting. It's historical fiction solidly based in history. It's storyline is so genuine, the reader is left wondering, "did it really happen"? Yet its characters are so relatable to today's young adults, there is no disconnect due to time period. Plus, the author put together an amazing author's note that explains what's real and what's not.
Basic plot line - two young British women, one a pilot, the other nobility, become friends while working in the British war effort. Queenie, the Scottish noble, becomes a spy whom Maddie, the pilot, flies her - as well as broken and repaired planes, other spies, soldiers, etc - around England and ultimately, over the Channel to France, where Queenie is caught and interrogated - first half of the book. The second half is about how Maddie, who had to crash land in France, tries to escape back to England.
The book is brimming over with fast-paced plotting and harrowing, edge of your seat, reading.
The format is interesting in that it is essentially a journal novel written from Queenie's and Maddie's POV. By alternating POV, the reader gets a more well-rounded, yet intimate viewpoint of what is going on both behind enemy lines and allied ones.
One of the aspects of the writing that most appealed to me is that Wein made each character human. That is, each has wants and desires, both abominable and universal. It's an interesting aspect to this particular novel. It wasn't easy to hate anyone flat out, except one secondary, but high-ranking Nazi official. Wein did a great job of character development, and in so doing, in bringing to life the intricacies of war and how enemy and ally aren't as one-dimensional as the history books of my young adult years painted them. The effect is something akin to that of
The Reader, remaining long after the story itself is finished and begging for further discussion.
For other great Fall diversions, stop by
Barrie Summy's website!
By: Mark Miller,
on 10/11/2011
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Well, I did have an idea. A little while ago, I created a story about two unsuspecting fourth graders that suddenly find themselves in the middle of some serious, high-tech, international espionage. It is now available from Trestle Press.
That's right, ten-year-old spies that travel the world learning about each country they visit. The stories are humorous, suspenseful and exciting.
Star athlete Josh and computer prodigy Madison are recruited by the mysterious Mr. Crux to attend a special summer camp. The two elementary school kids then begin the adventure of a lifetime. They discover that the Small World Global Protection Agency is a network of talented and skilled children in countries all over the world. Their mission is to help other kids and save the day when adults can’t.
In Case File: 001-A, New Kids on the Rock, Josh and Madison start their adventure with the Global Protection Agency. Their first mission takes them to Australia to help teen pop singer Ja-Naya and discover what her evil manager, Feeble Bix is up to. Their counterparts, Mick and Kim, are ready for action as they head across the Outback.
The Small World Global Protection Agency is an adventure serial aimed at third through fifth grade readers. Each volume will take Josh and Madison to a different country. The stories will be entertaining, sometimes suspenseful, sometimes humorous. Each story will introduce facts about other countries and cultures, educating the reader through the eyes of children their own age while having fun.
This is a great one for you teachers to read in class. Just ask my third graders from last year!
Super spy Phil Moskowitz, with the help of the beautiful Suki Yaki, recovers the secret recipe for the world’s greatest egg salad, stolen by the evil Shepherd Wong. The tale of double-crossing and international intrigue unfolds in Woody Allen’s 1966 directorial debut, What’s Up, Tiger Lily?
 |
copyright 2011 Elizabeth Rose Stanton
http://www.rightbrainwrong.blogspot.com |
Here is my spy, I draw it on a Wacon Bamboo. This is my first ever drawing using the Wacon. I normally only use it to touch up hand drawn work. see more regular blog for more images http://tonyflowers.blogspot.com/
007? Spy Vs. Spy? The Manchurian Candidate?
Spy!
Illustrate a spy or spy scene. Dark glasses and cuff-link communicator optional.
Challenge ends on March 28.
All the decorations were black and white: question marks, foot prints on the floor, lots of homemade signs by E & C with warnings and cautions and "Spy Training Here", etc. The floor was scattered with black balloon "bombs" tied with red string. Upon arrival all special agents were seated at Spy Headquarters, decorated with maps and more question marks. At each place setting was an envelop marked "TOP SECRET" addressed to "Special Agent ______" (This allowed me to have a seating arrangement that worked well, with no arguing) Inside each envelop was - Sunglasses, a writing pad and pen and a "Spy Training Checklist".
The first item on the list was "Fuel" every spy needs energy to accomplish their mission so we started with cake first (plus the 2pm time is a good time for cake).
The other items on the checklist involved the games and activities.
SPECIAL AGENT TRAINING CHECKLIST
- Balance - walked across a balance board that had "fire" vinyl window clings next to it on the floor
- Memory - We played the "gossip" game, sitting in a line I whispered a secret message to the first agent, who had to whisper it to the next agent, down the line. The agent at the end said what they thought the message was and the differences brought a lot of laughter. I used silly phrases to start with like, "the red dog drives a blue truck" because spies speak a lot in code.
- Disguise - We played a relay race and split into two teams, Each team received a bag of disguise gear: mustaches, a hat, coat and camera/binoculars. The first person put on the clothes ran a set circle then passed off the disguise to the next person and so on.
- Speed/Obstacles - we did an obstacle course with a tunnel and a game of follow the leader. I masking-taped a ladder on the floor and each spy came up with a way to cross t
I decided to "redo" my original post with a different twist.
The past week has been light on writing and adrift on planning, and not so much planning as contemplation. Time to get going on a new novel. The finished one is out in the ether looking for an agent, and I need the bones of a new dreamtime. I tend to recall stories as either character-driven, or plot-driven, though the best ones generally had both elements. A good author/teacher like John Dufresne, in “The Lie That Tells a Truth,” suggests setting your character in motion and just watch what happens. Get it down. That would certainly get a story started, but not having anything for a plot is daunting. Then there are the writers for whom the plot is all consuming. “What I’m Reading Now,” a blog by Allisa Lauzon is a wonderful collection of her YA book reviews that I’ve been following lately, and the biggest thing that seems to hook this reader is most often the plot. Some are so pumped-up and bizarre that I’m just going to have to read them to see if the author really pulled it off. Here’s a terrific example of a high-concept plot from “I’d Tell You I Loved You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You,” by Ally Carter:
"From the outside the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women appears to be a boarding school for rich and snotty young women. The school, however, is actually a training school for future spies. Cammie is a Gallagher legacy and the daughter of the school's headmistress. By her sophomore year, she is already fluent in fourteen languages and knows how to kill a man seven different ways and is starting her first covert operations course...”
The concept is almost outlandish—and yet, it’s totally intriguing. Is it going to be tongue-in-cheek, or serious stuff? Ally has another spy-themed book in her credits, so she probably knows the genre; I’ll just have to read this one to see. Another high-concept plot I found intriguing was “Blue Bloods,” by Melissa De La Cruz:
“The most powerful and elite families in New York City are hiding a secret- a secret that their children are about to discover as they are inducted into The Committee. They are Blue Bloods- an ancient race of Vampires. Schuyler's life changes dramatically when her invitation arrives to join The Committee. She soon discovers that they are hiding things- especially after a young Blue Blood turns up dead- her life force completely drained. An interesting new take on a vampire novel. Blue Bloods moves quickly, capturing readers’ interests from the beginning.”
A belief in vampires today is a rational stretch, but the concept has a long history in storytelling, books, movies, and TV, so that the readiness to suspend disbelief is already at work for the author. Here, Melissa has a great plot, but she’ll have to work a lot harder to keep the reader wrapped up in the “fictional dream,” as per writing guru John Gardner. I love the ambition of her setup and I’ll read this book, too.
Elvis – The Real Story
By Eleanor Tylbor
CAST OF CHARACTERS
TAMMY 40-something avid Elvis fan and wife of Len
LEN 40-something husband of Tammy
ELVIS, former big star/singer/performer
THE TIME
The present
THE PLACE
Jackson’s 7-11 GAS BAR AND DINER
Photos of Elvis cover a large portion of one wall and Elvis songs play non-stop. There is a table with two chairs on one side of the room, while the other side of the room has the usual gas station displays of motor oil, etc.
AT RISE:
TAMMY and LEN are seated at a table, looking around the room
Len
(Scrutinizing the surroundings)
Um…who recommended this place?
TAMMY
(reading small book)
The restaurant guide write up says it’s fine dining with a difference
LEN
Fine dining if you’re a rat! Did you happen to notice that a cockroach just crawled out of our breadbasket? Must be one that escaped the Chef’s special catch-of-the-day
TAMMY
Stop being so negative and take in the atmosphere
LEN
You mean the “eau du garbage” coming from the back? Phew!
TAMMY
You’re so…provincial in your thinking, sweetheart. Look at all this authentic ‘60’s décor!
LEN
More like early condemned. Take a look at this place. Every square inch of wall space is covered with faded Elvis photos and the man’s been dead for how many years?
TAMMY
That the beauty of this place! It’s like a shrine devoted to “The King”
LEN
Are you saying that this…this garage and one-table-café was the King of Rock and Roll’s eatery of choice? Not!
TAMMY
For your information they say he used to eat fried chicken here and sometimes he even entertained diners
LEN
Was that before or after he turned into the Goodyear blimp? If I had known we were coming here to eat, I’d have checked to make sure my insurance policy was paid up
TAMMY
You know how long I hadda wait to get reservations for this restaurant…
LEN
…obviously not long enough…
TAMMY
…seven months! If you think I’m going to give up the chance to dine here…
LEN
And a fine dining establishment it is – if you’re into salmonella poisoning
TAMMY
Get a grip! The waiter is coming to try to act normal, if that’s possible
(the waiter dressed in an Elvis jumpsuit struts over, swinging his hips in a typical Elvis-like walk. He smoothes the sides of his hair with his hands, frequently)
WAITER
(swinging his hips between every word)
Evening folks’. Need a menu? Uh-huh – oh yeah…
LEN
No. We prefer to use ESP to order. Of course we need a menu!
TAMMY
Don’t mind my husband – I don’t. Leave the menu and we’ll choose
LEN
All these dishes are Elvis songs. “Bee bop a lu-la chicken wings…” The Love Me Tender t-bone looks interesting and it comes with fries and a “I Did It My Way” salad. Look at this. Says here on the menu that all their steaks are aged to perfection. Wonder if they mean that their meat is yesterday’s road kill?
TAMMY
Have you considered that your cranial spark plugs have stopped kicking in? I can’t make up my mind – so many choices…
(the waiter comes over to take the order)
LEN
Are all those dishes served a la carte?
WAITER
(swinging hips)
No – on a plate. Uh-huh…
TAMMY
Just go and choose something already, will ‘ya?
WAITER
Want me to come back, folks? Uh-huh…
LIGHTS DIM
TAMMY
Ssshhh! Quiet! The shows is gonna begin
SOUND: GUITAR TWANG
LEN
I don’t see why we hav’ta be quiet. Cheez – I can hear the sound of someone pumping gas outside…
(The song from “2001: A Space Odyssey” is heard and the clerk dressed in a mechanic’s uniform on the other side of the room walks in front of the counter holding a hand mic:
CLERK
“For you entertainment and plea-sure, the King has entered the building!”
(An over-weight bordering-on-obese man dressed in a white jump suit enters stopping to pose while leaning on a cane. A wide belt hangs well below a sagging stomach; black avaiator glasses covers his eyes and a badly-fitting black wig sits lob-sided towards the front of his head)
CLERK
“Direct from his engagement at the luxurious Pink Flamingo Laundromat and Bank Drive Thru in Tijuana, Mex-i-co, the management of Jackson’s 7/11 and Diner is pround to present, “the” King of Rock’n’Roll himself, the one – the only – El-vis!”
(A bent over Elvis slowly makes his way to the other side of the room. He stoops over to kiss Len, who pushes him way:
ELVIS
“Whoops – sorry. Gotta get my eyes checked
(he whips out a dirty handkerchief, spits on it and cleans his eyes and replaces it in a back pocket)
ELVIS
(in a weak squeaky voice)
Thank y’all very much! It’s the first time I been back this way goin’ on twenty years…or maybe it’s thirty… Anyway… Good to see y’all ain’t fergetten the King
(whips out his handkerchief again and blows his nose)
ELVIS
Guess I ain’t the same Elvis you remember a ways back, huh? But then who is?
(starts coughing and choking. Scantily dresses nurses rush over to pat him on the back
ELVIS
See? I still got it but now I don’t know what to do with it! Thank y’all very much… Listen ladies – go see if you can find my extra set of dentures that I left in a steak yesterday.
(starts to choke again and a well-endowed female doctor wearing tight fitting clothing enters, with a stethoscope draped around her neck)
DOCTOR
Now Mr. Elvis – honey – you know you gotta take it easy. Your ticker ain’t what it used to be
Elvis
(laughing and staring at her breasts)
Yeah but ask me if I care. Thank you all very much. And now before the spaceship comes to take me away, I’m gonna sing you a personal favourite of mine…
(Elvis sings the first few lines of “My Way” completely off-key
LEN
(starting to get up)
Oh fer… We’re not gonna stay and listen to this… The man is obviously senile
(sound of tires squeaking to a stop and the slam of car doors)
ELVIS
Uh-oh…they’re coming back…I knew they’d find me… Damn aliens!
(Two male “punkers” i.e. pink/green/purple hair wearing white outfits move on either side of Elvis and take his arms)
MALE 1
C’mon pops. You got another gig at Wilsons Shop-A-Rama…
ELVIS
But…but…I ain’t finished my set, yet!
MALE 1
(shaking his head and winking at Len and Tammy)
You don’t wanna be late for your big entrance.
ELVIS
Where’s my peanut butter and banana sandwich. I caint sing without it!
MALE 1
Here you are…
(the two men start to lead Elvis off the stage but Elvis stops and addresses the couple)
ELVIS
Thank you all very much!
(Elvis walks over, signs a piece of paper and hands it to Len and then exits with the men)
LEN
(addressing waiter)
That was not “the” Elvis Presley now, was it? You got us here under false pretences. And that’s against the law, y’know!
WAITER
The guy is 72 years old. Whad’ya expect? He’s got two hip replacements and a bad knee and his shaking days are behind him. By the way, know that piece of paper he handed you?
LEN
I really couldn’t care less about the man’s autograph… In fact this is what I think of you AND your Elvis
(LEN rips up the piece of paper into small pieces)
WAITER
You shouldn’t have done that. Uh-uh…
LEN
Elvis my a-s-s!
WAITER
That piece of paper would’a given you a tank of gas with your meal. Oh well…uh-huh…
(Len throws himself down on the floor picking up the pieces of paper trying to put them together)
LEN
A tank of gas is a tank of gas…
VOICE OVER
“The King has left the building”
By: josh pincus is crying,
on 3/23/2011
By: Kristin,
on 2/3/2010
By: Paula Becker,
on 8/31/2009
I decided to "redo" my original post with a different twist.
By: Jack O'Rourke,
on 6/13/2007
By: scriberess,
on 5/16/2007
Funny!
Love it!