The sins of the founding fathers

Stephen F. Knott, Secret and Sanctioned: Covert Operations and the American Presidency (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996). Pp.258, biblio., index. £19.50. ISBN 0–19–510098–0.

Notes

1. Richard B. Morris, Witnesses at the Creation: Hamilton, Madison, Jay, and the Constitution (NY: Plume 1986) p.160.

2. Ralph Ketcham (ed.) The Anti‐Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Debates (NY: Mentor 1986) p.27.

3. Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (NY: Macmillan 1961 [1913]) pp.vi, 160.

4. Max Beloff (ed.) The Federalist, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Basil Blackwell 1987 [1948]) p.482, n27.

5. Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution (NY: Knopf 1996) p.5. Rakove's ‘originalism’ might be regarded as a particular example of a general malpractice that historians sometimes call ‘presentism’, a tendency to look at the past with a contemporary political agenda in mind.     

A Community‐Based Model for Remediating Juveniles Adjudicated Incompetent to Stand Trial: Feedback from Youth,Attorneys, and Judges

This study examined client satisfaction with a community‐based restoration services program for youth adjudicated incompetent to stand trial in Virginia. The sample consisted of 130 youth (ages 8‐21 years), 80 attorneys, and 43 juvenile court judges. Youth overwhelming found restoration services helpful to them, although some concepts were harder to learn than others. Both judges and attorneys were generally knowledgeable about juvenile competency law, although both were less knowledgeable about competency evaluators and the services provided to youth. Results will be used to improve teaching tools, training of Restoration Counselors, and communication between program providers and the legal community.     

Workforce Crisis in Residential Aged Care: Insights from Rural,Older Workers

In Australia, workforce shortages in residential aged care present a significant challenge for the aged care industry. The growing demand for workers in aged care, combined with the shrinking supply of younger workers entering the field, highlights a future workforce crisis. The current shortfalls are set to worsen with the retirement of a generation of women who have provided the backbone of the workforce. Although targeted retention of this group may alleviate this issue, few studies have explored the retirement decisions of this cohort. This paper reports on a qualitative study of this cohort of Victorian public sector residential aged care staff. Although current government rhetoric promotes intrinsic rewards (altruism, moral fulfilment) over extrinsic rewards (excessive workload, pay and conditions), a combination of these factors was associated with job satisfaction. It would seem timely to revisit some of these concerns to ensure an adequate and sufficiently skilled workforce.     

Reflections on variability in the blood-breath ratio of ethanol and its importance when evidential breath-alcohol instruments are used in law enforcement

Variability in the blood-breath ratio(BBR)of alcohol is important,because it relates a mea-surement of the blood-alcohol concentration(BAC)with the co-existing ...     

'All for One and One for All': Transactions Cost and Collective Action

Rational choice analysis of collective action predicts that individual members of a large group will not contribute voluntarily towards a common cause; members of large groups attribute no significance to individual action. Large groups are mobilised by the attraction of private goods and services; private interest, rather than identity with a common cause, is the stimulus. Yet the efficacy of such selective incentives depends on the signal that erstwhile 'profits' (from the provision of private goods) are dedicated to achieving a collective goal. At the same time, the signal that collective action is 'non-profit' enhances the intrinsic value of the act of participation. When the impact of individual action on outcome is difficult to discern, individuals rely on low-cost signals relating to process . There are incentives to identify with the pursuit of a common cause when collective action is deemed 'non-profit' and a common goal is non-rival.     

The Distinctive Characteristics and Needs of Domestic Violence Victims in a Native American Community

The objectives of the research described in this paper were to describe specific features of Native American domestic violence (DV), and identify the needs and barriers to service delivery for American Indians experiencing DV. Qualitative methods of data collection were used in this research. The results suggest that DV in Native American communities may be distinct in a number of ways. The cause of Native American DV may be anchored in historic trauma, poverty, alcohol and drugs, and rural isolation. Cultural and economic features of Native American DV are discussed. The complexity of DV in the Native American community, its association with a number of co-morbid problems, suggests a multi-modal intervention approach and collaboration among a variety of professionals.