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The Betrayal of America: How the Supreme Court Undermined the Constitution and Chose Our President (Nation Books) Kindle Edition


During the course of American history, wrongful events have occurred and certain Americans have stood up and spoken out against these wrongs: Tom Paine, Edward R. Murrow, Daniel Ellsberg. Vincent Bugliosi takes his place in this special pantheon of patriots with his powerful, brilliant, and courageous expose of crime by the highest court in the land. When an article he wrote on this topic appeared in The Nation magazine in February 2001, it drew the largest outpouring of letters and e-mail in the magazine's 136-year history, tapping a deep reservoir of outrage. The original article is now expanded, amended, and backed by amplifications, endnotes, and the relevant Supreme Court documents.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On December 12th, 2000, in a 5-4 decision, the U. S. Supreme Court put an end to the recounting of presidential votes in Florida, thus assuring that George W. Bush would win the election. This action by the Court's majority, argues trial lawyer and bestselling author Bugliosi, was a "judicial coup d'‚tat" that stole the election from U.S. citizens and simply handed the presidency over to the Court's guy, a conservative Republican like themselves. It was also treasonous, asserts Bugliosi, if not by statute it does not fit the legal definition of treason at least in spirit; the five justices are "criminals in the very truest sense of the word," he says, who have exhibited "the morals of an alley cat." The Florida recount, claimed the Court, was invalid because it violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment; as different counties used different methods for determining voter intent, voters were being treated unequally. Bugliosi argues, in precise yet accessible language, on page after page, that this justification does not stand up to scrutiny; that it is an incorrect and unprecedented use of the equal protection clause, feebly applied and argued, and was simply the best excuse the Court majority could come up with. Bugliosi, perhaps best known as the author of Helter Skelter, often writes with the subtlety of a professional wrestler, but here he diverges from much of the outrage that passes for political commentary these days by backing up his bluster with careful legal analysis. The results which, Molly Ivins calls "the modern equivalent of `J'Accuse' " are troubling and fascinating. (June 1)Forecast: This originated as an article in the Nation that brought in more letters than any piece in the magazine's history. There are still a lot of disgruntled Democrats out there who will welcome this biting critique, so expect lively sales and lots of media controversy. Also, on June 18, Oxford University Press will publish Alan M. Dershowitz's take on the Supreme Court decision, Supreme Injustice.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Bugliosi (Outrage: 5 Reasons Why O.J. Simpson Got Away with Murder), a former Los Angeles County prosecutor whose most famous trial was the Charles Manson case, uses passion and argument to establish that the U.S. Supreme Court unlawfully chose George W. Bush as president of the United States on December 12, 2000. This brief book affords the author many opportunities to express outrage about the 5-4 Bush v. Gore decision, which he believes was a tragedy for both the U.S. Constitution and democracy. He criticizes the judicial standards and constitutional logic of the Court's five conservative justices, seeing them as morally culpable and claiming that their behavior endangers essential constitutional freedoms. Further, he argues that their interpretation of the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment was not founded in solid legal principles. His polemical arguments often move between a wide variety of disparate ideas and topics. Bugliosi's claims about the outrageous nature of the Court decision are quite different from diverse journalistic and scholarly analyses found in other current works, such as editors E.J. Dionne Jr. and William Kristol's Bush v. Gore: The Court Case and Commentaries (LJ 4/1/01). Selected public libraries may choose Bugliosi's trade paperback book for this alternative perspective. Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00284AYH0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bold Type Books (June 17, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 17, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2731 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

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Vincent Bugliosi
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Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor of Charles Manson, lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the author or co-author of many books, among them the #1 best-sellers Helter Skelter, And the Sea Will Tell, and Outrage; plus Four Days in November, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, No Island of Sanity, The Betrayal of America, Lullaby and Good Night, Shadow Of Cain, Till Death Us Do Part, Drugs in America, and The Phoenix Solution.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
178 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2016
Very well written in clear and concise language, rare for a book written by a Judicial Lawyer. And its conclusions were right on the money. The United States Supreme Court decided that 'according to their interpretation of the United States Constitution, they, and only they were granted by that Supreme Law of the Land, the power to discard and actually throw out over 50,000,000 votes cast throughout the United States because the state bureaucracy of Florida, where Jeb Bush, the then current Republican Governor of Florida and brother to George W. Bush, the Republican Presidential Candidate, stated directly that a large number of ballots had been lost/misplaced by his administration and in his opinion those ballots would not be found for several weeks, and possibly for months and although he alleged that his administration was "diligently" trying to find those "lost/misplaced" ballots his entire state government could not find those ballots 'anywhere'. Thus he and the Republican National Committees asked the Supreme Court to 'settle' the matter. And the Supreme Court determined that based upon Governor Jeb Bush's statements the lost votes would somehow remain 'lost' long enough to delay the swearing in ceremony already scheduled for the coming January. And the Governor also assured the Court that to take another vote in Florida to replace the lost votes would definitely create a delay in the Swearing In Ceremony of the new President of the United States. So the Supreme Court, now made up of 5 Republicans and 4 Democrats, issued in a 5 to 4 decision a new 'interpretation' of the Constitution saying it actually grants to the Court the power to 'select' the President when election procedures, such as when lost or missing ballots, arise that might delay the prescheduled swearing in of a new President. And once made the person they select, regardless of how many votes were actually cast across America or how many might miraculously later be found or turn up, the candidate they select would become the President of the United States. And this new precedent allowing the Court of select the President will now become the Supreme Law of the Land. And this of course also passed along to other members of the Federal Judiciary to also select Governors and other State Officers when voting ballots disappear or get displaced and might delay the swearing in of Presidents, Governors, Mayors or any office normally filled by popular voting systems, but of course these selections will only be made when voting systems do not properly operate. In this manner the Supreme Court stated in its 5 to 4 decision that it was assuming this power in order to ensure the 'right of the public to vote'.

Everyone now knows that the Supreme Court is actually the Supreme Law of the Land and no President, Governor, Mayor , Congressman, Senator, etc. can every be sure that the Courts will not at any time step in and simply select the candidates of their choice. The vote of the people is now a privilege granted by the Supreme Court and its Federal Courts, but is a privilege they can revoke at will, thus throwing out all votes and voiding them as they choose. The Supreme Court has finally come out of the closet to let America know they are the Supreme Power in America and no President or elected official will ever again be 'safe' from their power should they elect to use it.

Under such a system as exists in America today, Democracy is dead. It is 'allowed' to put on its voting show every 2, 4 and 6 years, but the Democracy itself if now the step-child of the Federal Courts, and only by its grace will the 'façade of democracy' in America be allowed to continue.

This is the final blow to Democracy in America, as it has now become an Oligarchy. Strangely enough this was the same manner in which Adolf Hitler took over Germany. In his book "Mein Kampf", he outlined the procedures for undermining a democratic government, and most Americans don't even know that his plan worked. The only reason he was able to do it so easily was the German people after WW1 were disarmed, almost totally. Only their police forces working for their courts were allowed to retain the weapons. Thus one he gained control of the Courts and the Police forces he was able to preselect the candidates the German people were allowed to vote on, and since all the candidates he preselected were members of his Fascist Party, the people believed they were still a Democracy because they could still vote for their elected officials. It never occurred to them that the preselection of the candidates voided the power of their votes. Thus voting, as it has now become in America became during the time of Hitler's rise to power simply a form of political window dressing, a façade of voting procedures to placate the masses and hide the fact that their democracy no longer existed. But because the people could still 'vote', even though it was an empty gesture, they continued to think of themselves and call themselves a 'democracy'.

This same fate would have befallen America during the early 1920's and 30's as Mein Kampf had made its way to America at that time. And just as it happened in Germany, a single large power hungry and greedy group of professionals passed in every state a series of laws called State Bar Acts that outlawed the practice of law based upon citizenship alone, and implemented these Federal and State Bar Acts to limit the practice of law and the holding of Judicial offices (judges, at every level) to only those citizens now preselected by the United States Supreme Court and the Supreme Courts of each State. Thus the practice of law, which prior to passage of the Federal and State Bar acts granted the power to practice law to 100% of America's Citizens, which was why it was once called the Common Man's Profession, but now it limited the practice of law to only one/quarter of one percent of the population. And every American lost the right to directly seek redress within every court in America at every level, Federal, State and local. Now they only had indirect access to the Courts and all citizens, except the new Judicial Lawyers, would have to kow tow and pay to these now fully empowered Judicial Lawyers for access to the Courts of America.

And since the Courts control and dictate the actions of the various police departments throughout America this new group of Judicial Lawyers could have followed in the steps of Adolf Hitler and could have taken over the entire nation. However, there was one major obstacle to carrying out the Mein Kampf plan for quickly undermining a democracy and the obstacle to total domination by the Judicial Legal Profession was America had never suffered defeat in WW1; thus, at the time of the rise of the Judicial Legal Profession they faced an electorate more heavily armed than any in history. Hitler simply took control of the only remaining supplies of weapons in Germany after WW1 and after that he made himself dictator and simply shot or under force of arms removed all opposition to his takeover. But in America it could not be done so simply, because no matter how many policemen carried guns and would be willing to use them to ensure the rise to power of the Judiciary and it new 'army' of preselected/pretrained/and monitored Judicial Lawyers; there would always be far more people with guns in their homes, with the expertise to use them, and many having already fought in a bloody World War to safeguard their idea of Democracy. So even though the Mein Kampf plan worked enough to establish a new ruling class with powers now limited only to themselves, they could not take that last step of shooting their opposition or placing large numbers of citizens in concentration camps for disposal, although America did do this in WW2 to Japanese Americans, but although the newly empowered Judicial Legal Profession did have Japanese Americans arrested and did rob them of all their monies and properties, they did not follow the Hitler plan to dispose of all the Japanese Americans, although that final solution was also discussed at the highest levels of government in America. Thankfully it was rejected, and all Japanese Americans were released at the end of WW2, but their money and property was never returned to them. There was no justice ever granted to them for their incarceration, their financial losses or their property losses. The Judicial Lawyers simply could not make a 'clean sweep' of America's democracy as it was simply too heavily armed to do open battle with the millions of armed citizens who do not trust the leadership, goals and policies of big government, thus they jealously guard their Constitutional right to bear arms in their homes.

Sadly, most Judicial Lawyers today are trying to disarm America and many Americans believe the rhetoric of the Judicial Lawyers, thus they support this move and want to end the right of citizens to bear arms. They simply cannot fathom that that will be the final step in the Mein Kampf plan to undermine what at one time was the greatest democracy on the planet. The Judicial Legal Profession has become the "New Romans" and they want to initiate the final stage of the Mein Kampf plan and openly take control of all citizens, armed forces and assets of America. And based upon the ignorance of most American, and their lack of interest in studying the mistakes of the past, the Judicial Legal Profession's future success now appears assured. Most Americans will become the peasants ruled over by the new Judicial aristocracy. An aristocracy with unlimited power to do as it pleases, thus the now still slightly closeted Oligarchy, will soon come out of hiding and assume its new role as the Supreme Rulers of America.

And this is how Hitler took over Germany, and how his descendent American followers will also take over America. Democracies have always been vulnerable to such dangers. Aristocracies always seek to rise and take over any group of people who are not watchful. Thus they have risen time and time again. Sadly this time people will still be voting, but they will one day wonder why the choices they have don't seem to be their own. And like sheep they will still go to the ballot boxes and vote and thus tell themselves, just as the people of Germany did under Hitler, that they are a Democracy where the 'people' still have 'rights'.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2001
Unfortunately too many people are going to see this book as a partisan thesis in support of Gore and against Bush. Although Mr. Bugliosi is clear and up front about the fact that he would prefer Gore to Bush, that is not what "The Betrayal" is about.
What Bugliosi does, simply, is put forth with irrefutable logic how the Supreme Court stole the election for their favored candidate. The evidience is clear from their own self contradictions, lack of support in law, and bizzare conduct, which mainstream media is far too timid and/or superficial to properly report.
Most of the content has shown up on The Nation's web page under the title "None Dare Call it Treason," and this edition fills out the basic text with footnotes. You can read that if buying this volume is too much of a burden.
My favorite line, which is in response to those very confused souls that thought the Florida Supreme Court was trying to steal the election and the noble U.S. Supreme Court merely stopped them, is as follows (paraphrased): You do not steal an election by wanting all the legal votes counted, which is what the Florida Supreme Court wanted. You steal an election by stopping the counting of all legal votes, which is exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court did.
Tough to get around that kind of logic, although many try.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2003
This book at times is a clumsy and at times, redundant read, while documenting the criminality of the 2000 election but overall, it successfully underscores the travesty which took place in the election's aftermath and it's subsequent outrageous outcome. I am sure those who are rating this book one star are right wingers who have never read the book but want to discourage others from reading the book and learning how Americans were duped by the criminal Supreme Court Justices. There is no doubt that the electoral process in Florida was arbitrarily and unjustly usurped by a conservative Federal Supreme court, who prior to the election, looked for any and all means to allow states to decide similar issues. The book clearly articulates how illogical and irrelevant the court's decision was, as well as the obvious conflicts of interest that Justices Scallia, Kennedy, O'Connor, Thomas and Reinquist had. It also shows the hypercrisy of a party who historically has fought federal intrusion into state matters, yet, when their interests are threatened, use the very Federal Government that they have historically loathed to steal an election. Had the shoe been on the other foot, the mean-spirited right wingers would have undoubtedly engineered a Coup D'etat, then tar and feathered Gore and finally had him electrocuted on Dubya's favorite Texas electric chair. Bugliosi's interpretation of the degree of misconduct is right on point, what happened was criminal and treasonous and on a scale equal to Benedict Arnold's, and the media has failed miserably in educating the American public to this scandal and holding those responsible accountable. Americans fail to understand the long term impact that this episode will have in future elections, encouragingby future "Bushes" to steal, not win, elections. Americans, oblivious to how their very basic constitutional rights were trampled on during the 2000 election, deserve what they get.
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Top reviews from other countries

B. Gotter
5.0 out of 5 stars Wie weit kann "Freundschaft" gehen?
Reviewed in Germany on July 8, 2003
Der ehemalige amerikanische Staatsanwalt Vincent Bugliosi hat mit diesem kleinen Büchlein vielleicht einen Text abgeliefert, der einmal in die Geschichte der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika eingehen wird. In allen Einzelheiten wird die Entscheidung des Supreme Court vom 12. Dezember 2000, die Nachzählung von Hand von ca. 60.000 regulären Wählerstimmen im Bundesstaat Florida zu stoppen, dargelegt. Fünf republikanische Oberrichter setzten George W. Bush als Präsidenten der USA ein und und annulierten dabei über 50 Millionen Wählerstimmen. Mittlerweile ist bekannt, dass Al Gore bundesweit ca. 500.000 mehr Stimmen als Bush erhielt, in Florida betrug sein Vorsprung an gültigen abgegeben Wählerstimmen ca. 20.000. George W. Bush jr. ist nicht der vom Volk gewählte Präsident der USA! Amerika ist bestenfalls noch eine formale Legislativdemokratie. Die Frage für uns Deutsche muss lauten: "Wie weit kann unsere Freundschaft zu den USA eigentlich gehen", wenn die demokratischen Grundwerte die Basis dieser Freundschaft bilden? Fragen Sie ihre Abgeordneten, Fragen Sie unsere Regierungsvertreter, Fragen Sie die Medien! Es ist an der Zeit das Schweigen und das verschämte Wegschauen zu durchbrechen. Stehen wir den wahren Demokraten in den USA endlich zur Seite, den über 220 Millionen Amerikanern, die George W. Bush nicht gewählt haben. Die Fakten, die Bugliosi in diesem Buch darlegt, sind in ihrer für die Demokratie desaströsen Art so unglaublich, dass etwas geschehen muss, wollen wir unsere Selbstachtung als Demokraten erhalten.
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