politics

Published 2014

A Chet and Bernie Mystery

Bernie Little and his canine, Chet travel to Washington, D.C. to see Bernie’s girl, Suzie Sanchez. But when they arrive, Bernie driving the Porsche and Chet riding shotgun, as he calls it, they see Suzie with another man, who is leaving her carriage house apartment. Bernie doesn’t know what to think. A little while later, this same man is found dead in his office. Politics are involved, as you would expect in D.C., and Suzie being a journalist for the Washington Post, is eager for the scoop that will propel her to the top of the news scene. If she can get the news early on a potential presidential candidate announcing his bid for the White House it could be her ticket out of the lifestyle section and into the headlines. This eagerness could endanger her life, if she didn’t have Bernie and Chet there to get to the bottom of who murdered her friend.

These are lighthearted books and the best part is, they are narrated by a dog! Chet fills us in on how much better his nose is than ours and how confusing it is, for instance when a biker calls Bernie ‘yellow’. Chet is not good with colors but he’s sure that Bernie, the best human in the world, bar none, is not that color. Chet has been K9 trained but never did make it into the police academy, which has turned out to be a good thing because now he’s partners with Bernie in the Little Detective Agency. Chet’s inner dog world turns out to be a very interesting one but mostly, it’s happy. Chet can’t remember lots of things and it seems that’s fine with him since lots of things are not so great to remember anyway. And even when things are looking their worst the simplest thing will have Chet back on cloud nine.

I love the idea of these books, Chet is one of my favorites.

Published 2017

The title sort of grabbed me and since I thought I knew why corporate executives have not been prosecuted for the financial crisis of 2008 I decided to see what Mr. Eisinger had to say. It turns out I was at least partially wrong and that the problem is much more complex and more troubling than I had thought.
The title comes from a speech given by James Comey before he became the (now fired) FBI director, to an elite group of prosecutors. These were the best and brightest the finest institutions in the country had to offer, and Comey asked the question, how many of you have never had an acquittal or a hung jury? Those who raised their hands, he explained were members of the club. The dubious distinction meant that they had never taken on a case where there was any likelihood they would lose.
As I read the book I realized just how much the Chickenshit Club mentality has pervaded not just the Justice department, which Eisinger does an excellent job of detailing, but a lot of American business and even the culture. I can’t count the times that people who should’ve done something or tried to do something have sat on their hands for fear of losing or pissing off people who could pretty much ruin their financial lives. I have done it myself to some extent. But the results of my membership in the club reach only as far as my immediate family. For the Justice Department, the consequences affect the vast majority, if not everyone, in the nation, and sometimes beyond. As is pointed out in the book , many of the prosecutors who had won convictions against executives prior to the 2008 crisis (think Enron) had ended their careers in small, out of the way places. What becomes apparent is that the people who are supposed to be prosecuting executives either came from firms who represent the very companies they have to go up against, or plan on working there after their stint in government is over. People who do anything to cause harm to individuals of high-profile companies can consider their careers on the decline or quickly over.
The book is a fascinating read and you will surely recognize a lot of names; Kenneth Lay, Skilling, Comey, Goldman Sachs, AIG, they’re all here. A lot of research went into the writing and it’s very well done. I rarely read non-fiction but this one is well worth the time.

Paw and Order, by Spencer Quinn

The Chickenshit Club, by Jesse Eisinger