John Jacobs (2) (1950–2000)

Only after reading this biography did I fully grasp why Phillip Burton was so idolized by northern California liberal activists in social issues, and the environment. In Los Angeles, some 450 miles distant from his San Francisco roots, he was a known, feared, and respected legislator, but his tenacious bull-dog temperament and disinterest in anything not political was filtered through newspaper writers' opinions and observations. No blinds and filters in Jacob's work. Jacobs 8 years of research and 400 interviews with those who worked with and against Burton reveals why "rage" really belongs in the title. Burton was full of warts, and they're all revealed in this highly readable 600 page tome. While reading, I kept saying to myself, "Yes, that's typical of Burton" and "So that's how that happened!" and also thinking, "How did he get away with that?" as he out -maneuvers an opponent. As the one who knew where all the bodies were buried, and the memory of an elephant, he would have been a compelling advocate for my issue: The California Desert Protection Act. His death meant that hopes for a two-year campaign evaporated, and it turned into a ten-year marathon that needed "a miracle" to get to the President's desk -- the story told in [California Desert Miracle] by [Frank Wheat].… (mer)