Books with author Carolyn Loh

Lost! Jerry the Kat must find his way home after escaping from catnapping thugs. With the help of a grumpy raccoon and a monkey named Monty, Jerry makes his way back to Bruckner. , only to discover the same catnapping duo have staked out his house. What secret does Jerry have that they want? Can Jerry discover the secret he possesses before the men catnap him again? Lost! Jerry the Kat must find his way after escaping catnapping thugs. With the help of a grumpy raccoon and a monkey named Monty, Jerry makes his way back home. But all is not quiet in Jerry’s neighborhood. The men return to nab him yet again. What does Jerry have that the men want? Jerry teams up with retired police dog Sarge to discover the secret and thwart the villians.

The Supreme Court's controversial decision in Oregon v. Smith sharply departed from previous expansive readings of the First Amendment's religious freedom clause and ignited a firestorm of protest from legal scholars, religious groups, legislators, and Native Americans. Carolyn Long provides the first book-length analysis of Smith and shows why it continues to resonate so deeply in the American psyche. In 1983, Klamath Indian Alfred Smith and his co-worker Galen Black were fired as counselors from a drug rehabilitation agency for using peyote, a controlled substance under Oregon law, in a religious ceremony of the Native American Church. Both were subsequently denied unemployment benefits, which the State of Oregon claimed was permissible under its police powers and necessary in its effort to eradicate drug abuse. But Smith and Black argued that the denial of unemployment benefits constituted an infringement of their religious freedom and took their cases to court. Long traces the tortuous path that Smith followed as it went from state courts to the Supreme Court and then back again for a second round of hearings. A major event in Native American history, the case attracted widespread support for the Indian cause from a diverse array of religious groups eager to protect their own religious freedom. It also led to an intense tug-of-war between the Court and Congress, which fought back with amendments to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (to protect the religious use of peyote) and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which protected religious freedom for all Americans. The Court subsequently ruled the latter act unconstitutional in Boerne v. Flores (1997). Long provides a lucid and balanced view of the competing sides in Smith. Drawing on interviews with Smith and his family, as well as with lawyers, judges, and congressional and interest group representatives involved in this struggle between Congress and Court, she takes the reader from the rituals of a peyote religious ceremony to the halls of government to reveal the conflicting interests that emerged in this key First Amendment case. She also clarifies how the Court reversed longstanding precedent by replacing the balancing test of "compelling state interest" and "least restrictive means" with a new "reasonable basis" argument that theoretically could be used to curtail religious practices well beyond those of the Native American church. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment protection of religious freedom applies only to laws that specifically target religious behavior and that an individual's religious beliefs do not excuse one from complying with statutes that indirectly infringe on their religious rights. Engagingly written, Long's study highlights the resultant struggles, but without ever losing sight of the rich human dimensions of the story.

Jerry, almost your typical cat, finds himself in the sleepy Texas town of Bruckner. Jerry likes the quiet life. At least it was quiet until his family brings home King Leopold, an overeager puppy! Just as Jerry adjusts to his new pal, vandals hit the neighborhood. Is this a case of teens gone wrong? Or is it something more sinister? Together cats and dogs join forces to rid the neighborhood of a gnome-smashing thug.

Jerry the Kat heads to Army boot camp to join an elite force like no other. He and his fellow felines train to sniff out danger. From overweight house cats to disciplined purebreds, the Fighting Toms pull together to battle barrack’s bullies and jealous dog handlers. Through it all, the Toms learn what it means to be a team. And learn the most important lesson of all… never quit.