Speed Reading

I read that a British newspaper hired a speed-reader
to proof the new 757-page Harry Potter book. The
task was accomplished in 47 minutes and a review
was then written and published.

My copy of The Deathly Hallows was purchased at midnight
on July 21st from a small bookstore in Westwood, N.J. Early
that morning Jennifer, Sarah, and I stayed up reading until
4:30 AM. After a few hours of sleep, we resumed reading and by
mid-afternoon had finished.

I enjoy reading fantasy and science fiction, and the process
of reading the Harry Potter series was a thoroughly enjoyable
experience for me. These days, with the exception of Yankee
baseball, Giant and Jet football, Rangers and Devils hockey,
and Knicks and Nets basketball, I watch little to no television.
No Desperate Housewives, no wannabee Idols or Trumpsters,
and no more Sopranos. If a new episode of the best written
TV show in America is scheduled (Bart Simpson), I might
be watching.

All-in-all, the seven book Harry Potter series consisted of
over 4,000 pages. One cannot enjoy book seven without first
reading books 1-6 which I digested during a two-week period
about a year ago. Each book was better than the preceding
one as the author's writing skills improved and the plot
complexities evolved.

I am now beginning to read a similarly sized series of tomes
containing the notes, speeches, talks, lectures, and thoughts
recorded by historians and efficient note-takers during America's
Constitutional Convention in the latter half of the eighteenth
century. What were all of the founding fathers thinking when they
composed our Constitution? What sort of comments and debate
occurred among men such as Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin?
I'll soon have a perspective which few Americans share.

I am doing this sometimes dull and boring, often fascinating task
for a number of reasons. In comparison, One simply needs to watch
a few minutes of live coverage of political debate in which House
or Senate members have the floor and offer their opinions during
the course of a Congressional session. I compare this process of
reading the Constitutional Convention papers to walking on a beach
with a treasure finder, looking for lost jewelry, dropped coins, or
pirate treasure. Every hour, there is a beep which leads to a gem
such as an old rusted can or a bottle top or a nail attached to a
bit of old wood.

This is not information that one can speed-read through. As each
point of our Constitution was debated, dozens or more of the most
learned men of America's original 13 colonies added his wisdom
and opinion on each complex issue. After I finish this task, I
expect to have a thorough understanding of what it took to write
that which many call civilization's most profound document.

I do so because I have been active in the vegetarian and notmilk
movement since 1994 and as a natural extension of my interest
and activism, have also gotten involved in the animal rights
movement to a lesser degree. I've spoken at animal rights
conferences and participated in demonstrations and attended
a few protests at animal research labs. I've even handed out
flyers at a local circus event which is an act of courage when one
knows the first names of all of the police in a town in which
I once served as a volunteer firefighter. In reviewing much that
has been written and done regarding animal rights in America,
I've come upon one poorly written animal rights constitution.
Although the effort was a noble one, the final result was dismal.

I am exploring the concept of writing comprehensive Bill of Rights
for animals and a Constitution for animal rights that will act
as a supporting document for vegetarianism as well as a definitive
and defining document for all of the creative forms of animal abuse
conceived by those who sit atop the food chain.

Robert Cohen
i4crob@...