Lost Liberties: Ashcroft and the Assault on Personal Freedom [Paperback]

Cynthia Brown (Editor), Aryeh Neier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

Thirteen leading experts confront the justice department's assault on civil liberties.

To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists.—Attorney General John Ashcroft

In the wake of September 11, John Ashcroft's Justice Department has presided over an unprecedented assault on the civil liberties established in the Bill of Rights. Enacted in haste and, at times, in partial secrecy, the legislation and orders have not been carefully examined, and their implications are only now beginning to surface. Not since the internment of Japanese-Americans during the 1940s have we witnessed such abridgement of American rights.

Some of the fundamental changes to Americans' legal rights by the Bush administration and the USA Patriot Act following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks; from the Associated Press, September 5, 2002:

&$149; Freedom from Unreasonable Searches—Government may search and seize Americans' papers and effects without probable cause to assist terror investigation.
&$149; Right to a Speedy and Public Trial—Government may jail Americans indefinitely without a trial.
&$149; Right to Liberty— Americans may be jailed without being charged or being able to confront witnesses against them.
&$149; Freedom of Association— Government may monitor religious and political institutions without suspecting criminal activity.
&$149; Freedom of Information—Government has closed once-public immigration hearings, secretly detained hundreds of people without charges, and encouraged bureaucrats to resist public records requests.

While the loss of liberties has been met with apathy by the press and public alike, the lawyers and analysts in Lost Liberties provide a detailed, comprehensive look at the USA Patriot Act, chronicling the destructive impact of crackdowns on thousands of Americans and revisiting the ugly history of political repression in times of crisis. Featuring original contributions from David Cole, Michael Tomasky, Nancy Chang, Kenneth Roth, and Anthony Romero, Lost Libertieswill be a critical text for those who want to know in advance the long-term implications of these drastic measures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Most Americans are probably unaware of the scope of the 2001 U.S.A. PATRIOT Act, an attempt to safeguard the country against future terrorist attacks. In contrast, each of the 13 authors of this series of essays, many of whom are lawyers with groups devoted to protecting civil liberties such as the Center for Constitutional Rights, is totally immersed in the act's most arcane provisions. Animated by passion, and informed by considerable intellect, the essays catalogue a long list of civil liberties central to a democratic society that, in their view, have been sacrificed in the Bush administration's haste to strengthen national security. The list of casualties includes both collective rights (the rights to political dissent, to an open government and to be free of government surveillance) and individual rights (such as the right to a lawyer and trial when charged with a crime). Many of the essays recognize that the U.S. government has at times suspended civil rights, as with the internment of Japanese in WWII and during the McCarthy hearings, but they argue that these policies were wrong and ineffective, and should serve as cautionary tales, not models. The most effective essays are about people caught in Kafkaesque detentions and procedures by various administration policies. The essays, gathered by Brown, former program director for Human Rights Watch, are explicitly designed to provide arguments to those who agree that the forfeiture of civil liberties presents a greater long-term danger to our freedom than terrorism. Readers sympathetic to the Bush Administration may find the essays naive and infuriating.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Cynthia Brown, former program director of Human Rights Watch, is now a freelance consultant and editor based in New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: The New Press (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565848292
• ISBN-13: 978-1565848290
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,540,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Writing, July 30, 2004

By 

Homie G (Planet 9) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Liberties: Ashcroft and the Assault on Personal Freedom (Paperback)

Every once in a while a compilation will come out that is an actual literary work.

Whether you agree or not with the content, the writing is excellennt. Well writen, informative and intelligent.

Now for the content.

"These events have taught us the not altogether surprising lesson that when the government is allowed to avoid the safeguards designed to protect the innocent, many innocents suffer."

There are a few good examples of history when the US has pushed the boundaries and has paid the price. These lessons learned are discussed and analyzed with our present situation. There are good examples and explanations of certain sections of the Patriot Act and what the possible ramifications are.

While I agree the scrutiny to our security is important it is increasingly important that the checks and balances put in place by the people who learned the lessons of the past are used to protect the innocent fish pull up by the gill nets.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessary Evils, January 6, 2005

By 

Anna Mosity (Norfolk, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Liberties: Ashcroft and the Assault on Personal Freedom (Paperback)

- Do you think Americans should be able to publicly criticize their government?
- Do you think our government should be able to persecute Americans who dare to do so?

If you've ever been a victim of U.S. authorities (for embracing policies in opposition to the new right), this book will help you understand why it is now perfectly legal.
This book is well written and provides vital scrutiny of questionable incursions by the Bush Administration. It outlines specific issues where Ashcroft and Bush have injected their personal theologies into public policy under the guise of public safety. The attentive reader recognizes it's underlying theme; when morality is mandated, morality looses it's merit. Sanctioned morality is oppression. If you are alarmed by our government's persecution of American citizens who dare to criticize their hidden agendas, you will enjoy this read.

15 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars John Ashcroft and the war on the US Constitution., February 4, 2004

By 

Augustus Caesar, Ph.D. (Eugene, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Liberties: Ashcroft and the Assault on Personal Freedom (Paperback)

Why does John Ashcroft hate the constitution?

Could it be because it guarantees freedom of religion, when Ashcroft would prefer an evangelical Christian theocracy?

Could it be because it guarantees freedom of speech, and Ashcroft feels speech should be reserved solely for those who donate to the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign?

Could it be because the constitution doesn't differentiate based on sex, class, or color, when Ashcroft differentiates based on each of these categories?

Could it be all of the above? Of course it could. And it is. Four more years with Reich Minister Ashcroft as our attorney general, and the constitution could be reduced to a modern version of the Nuremberg laws.

Boy, would he love that.