The War on Our Freedoms: Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism [Paperback]

Richard C. Leone (Author), Gregory Anrig (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1586482106 | ISBN-13: 978-1586482107 | Publication Date: June 17, 2003 | Edition: 1

In each generation, for different reasons, America witnesses a tug of war between the instinct to suppress and the instinct for openness. Today, with the perception of a mortal threat from terrorists, the instinct to suppress is in the ascendancy. Part of the reason for this is the trauma that our country experienced on September 11, 2001, and part of the reason is that the people who are in charge of our government are inclined to use the suppression of information as a management strategy.

Rather than waiting ten or fifteen years to point out what's wrong with the current rush to limit civil liberties in the name of "national security," these essays by top thinkers, scholars, journalists, and historians lift the veil on what is happening and why the implications are dangerous and disturbing and ultimately destructive of American values and ideals. Without our even being aware, the judiciary is being undermined, the press is being intimidated, racial profiling is rampant, and our privacy is being invaded. The "war on our freedoms " is just as real as the "war on terror "-and, in the end, just as dangerous.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard C.Leone is president of The Century Foundation and has served as chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, president of the New York Mercantile Exchange, and a faculty member at Princeton University. Greg Anrig, Jr. is vice president of programs at The Century Foundation and the former Washington bureau chief of Money magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (June 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586482106
• ISBN-13: 978-1586482107
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Law > Constitutional Law > Civil Rights

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prescient. Wise. Enlightening. Essential., July 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The War on Our Freedoms: Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism (Paperback)

In every era of this nation's history, there has been a small minority of wise and prescient thinkers who, unwilling to drift with the popular current, warn us of the forces threatening our basic freedoms. Labeled as agitators, often despised and feared in their own times, these are the people who take seriously the enlightened principles of the American Revolution. They said no to slavery when the rest of the nation was indifferent to it or saying yes; they protested child labor; they demanded the 8-hour day and the minimum wage; they said we must protect our air and water. Their passionate devotion to the ideals of democracy has chopped away at the greed and denial that grows in America like weeds if no one is watching. But whatever the issue, our nasty habit in this country is to ignore the voices of protest. Then we struggle and suffer and people get hurt, very hurt. Eventually the agitators of yesterday become the heroes of the new day. Why can't we learn to listen before the damage is done? This book is a compilation of essays that MUST be listened to. These people are telling us -- with passion, intelligence and good sense, and without greed or agendas and certainly without denial -- about the delicate balance between national security and civil liberties, about the crucial importance of the free trade of ideas, and the danger of popular intolerance of dissent. If we listen now we can prevent that moment for the historians of the future when they say, "How could they not have seen what was about to happen?" As Anthony Lewis says in his essay "Security and Liberty," "If we are to preserve constitutional values - the values of freedom -- understanding and resistance must come now." This book is a MUST READ for everyone who cares deeply about the direction of this nation.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for understanding the legal issues, December 20, 2003

By 

Phillip Carter "Phillip Carter" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The War on Our Freedoms: Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism (Paperback)

I read this book cover-to-cover on a flight from L.A. to New York, and found it both well-written and informative. Indeed, I thought it was such a good survey of the major legal issues in America's war on terrorism that I assigned it as required reading for my American Law & Terrorism seminar at UCLA.

This book provides the "backstory" for many of the key issues I plan to cover, such as prohibition of material support to foreign terrorist organizations and how that law squares with America's First Amendment jurisprudence. For the most part, this book takes a critical position against most of the current legal arguments advanced by the Bush Administration, e.g. that the President should be allowed to designate enemy combatants. But each article presents its argument in a fairly balanced way.

Also, the articles do a great job of explaining the law at a college-graduate level, as opposed to a lawyer's level. That's unusual for most books on the subject, and I think it makes this a must-buy for anyone interested in the subject.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Constitutional Issue, June 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The War on Our Freedoms: Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism (Paperback)

Having researched extensively about the relationship between liberty and security in the United States since September 11, 2001, I would have to say that "The War on Our Freedoms" has provided me with the most fascinating information about the issue. The book provides an account of how civil liberties continue to be rolled back beneath the feet of many citizens without much attention paid to the fact that America is quickly losing sight of its founding principles and most important values. The essays found in "The War on Our Freedoms" carefully yield a perspective on the war against terrorism that many Americans have begun to overlook. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about upholding civil liberties for all Americans and to anyone who is knowledgeable (or would like to become knowledgeable) about the importance of the system of checks and balances that our Constitution mandates.