Taking liberties : the war on terror and the erosion of American democracy /

Taking liberties : the war on terror and the erosion of American democracy /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Herman, Susan N.
Imprint:	Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2011.
Description:	ix, 276 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
Language:	English
Subject:	War on Terrorism (2001-2009) Terrorism -- Prevention -- Law and legislation -- United States. Internal security -- United States. Detention of persons -- United States. Electronic surveillance -- United States. Civil rights -- United States. War and emergency powers -- United States. War on Terrorism, 2001-2009. Civil rights. Detention of persons. Electronic surveillance. Internal security. Terrorism -- Prevention -- Law and legislation. War and emergency powers. United States.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8510421

Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:	War on terror and the erosion of American democracy
ISBN:	9780199782543 (hardback) 0199782547 (hardback)
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"Since 9/11, the U.S. government has acted in a variety of ways--some obvious, some nearly invisible--to increase its surveillance and detention power over American citizens and residents. While most of us have made our peace with the various new restrictions on our civil liberties after 9/11, we have done it without really understanding what those restrictions are or the extent of their reach. Moreover, we tend to think that if the national security state overreaches, we shouldn't worry--the courts will come to the rescue and rein it in. In Taking Liberties, Susan Herman explains how this came to be. Beginning in late 2001, the Bush Administration undertook a series of measures, some of which were understandable and valid given the context, to expand federal surveillance authority. Yet as she shows through a series of gripping episodes involving ordinary Americans, they overreached to the point eroding basic constitutional liberties. Herman spells out in vivid detail why all Americans should be worried about the governmental dragnet that has slowly and at times imperceptibly expanded its coverage over the American public. The erosion of civil liberties doesn't just impact immigrants, Americans of Middle Eastern descent, or Guantanamo detainees, but any American who appears to be engaging in provocative political activity. Taking Liberties is a wake-up call for all Americans, who remain largely unaware of the post-9/11 surveillance regime's insidious and continuing growth"--Provided by publisher.

Description
Summary:	In this eye-opening work, the president of the ACLU takes a hard look at the human and social costs of the War on Terror. A decade after 9/11, it is far from clear that the government's hastily adopted antiterrorist tactics - such as the Patriot Act - are keeping us safe, but it is increasingly clear that these emergency measures in fact have the potential to ravage our lives - and have already done just that to countless Americans. From the Oregon lawyer falsely suspected of involvement with terrorism in Spain to the former University of Idaho football player arrested on the pretext that he was needed as a "material witness" (though he was never called to testify), this book is filled with unsettling stories of ordinary people caught in the government's dragnet. These are not just isolated mistakes in an otherwise sound program, but demonstrations of what can happen when our constitutional protections against government abuse are abandoned. Whether it's running a chat room, contributing to a charity, or even urging a terrorist group to forego its violent tactics, activities that should be protected by the First Amendment can now lead to prosecution. Blacklists and watchlists keep people grounded at airports and strand American citizens abroad, although these lists are rife with errors - errors that cannot be challenged. National Security Letters allow the FBI to demand records about innocent people from libraries, financial institutions, and internet service providers without ever going to court. Government databanks now brim with information about every aspect of our private lives, while efforts to mount legal challenges to these measures have been stymied. Barack Obama, like George W. Bush, relies on secrecy and exaggerated claims of presidential prerogative to keep the courts and Congress from fully examining whether these laws and policies are constitutional, effective, or even counterproductive. Democracy itself is undermined. This book is a wake-up call for all Americans, who remain largely unaware of the post-9/11 surveillance regime's insidious and continuing growth.
Physical Description:	ix, 276 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:	9780199782543 0199782547