The Constitution Under Siege

Embark on a Journey Through America's Constitutional Crisis Imagine a nation where the promise of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" has been undermined by the very institutions tasked with its protection. "Governing Against Freedom: Our Constitution Under Siege" is not just another book about political discord; it is an eye-opening expedition into the heart of America's constitutional turmoil. Step into the shadows with Chapter 1, where the chilling rise of government overreach is laid bare. From historical encroachments to the Patriot Act's far-reaching implications, you'll see liberty's battleground through case studies that will make your heart pound with urgency. In Chapter 2, the Constitution is decoded, not as a relic, but as the living document it was meant to be. The Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments are explored, revealing the deep wisdom of our founders-and the places where we have strayed dangerously off course. Witness the fracture lines spreading across the First Amendment in Chapter 3, as you navigate the precariously thin ice of free speech in modern America. Feel the tension as action against our voices grows, threatening to silence the very cornerstone of democracy. Chapter 4 dives into the Second Amendment, where the right to bear arms is not just about guns, but about the fundamental tenets of freedom. Here, the culture war over guns is revealed not as a simple policy dispute, but a reflection of a nation at a crossroads. The journey doesn't end there-privacy, property, due process, fair trials, and all the way through to how citizens can rise up to restore balance-are all scrutinized. Each chapter peels back layers of governmental power plays, uncovering the alarming reality of a Constitution under siege. As you turn the final page of "Governing Against Freedom: Our Constitution Under Siege", armed with knowledge from the concluding chapter on the path to reclaiming the republic, you'll find yourself awakened, inspired, and eager to join the ranks of those who fight for the founding principles of this great nation. It's time for the truths we hold self-evident to once again be self-evident. This is a call to those who value their freedoms: engage with a book that doesn't just outline problems but illuminates the path to becoming a catalyst for constitutional restoration. Your voice is needed more than ever. This battle for the soul of our Constitution cannot be won from the sidelines.

The Constitution Under Siege is a provocative teaching instrument that uses law, history, and politics to test what the law arguably "is" against assertions of what it "ought" to be. It examines the questionable impulses of presidents, members of Congress, the military, and intelligence agencies to bend or break the Constitution and the laws. In questioning the legitimacy of raw assertions of unaccountable power, the editors reject both the illustrative case approach of political scientists and precedent-driven approach of lawyers, supplementing key court cases with historically-rich essays, notes, and questions. These essays explain where our nation's "first principles" came from, and why they became imbedded, at least until recently, in our laws and institutions. Above all, these materials will prompt the reader to ask how, and by what authority, presidents, Congress, and even courts have come to allow the military and secret agencies to kidnap, torture, assassinate, or secretly detain citizens or aliens, and to use military and para-military force without running afoul of the Constitution and its Bill of Rights. "This superb book, written by two of the nation's most acute analysts of law and politics, provides readers with materials indispensable to an understanding of the many dubious assertions of governmental power, by both presidents and Congress, that have rocked the foundations of our republic. ... It is must reading for all those concerned about the future of constitutional government." -- David Gray Adler, James McClure Professor of Public Policy at the University of Idaho "The Constitution Under Siege offers unparalleled insights arising from the authors' singular mastery of documents, events, and law. From the Barbary pirates to Islamic terrorism, no single source more definitively instructs the reader as it interweaves American law and policy abroad. This is an indispensable book." -- Robert J. Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor, SUNY, Cortland

A critical look at the current state of the media in the United States, emphasizing both its capacity for self-examination and its function in society, from its earliest colonial roots to the modern explosion of digital technology. "The most readable and most comprehensive volume I have ever read on the subject of the press. . . . Fascinating and indispensable".--William F. Buckley, Jr.

The Internet gives us information, communication options, shopping opportunities, entertainment, and much more--all at the touch of a fingertip and much of it for free. But in exchange for these benefits, we may be losing a basic right: the right to privacy. By clicking to accept website user agreements, we often allow companies to track our activities online and to share our data with outside groups. In addition, the police and government agencies can also track people online--and this tracking is sometimes done secretly, without user agreements or search warrants. Privacy laws and the US Constitution are supposed to protect privacy in the United States, as are laws and conventions in other parts of the world. But judicial and legal systems have not kept pace with technology. And until laws catch up, users enter a legal gray area when they communicate digitally--an arena in which their most private conversations might not be protected from intrusion. Such intrusion can be dangerous: government agencies can use information obtained via digital spying to harass, arrest, or imprison citizens. Other groups can use private digital data to discriminate in banking, housing, and other businesses. Around the world, critics are sounding the alarm about digital privacy. Many have called for stricter controls on data tracking. What rights do you have when it comes to privacy online? How can you be a smart cyber citizen and protect your personal digital data? These questions are at the heart of the Internet privacy debate.

Although the military has historically played a pivotal role in Latin American politics and society, until now little attention has been paid to the complex set of civilian-military relations in each country. This collection of essays, the product of a long-term research program organized by a group of prominent Latin American scholars, compares current linkages among the armed forces and local social and political structures and institutions. Within each nation studied, the contributing author found increasing military autonomy vis-a-vis the state. They show that this institutional autonomy has allowed the military to develop as independent political entities within the various countries, a process that seems to be common to all Latin American societies. Their research also demonstrates how the military diversifies itself when acquiring higher degrees of institutional autonomy. Collectively, the contributors contend that although civilian democratic forces will play a much larger role in political decisionmaking in this decade as compared to the last, it is evident that armed forces will retain a considerable share of political power. Regardless of the institutional arrangement, the military will continue to exercise significant veto power over civilian political forces. The independent military that has emerged is a new variable that must be taken into account in future analyses of Latin America's secular political crisis. By compiling the first complete analysis of Latin American military forces and their role in contemporary domestic politics, editor Augusto Varas has made a significant contribution to the study of Latin American politics. This first examination of the role of the armed forces during a period of relative political stability will be welcomed by historians and political scientists alike.