Civil Liberties & Privacy

A New Federal War on Dissent?

by James Bovard August 1, 2005

On October 15, 2003, the FBI sent Intelligence Bulletin #89 to 17,000 local and state law-enforcement agencies around the country. The bulletin warned of pending marches in Washington and San Francisco against Bush’s Iraq policy and stated, While the FBI possesses no information indicating that violent or terrorist activities are ...

The Most Important Argument against the Draft

by Anthony Gregory July 11, 2005

As neoconservatives and some “liberals” contemplate bringing back the draft, it is time for all friends of liberty to prepare for a national debate of the utmost importance. Restoring conscription would be a monumental assault on individual liberty in America, one of the worst asaults since the ...

“Liberal” Court Okays Eminent Domain Abuse

by George Leef July 1, 2005

On June 23, the Supreme Court delivered its much-anticipated decision in Kelo v. City of New London. The case squarely presented an important constitutional issue — whether it is permissible for units of government to use the power of eminent domain to ...

Max Boot’s Recruiting Plan Deserves the Boot

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 17, 2005

Max Boot, one of the most ardent boosters of the U.S. government’s invasion of Iraq and one of the most pro-empire proponents you’ll ever find, is lamenting the difficulty that military recruiters are having in signing up young American men to give their lives for foreign democracy and ...

The Backdoor to Military Rule in America

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 1, 2005

Without any doubt, the most dangerous threat to the freedom of the American people in our lifetime lies with what might be called the Padilla doctrine, an exercise of such raw military power that, if upheld, will totally transform life in America as we know it. Unfortunately most Americans remain blissfully unaware of the ominous implications of this doctrine. On ...

Foreign Policy Threatens Our Freedom

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 25, 2005

There are four important pending U.S. terrorism legal cases, which separately and together present ominous and dangerous threats to the freedom of the American people. The Jose Padilla case Padilla is an American civilian who was initially arrested at the international airport in Chicago and held as a “material witness” in ...

Henry David Thoreau and “Civil Disobedience,” Part 3

by Wendy McElroy May 1, 2005

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Thoreau’s criticism is aimed at the form of obedience that springs from a genuine respect for the authority of the state. This obedience says, “The law is the law and should be respected regardless of content.” Through such attitudes, otherwise good men become agents of injustice. Thoreau dissects the notion that ...

Book Review — Against Leviathan

by Doug Bandow May 1, 2005

Against Leviathan: Government Power and a Free Society by Robert Higgs (Independent Institute, 2004); 405 pages; $18.95. The era of big government is over, famously proclaimed President Bill Clinton. Alas, a decade later Leviathan is still with us, an ever-present threat to our liberties. In his new book, Against Leviathan: Government Power ...

Book Review: Against Leviathan

by George Leef May 1, 2005

Against Leviathan: Government Power and a Free Society by Robert Higgs (Independent Institute, 2004); 405 pages; $18.95. Readers familiar with the writings of the 16th-century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes will immediately understand the thrust of this exceptional book. Hobbes attempted to justify an ...

The Bill of Rights: Unenumerated Rights

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 1, 2005

A common misconception among the American people is that their rights come from the Constitution. Even lawyers and judges are guilty of believing this, oftentimes suggesting that whether a right exists or not depends on whether it is listed in the Constitution. Law-enforcement agents read criminal suspects “their constitutional rights,” which ...

An End to Eminent Domain Abuse?

by George Leef April 1, 2005

Among the many ways in which American citizens have become less secure at the hands of government is the possibility that they will be victimized by eminent domain. At one time limited only to seizures of land necessary for some public use — and then only with ...

Henry David Thoreau and “Civil Disobedience,” Part 2

by Wendy McElroy April 1, 2005

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Although many Quaker writers had argued from conscience for civil disobedience against war and slavery, Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” essay is not tied to a particular religion or to a specific issue. It is a secular call for the inviolability of conscience on all issues, and this aspect may ...