Civil Liberties & Privacy

The Jackboots Are Coming

by John W. Whitehead June 21, 2019

“Never has our future been more unpredictable, never have we depended so much on political forces that cannot be trusted to follow the rules of common sense and self-interest—forces that look like sheer insanity, if judged by the standards of other centuries.” ― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism How do you persuade a populace to embrace ...

Know Your Rights or You Will Lose Them

by John W. Whitehead December 12, 2018

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” — Thomas Jefferson We are approaching critical mass, the point at which all hell breaks loose. The government is pushing us ever closer to a constitutional crisis. What makes the outlook so much bleaker is the ...

Guilt by Musical Association

by James Bovard December 1, 2017

Should the feds be permitted to treat anyone who is not a choirboy like a criminal suspect? Unfortunately, local, state, and federal agencies have a long history of targeting, harassing, and entrapping fans of untraditional music. Because so many innocuous activities have become criminalized in recent decades, it has never been easier for the feds to tar any group ...

Janet Reno: Saint or Tyrant?

by James Bovard June 1, 2017

When former Attorney General Janet Reno died last November, the media heaped praise on her as if she had been justice incarnate. Reno had long enjoyed sainthood inside the Beltway; the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia even created a Janet Reno Torchbearer Award. But Reno’s record of deceit, brutality, and power grabs should not be forgotten ...

The Imperial President’s Toolbox of Terror

by John W. Whitehead October 13, 2016

“When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.”—Richard Nixon Presidents don’t give up power. Executive orders don’t expire at the end of each presidential term. And every successive occupant of the Oval Office since George Washington, who issued the first executive order, has expanded the reach and power of the presidency. The Constitution invests the ...

Americans Toss Lady Liberty Overboard during Crises

by Ted Galen Carpenter November 1, 2015

Americans take great pride in their country’s commitment to the values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. At the top of that list are the rights enumerated in the first ten amendments to the Constitution — the Bill of Rights. Americans are fond of contrasting the protections that freedom of speech, due process of law, equal ...

The Libertarian Angle: Civil Liberties and the National Security State

by Future of Freedom Foundation February 23, 2015

Each week, FFF president Jacob Hornberger and FFF vice president Sheldon Richman discuss the hot topics of the day. This week: civil liberties and the national security state. The Libertarian Angle airs weekly. Go to the podcast.

Crisis, Leviathan, and the National Security State (video)

by Robert Higgs February 28, 2014

"Crisis, Leviathan, and the National Security State" by Robert Higgs was a speech sponsored by The Future of Freedom Foundation February 15, 2014 at the 2014 International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington D.C.

Is the National Security Agency Out of Control? (video)

by Jameel Jaffer February 27, 2014

"Is the National Security Agency Out of Control?" by Jameel Jaffer was a speech sponsored by The Future of Freedom Foundation February 15, 2014 at the 2014 International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington D.C.

America at the Crossroads of Civil Liberties in the 21st Century (video)

by Jonathan Turley February 25, 2014

"America at the Crossroads of Civil Liberties in the 21st Century" by Jonathan Turley was a speech sponsored by The Future of Freedom Foundation February 15, 2014 at the 2014 International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington D.C.

Imperial Overreach and the National Security State (video)

by Future of Freedom Foundation February 24, 2014

"Imperial Overreach and the National Security State" with Oliver Stone, Peter Kuznick, and Jeremy Scahill. This panel was sponsored by The Future of Freedom Foundation February 15, 2014 at the 2014 International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington D.C.

Press About Oliver Stone-Peter Kuznick-Jeremy Scahill FFF Panel at SFL Conference

by Jacob G. Hornberger February 24, 2014

The following is a list of articles written about the FFF panel at the Students for Liberty conference in Washington, D.C., on February 14-16, 2014. The panel consisted of Oliver Stone, the Academy Award Winning Hollywood director, Peter Kuznick, Stone's collaborator on their Showtime series "Untold History," and Jeremy Scahill, whose film "Dirty Wars" received an Academy Award nomination ...