In Defense of Our America, Anthony D. Romero
In Defense of Our America, Anthony D. Romero
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In Defense of Our America
The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror

Author: Anthony D. Romero, Dina Temple-Raston

Narrator: Michael Prichard

Unabridged: 7 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/18/2007


Synopsis

From Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, and award-winning journalist Dina Temple-Raston, In Defense of Our America takes a critical look at civil liberties in this country at a time when constitutional freedoms are in peril. Using the stories of real Americans on the frontlines of the fight for civil liberties, In Defense of Our America provides a look at the dangerous erosion of the Bill of Rights in the age of terror.
Against the backdrop of post-9/11 America, readers are taken behind the scenes of some of the most important civil liberties cases in America. From the story of the "American Taliban" to the battle against the National Security Agency's warrantless spying program, In Defense of Our America tracks a roster of skirmishes in the larger fight for civil liberties in this country. It tracks an effort in Pennsylvania to force religion into the public school science curriculum and tells the story of South Dakota's attempts to place an outright ban on abortions in the state.

In a narrative that allows the characters to tell the story, In Defense of Our America offers the first inside look at the Lindh family as they saw their son and brother, John Walker Lindh, emerge as a symbol of America's battle against Islamic fundamentalism. It follows Joshua Dratel, a defense attorney at the center of many legal battles over the rights of individuals suspected of terrorism, and tells the story of a modern-day Scopes trial in Dover, Pennsylvania. The book tracks the case of Matthew Limon, a gay teenager sentenced to seventeen years for having consensual oral sex with a younger teenage boy in Kansas, and looks behind the reports of a broken judicial system in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

In Defense of Our America chronicles the stories of an array of colorful characters to illustrate the state of play in today's fight for civil liberties, including Cecelia Fire Thunder, the Sioux president who wanted to open an abortion clinic on her South Dakota reservation, and high school science teacher Bertha Spahr, who defied a school board dominated by fundamentalist Christians by taking a stand against "intelligent design."

With unparalleled access to key players in some of the landmark tests of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, In Defense of Our America weaves together a compelling narrative that provides an unusually full look at the fight for civil liberties as Americans struggle to protect their rights and ensure their security.

About Anthony D. Romero

Anthony D. Romero is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation's premier defender of liberty and individual freedom. An attorney with a history of public-interest activism, Romero was named one of Time magazine's Twenty-five Most Influential Hispanics in America and has received dozens of public service awards and an honorary doctorate from the City University of New York School of Law. He is a member of the New York Bar Association and has sat on numerous nonprofit boards.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jenny

Another NPR interview teaser... sounded amazing, yet disturbing. I think this is going to be at the top of the "up next" list. Now that i've completed it...it really was amazing and disturburbing. Everyone.. please read this and have a greater understanding of our country, our constitution, and the A......more

Goodreads review by Paul

This book looks at the current state of civil liberties in America, by exploring case studies of several different types of cases. Matthew Limon is a gay teenager from Kansas who was sentenced to a seventeen-year prison term for having consensual sex with a boy three years younger. If his sex partner......more

“The ACLU sought to release the names of immigrants who were detained and deported. In response, the Bush administration closed all deportation hearings (7) [take on intelligent design – 53] [The Puzzle Palace by James Bamford] [TALON database] “Many of the other prisoners were there, baking in the......more

Goodreads review by Heather

The author claims the book was written like a novel, with the characters telling the story of the loss of liberties we Americans are facing, and allowing to happen, in our post-9/11 society. I am a believer in this fact, but unfortunately the disjointed format of the book distilled the power of the......more