Terrorism & The Constitution, Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security

New Revised 2002 Edition with Analysis of the new war on terrorism sparked by the attacks of September 11, 2001, including the USA PATRIOT Act. The events of September 11 exposed us all to vulnerabilities that we had previously not appreciated. This book maintains that it is all the more critical that we respond in principled and intelligent ways to the new threat of terrorism. It warns that many of the new anti-terrorism efforts are fundamentally flawed. They needlessly sacrifice civil liberties, with little consideration of what went wrong in the past and what will be effective in the future in fighting terrorism.

Dempsey and Cole provide an important historical perspective on the government's recent efforts by analyzing past investigations and prosecutions in the name of fighting communism and terrorism. By considering the post-September 11 developments with vivid examples of past abuses, they argue that we can and must fight terrorism without indulging in guilt by association, political spying, and unchecked federal powers, and that we will be safer in the long run if we adhere to these restraints.