Land of the Free?

Jonathan Turley questions whether we are still the land of the free. He raises ten issues where he feels our freedoms have been diminished.

Assassination of U.S. citizens

The president now has the authority to order the assassination of anybody, including American citizens and he has exercised that authority.

Indefinite detention

You've got a better chance of being tried in a court of law if you are a citizen charged with serial murders than if you are declared a terrorist. "Terrorists" can be kept in jail forever. Of course, the question of who is a terrorist is important. At Guantanamo we have detained many who were called a terrorist by their neighbor.

Arbitrary justice

More presidential authority: The president decides whether you are tried in a court of law or a military tribunal. Stacking the deck against "terrorists"?

Warrantless searches

Big Brother can be watching you at any time. The president does not need a warrant to put you under surveillance. He can also force companies and other organizations to turn over whatever information they have on you, no matter how innocuous that information may be.

Secret evidence

Certain things must be kept secret, especially classified information that would harm national security. Of course, the government makes that decision to use secret information against you or to shield itself from being sued by you.

War crimes

If we torture someone, it is not a crime. If another country does, it may be a crime. We only torture for the good of the nation.

Secret court

Our secret court, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, has expanded its secret warrants to include individuals deemed to be aiding or abetting hostile foreign governments or organizations.

Immunity from judicial review
How much privacy do we have if we can't sue those companies and organizations that have given our private information to the government?

Continual monitoring of citizens

GPS is great for getting to unknown destinations. The government also uses it to check us as we are driving to these destinations. They do not need a warrant to do so. 1984?

Extraordinary renditions

If you're a really bad terrorist - or, maybe just someone accused of terrorism, we can send you to countries which are more skilled in torture than we are.

It's a hell of a list. The 21st century will go down as the century of fear if we keep believing that the best way to remain the land of the free is to limit our freedoms.