Book Talk With Owen Fiss
BOOK TALK
Join author Owen Fiss for a discussion of: A WAR LIKE NO OTHER: THE CONSTITUTION IN A TIME OF TERROR.
Commentary by Harold Koh
September 11th / 3:10 -4:00pm / Sterling Law Building: Room 129
The author, who has published often about the importance of our constitutional freedoms (The Irony of Free Speech, 1996, etc.), pulls no punches in these trenchant pieces, some of which are edited versions of speeches. Because they deal with related topics (the loss of protections), they often revisit the same ground and/or individuals: Guantánamo, court cases, politicians, and administration figures such as Dick Cheney and Eric Holder. Examining the issues of habeas corpus for terror suspects, extraordinary rendition, warrantless surveillance, and targeted killing of terror suspects (via drone or otherwise), the author continually lands on the side of more rather than less freedom. Although he recognizes the dangers of the new era of stateless terror, he firmly argues that it is better to protect our freedoms of speech, privacy, and due process than to surrender them—as we have been doing since the 9/11 attacks with the subsequent statutes (the Patriot Act et al.) and court rulings that empower the government to investigate us with relative impunity. Although Fiss places principal blame on President George W. Bush, he does not exonerate President Barack Obama; the author repeatedly chides our current president for his failures to follow through on a number of his campaign promises about constitutional protections. Although the author seeks balance… In these extremely relevant pieces, Fiss once again emerges as a fierce defender of freedom. - Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15th, 2015
Sponsored by: Lillian Goldman Law Library
