I didn't get a whole lot done today, but I did listen to the audiobook of In Defense of Our America by Anthony D. Romero and Dina Temple-Raston. You may recognized Romero from the ACLU, an organization I'm proud to say I'm a card-carrying member. :) The book is about civil liberties violations during the Bush administration (through 2006 when the book was written), chiefly focusing on habeas corpus issues. Not so much by arguing the cases, but by telling the stories of the people affected by them. From John Walker Lindh, to am 18-year-old Kansas man jailed for more than four years for having sex with a teen only three years younger than him (and who is still declared to be a sexual predator), to the prison system in New Orleans at the time of Katrina. And throw in the Dover trial, the South Dakota anti-abortion vote and wire-tapping for good measure. It seems like the goal of the book is to put a human face on some of these cases, to emphasize the importance for civil liberties issues in this time of the war on terror.

But, of course, Romero is talking to the choir here. I already believe in the value of civil liberties, particularly in times of hardship. I've been arguing the case with my family since day one, when they were willing to excuse things that I found to be unconscientiable. But it might be a good book for someone who needs to be convinced.