Throughout this country's history, the phrase National Security has often been used as a pretext for massive violations of individual rights. In the name of national security, President Wilson authorized the round-up and deportation of thousands of foreign-born suspected "radicals" during the Palmer Raids; and President Franklin Roosevelt interned 120,000 Japanese Americans. Most recently, the terrorist attacks on September 11 mobilized much of our country in the fight against terrorism. However, this wave of "anti-terrorist" activity, all in the name of national security, also launched one of the most serious civil liberties crises our nation has ever seen. An immutable characteristic of our nation is freedom. If we allow the interests of National Security to take away our freedoms, we surrender what it is to be an American. Legal CasesPress ReleasesAction AlertseventsOther
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