Reason Magazine: Nick Gillespie- Susan Herman: 'Assassinations, Spying and The Constitution'

Source:Reason Magazine- ACLU President Susan Herman's book.

"All of our elected representatives have to hear from a broad cross section of liberals, libertarians, conservatives--people who just say, 'This is too much big government. We want our government back,'" says American Civil Liberties Union President Susan Herman, author of the new book "Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy."

How much has the police state expanded since 9/11, and is there any way to stop it? Herman sat down with Reason.tv Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie to discuss the this and other questions surrounding the state of liberty in America. Herman notes that while there have been a few minor changes in policy, for the most part there's been a remarkable continuity between the Bush and Obama administrations in terms of their disregard for civil liberties. She makes the case that liberals must make alliances with libertarians and pro-liberty conservatives like Ron Paul and Gary Johnson if there's any hope of curbing the ever-expanding police state. 

She also discusses the recent assassination of American citizen Anwar Al-Awlaki and the ACLU's role in representing Al-Awlaki's father in court." 

From Reason Magazine

The U.S Constitution is about individual liberty and preserving that and thats all. Everything in it is designed to protect our individual liberty. I mean it was written Liberals and Conservatives people who didn't like the United Kingdom and its authoritarian rule. And wanted the people to have the liberty to live their own lives and not be harassed by government and not be overtaxed. Another reason why the American rebels wanted t separate from the United Kingdom and form the United States. 

I believe the second best part of our U.S. Constitution after all the individual liberty and constitutional rights it guarantees, is how hard it is to amend it and take liberty away from the people. 2/3 vote in both chambers of Congress and then 2/3 vote in thirty four states and in their legislatures. 

Europe (to use as an example) they can amend their Constitution through (and this a technical term) by statue, meaning by law. Parliament passes a bill to amend the Constitution and then I believe the executive has to approve it and then passed passed again by Parliament. 

America is just not a comfortable political environment for Neoconservatives, Theocrats or Socialists. Because a lot of what they want to do, would be thrown out by the Supreme Court. Because it would be viewed as unconstitutional. Thats what you get when you have Liberals and Conservatives write a Constitution. 

So a lot of what these big government political factions that are sort of out but looking in at American power want to do is currently unconstitutional and for them to pass their agenda , they have to amend the Constitution with several amendments.

Justice Antonin Scalia who's not my favorite Justice on the Supreme Court, he's a Conservative and I'm a Liberal, but we do have some things in common and I have a lot of respect for Justice Scalia. Justice Stephen Breyer a Liberal is may favorite Supreme Court Justice, but when Justice Scalia says that the Constitution has been under attack, he's right in this sense, the last ten years the Federal Government has passed the Patriot Act, warrantless wiretapping, indefinite detention of terrorists suspects with not trials, torture, the Constitution has been under attack by Neoconservatives like in the Bush Administration as well as in Congress. 

Theocrats and Socialists haven't been innocent here either. They just haven't had the power to get their policies enacted in law. Theocrats wanting to bring religion closer to the State. Socialists wanting the Federal Government to have more power over the economy. And take power away from the states.

Again, if you are a fan of individual liberty both economic freedom and civil liberties, then you love the U.S. Constitution, or you should at least check it out, because its an individualist document written by Liberals and Conservatives, big believers in individual liberty. Not written for collectivists or authoritarians.