New York Times Sunday Interview: Anthony Lewis
The issue of free speech has become prevalent in recent years due to the general curb on civil liberties by the Bush administration. A false dichotomy between civil liberties and security has been created by neo-conservatives (and more than a few “liberals?) who want to maintain their power. Individuals like Anthony Lewis, the former New York Times op-ed columnist, have been addressing the history of civil liberties in recent years to place the post-9/11 tightening of liberties in context. Mr. Lewis was the subject of this week’s New York Times Magazine interview by Deborah Solomon.
The subject of the interview is Lewis’ book “Freedom for Thought We Hate? which provides an exhaustive history of the First Amendment. Solomon’s line of questioning helps bring out the essentials of the book including the origins of civil liberties restriction during the Adams administration. As someone who has studied civil liberties at the undergraduate and graduate level, I agree with Lewis’ assertion that the issues of curbing free speech and other liberties are not exclusive to the 20th century. The freedom from wrongful imprisonment was waived by the Lincoln administration in the Civil War and the jingoism of the Spanish-American War made informal empire a reality for the next century.
Anthony Lewis states that the curb of civil liberties during the Bush administration is not nearly as bad as the limits placed by the Wilson administration during World War I. I am not certain about this assertion because there is no critical distance from the Bush years. It is difficult to make historical comparisons and analogies when you are in the midst of a political current. I would rephrase Lewis’ comment to say that the abuses of human rights by President Bush have been worse while civil liberties were violated in higher volume by Woodrow Wilson. I am looking forward to reading Lewis’ book and celebrate my right to free speech thereafter by continuing this blog.
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