From early strikes for better working conditions and unionization to the current erosion of civil liberties in the name of homeland security, the federal government continues its long history of intimidation and incarceration, ignoring the constitution. Bud and Ruth Schultz present a compelling, often eye-opening photo documentary showcasing the people and their causes that got them prosecuted by the same government that was supposed to protect their rights. These sobering, first-person accounts of persecution, imprisonment and violence cover a timeline from 1916-2006 and will challenge your notion that America is the land of the free.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the US pursued an aggressive policy of stripping its citizens of Japanese ancestry of their property and locking them up in what was euphemistically called internment camps. When Fred Korematsu refused to comply, the government generated falsified evidence to justify locking him up. Lest you be lulled into thinking such things can’t happen today, think again as illustrated by Jaoudat Abouazza, a Canadian citizen arrested in 2002 as a terrorist for having a poster in his car. Abouazza was held for 41 days during which time he was not allowed legal council, placed in solitary confinement, drugged, beaten and tortured. In 2005 Janet Nocek and the entire Executive Board of a public library in Connecticut refused to give the FBI their patrons’ library records without evidence of some wrongdoing. The showdown resulted in the board members being issued a permanent gag order, they cannot even consult with a lawyer, this in the face of a federal judge ruling the order unconstitutional. Whether it’s communists, terrorists or the new pet flavor of the day, the United States continues a long history of suppression with frightening efficiency. Anyone concerned about civil rights, the Constitution and the role of government should turn their attention to this collection.
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