CIVIL LIBERITES

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 371, S. 38-58

Abstract

Our pol'al instit's are based on certain moral principles. Some are stated in the Constitution; others, unmentioned, are necessary to give 'breathing space' to those enumerated. The freedoms expressly stated may be interpreted as expressions of even more fundamental values. The Constitution also protects the traditions & collective conscience of our people. However, it is not enough for a nation to profess to be a democracy. Totalitarian states have made the same profession. A nation must look at the facts to estimate the degree to which it lives by its ideals. We have, on the one hand, our values, &, on the other, a considerable amount of data which show how inadequately the values are fulfilled. There is an unconscionable lag of time between proof of malfunction & its cure. The problem is, then, to get the guardians of our goals to read the indicators. There are enough instances of honest gov'al reporting to warrant the calculated risks of relying on it. We also have private watchdog org's interested in civil liberties, & their efficiency is shown in their record. Watchdogs-like the presidential vetoare built into our pol'al system, & independent observers of our nat'l scene also contribute to raising our sights. However, there still remains a need for a privately financed org for res into civil liberties. HA.