What happens to the fragile sinews of democracy when the government itself engages in criminality? From the Palmer Raids after World War 1 to the McCarthy witch-hunt to launching wars of aggression in Indochina, Washington has sought to squelch dissent. Today there are new attempts to intimidate opposition to state policies particularly the war on Iraq. Some of it is comical such as preventing someone from boarding a flight because he wore a T-shirt with Arabic on it. Much more threatening and serious is the violation of civil liberties and the Constitution with warrantless wiretapping, e-mail and postal intercepts and other forms of domestic spying.

Jules Boykoff is professor of politics and government at Pacific University. He is the author of The Suppression of Dissent. His latest book is Beyond Bullets: The Suppression of Dissent in the United States.