In his new book, Nat Hentoff decries the federal government’s assault on the civil liberties of Americans in the aftermath of the 9–11 terrorist attacks. Patriot I, Patriot II, Operation TIPs, and the Total Information Awareness System share one common objective: increased domestic surveillance, with minimal judicial supervision. Hentoff also chronicles the rise of citizens’ groups that have been protesting government encroachment. Although there has been little coverage in the major media, “Bill of Rights Defense Committees” have now spread to nearly one hundred cities and towns nationwide. Please join us for a discussion of how the federal government has been responding to the threat posed by al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.