Twilight of Liberty: Legacy of the ACLU

By William A. Donohue

Book Overview

Twilight of Liberty is a sequel to Donohue's highly regarded The Politics of the American Civil Liberties Union, but with a marked change in emphasis. Instead of challenging the ACLU's nonpartisan reputation, as he did in the earlier volume, Donohue now seeks to demonstrate why and how recent ACLU policy undermines the process of liberty. He argues that the ACLU, by relentlessly warring with mediating institutions, and by pushing a radical individualism in its policies, is not making us more, but less free. Two conceptions of liberty are discussed. The first considers the social context in which the struggle for freedom takes place. It maintains that freedom is best achieved through a delicate balancing of individual rights with the legitimate needs of the social order. The other conception of liberty is atomistic, exclusively concerned with the rights of the individual. According to Donohue, such a definition assures the triumph of the state over the mediating institutions of society, thus reducing prospects for freedom. This is the first book to critically analyze contemporary ACLU policy and to challenge its reputation as the preeminent voice of freedom in the United States. It aims to move beyond the idea that freedom is best served by pushing individual rights to extremes. Twilight of Liberty will appeal to scholars in the fields of law, social policy, and culture. Students in civil liberties courses will also find this book a valuable resource.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156000049X
• ISBN13: 9781560000495
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Insightful

Donohue dissects the machinations of the pre-eminent civil liberties organization from many perspectives -- family, churches, the private sector, criminals, the homeless -- and does an excellent job backing up his points with numerous sources. His argument is quite credible that, far from being concerned about the Bill of Rights for individuals, the ACLU delves head first into egalitarianism, embracing the creed of equal *group* rights that frequently contradict many of the Union's stated liberty values.If the Union is so concerned about the Bill of Rights -- especially the 1st Amendment -- why doesn't it respect the rest of the Constitution's goals? For example, since the Bill of Rights was written as a guarantee of protection for the individual *from* government, how does the ACLU advocate that the 2nd Amendment is a *collective* right? Why does it consistently advocate governmental interference into the private sector at almost every turn in order to promote nebulous ideals? Donohue's exposing of the many 180 degree turns the Union has taken on various issues is a jaw-dropper. I would have liked, perhaps, to have seen more of a balance as to what the ACLU has done *positively* w/regards to Donohue's selected topics. He basically cites only glossed-over generalities as to what the Union has done, usually in the opening paragraph of a chapter -- before diving right into the thrashing of his target. Sure, it's obvious what Mr. Donohue wants to do, but it would have read better, in my opinion, with more anecdotes from the other view.