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December 14, 2015|Encryption, Prosecutorial Discretion, severability

Checking the Government with Anti-Severability Provisions

by Mike Rappaport|

The federal government has been arguing that the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino require that it be able to circumvent encryption of messages, something they have sought for a long time.  A cynic might argue that they see their opportunity and are seizing it.

But let’s assume that they actually need the access to encrypted messages to combat terrorism.  How can the government be monitored so that the acquired information is not used for other purposes, such as non-terror law enforcement or disclosure for political purposes?

Here is one idea.  Congress should pass a law that prohibits the use of this information for any purpose other than the prevention of terrorism.  The sanctions for a violation should be both criminal and civil.  Moreover, an Inspector General should be given the tools to uncover any such wrongdoing. 

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Book Reviews

A Mirror of the 20th-Century Congress

by Joseph Postell

Wright undermined the very basis of his local popularity—the decentralized nature of the House—by supporting reforms that gave power to the party leaders.

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The Graces of Flannery O'Connor

by Henry T. Edmondson III

O'Connor's correspondence is a goldmine of piercing insight and startling reflections on everything from literature to philosophy to raising peacocks.

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Liberty Classics

Rereading Politica in the Post-Liberal Moment

by Glenn A. Moots

Althusius offers a rich constitutionalism that empowers persons to thrive alongside one another in deliberate communities.

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James Fenimore Cooper and the American Experiment

by Melissa Matthes

In The American Democrat, James Fenimore Cooper defended democracy against both mob rule and majority tyranny.

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Podcasts

Stuck With Decadence

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Ross Douthat discusses with Richard Reinsch his new book The Decadent Society.

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Can the Postmodern Natural Law Remedy Our Failing Humanism?

A discussion with Graham McAleer

Graham McAleer discusses how postmodern natural law can help us think more coherently about human beings and our actions.

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Did the Civil Rights Constitution Distort American Politics?

A discussion with Christopher Caldwell

Christopher Caldwell discusses his new book, The Age of Entitlement.

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America, Land of Deformed Institutions

A discussion with Yuval Levin

Yuval Levin pinpoints that American alienation and anger emerges from our weak political, social, and religious institutions.

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