Hell No: Your Right to Dissent in 21st-Century America

by Michael Ratner, Margaret Ratner Kunstler

In the Age of Terrorism, the United States has become a much more dangerous place—for activists and dissenters, whose First Amendment rights are all too frequently abridged by the government.

In Hell No, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the country’s leading public interest law organization, offers a timely report on government attacks on dissent and protest in the United States, along with a readable and essential guide for activists, teachers, grandmothers, and anyone else who wants to oppose government policies and actions. Hell No explores the current situation of attacks upon and criminalization of dissent and protest, from the surveillance of activists to the disruption of demonstrations, from the labeling of protestors as “terrorists,” to the jailing of those the government claims are giving “material support” to its perceived enemies. Offering detailed, hands-on advice on everything from “Sneak and Peak” searches to “Can the Government Monitor My Text Messages?” and what to do “If an Agent Knocks,” Hell No lays out several key responses that every person should know in order to protect themselves from government surveillance and interference with their rights.

Beginning with a preface by Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a frequent legal commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and NPR, Hell No also includes an introduction on the state of dissent today by CCR board chair Michael Ratner and Margaret Ratner Kunstler. Concluding with the controversial 2008 Mukasey FBI Guidelines, which currently regulate the government’s domestic response to dissent, Hell No is an indispensable tool in the effort to give free speech and protest meaning in a post–9/11 world.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Activism

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 2011

About the author

Attorney and President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a non-profit human rights litigation organization and president of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) based in Berlin.

He was co-counsel in representing the Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States Supreme Court, where, in June 2004, the court decided his clients have the right to test the legality of their detentions in court.

Reviews

[Readersaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a useful book!

Ratner & Kunstler are both affiliated with the a href="https://ccrjustice.org/. It is worth reading this book for the introduction to this organization alone.

Hell No covers a history of legal dissent in America, details specific acts and agencies created to curtail and criminalize dissent, and lays out citizens' rights and responsibilities when engaged in activism, or served with a search warrant or subpoena. It includes information on legal vs. illegal surveillance, and when illegally obtained evidence can still be used against you. The last section prints the Attorney General's Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations, copied directly from the DOJ website. They are included to highlight expanded FBI power to investigate just about anyone.

Read as a library book. Possibly one to purchase and keep handy!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, I only skimmed this book--even though it isn't long--then had to return it to the library. The 3 stars are because I think the author's information is important for Americans to understand, so I'm simply grateful the book was published (2011). Having said that, some of it wasn't easy for me to understand. Partly my own fault, as I was skimming, not seriously reading. The other difficulty is there are a lot of unknowns...gray areas in the laws, perhaps, or unknowns re what the government is actually keeping tabs on and how. Still in all, here is valuable info on Americans' rights to privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom to protest, and how these rights have been eroded since 9/11.