by Nat Hentoff

About the author: Nat Hentoff is a columnist for the Village Voice, and the Washington Post and is the author of Free Speech for Me—but Not for Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other.

In the wake of the horrors in Oklahoma City, in April 1995, we are in a time of great anger—and great fear. Predictably, as in other such periods in American history, there is a mounting assault from legislators and the president on our basic liberties of association, speech, and privacy.

Calls for Increased Government Power

Bill Clinton, for instance, has called for increased government power to infiltrate, monitor, and engage in surveillance of “suspect” groups and individuals. He wants more money from Congress to provide law-enforcement personnel with the latest generation...