by the National Coalition Against Censorship

About the author: The National Coalition Against Censorship is an alliance of organizations that advocates the protection of the First Amendment.

Here in New York, there were a few sources of comfort in the weeks after September 11, 2001: victims, firefighters, police and other rescue workers heroically risked, and some lost, their lives for others. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (even though he’s not so hot on the First Amendment) provided notable leadership to New Yorkers coping with unprecedented disaster.

As we dig out and try to restore normalcy, even though threats proliferate around the country, civil libertarians and others have begun to ask not only what harm terrorists may yet inflict, but also what damage will be self-inflicted in response to this threat. Individual liberties have historically been...