Rule of Law, Misrule of Men

This book is a passionate call for citizen action to uphold the rule oflaw when government does not. Arguing that post-9/11 legislation and foreign policysevered the executive branch from the will of the people, Elaine Scarry in Rule ofLaw, Misrule of Men offers a fierce defense of the people's role as guarantor of ourdemocracy. She begins with the groundswell of local res

This book is a passionate call for citizen action to uphold the rule oflaw when government does not. Arguing that post-9/11 legislation and foreign policysevered the executive branch from the will of the people, Elaine Scarry in Rule ofLaw, Misrule of Men offers a fierce defense of the people's role as guarantor of ourdemocracy. She begins with the groundswell of local resistance to the 2001 PatriotAct, when hundreds of towns, cities, and counties passed resolutions refusingcompliance with the information-gathering the act demanded, showing that citizenscan take action against laws that undermine the rights of citizens and noncitizensalike. Scarry, once described in the New York Times Sunday Magazine as "knownfor her unflinching investigations of war, torture, and pain," then turns tothe conduct of the Iraqi occupation, arguing that the Bush administration led thecountry onto treacherous moral terrain, violating the Geneva Conventions and thearmed forces' own most fundamental standards. She warns of the damage done todemocracy when military personnel must choose between their own codes of warfare andthe illegal orders of their civilian superiors. If our military leaders uphold therule of law when civilian leaders do not, might we come to prefer them? Finally, reviewing what we know now about the Bush administration's crimes, Scarry insiststhat prosecution--whether local, national, or international--is essential torestoring the rule of law, and she shows how a brave town in Vermont has taken upthe challenge.Throughout the book, Scarry finds hope in moments where citizenswithheld their consent to grievous crimes, finding creative ways to stand by theirpatriotism.