A Nation of Sheep

Does the federal government really follow it's own laws? Can the federal government really disobey the constitution in hopes of preserving the union's security? No, claims Judge Andrew Napolitano in his latest work A Nation Of Sheep. Napolitano asserts that the citizen's of the United States have been acting like sheep for quite some time now. All in the name of security, the people of the United States have been passive as the government strips them of their rights guaranteed to them in their own constitution. The Judge doesn't just blame the current executive, but traces the abuse all the way back to the revered Abraham Lincoln. To understand much of Napolitano's reasoning for rejecting the idea that the government can "take" away our freedoms to provide us security, he starts off his work with a chapter entitled "Where Does Freedom Come From?" This particular chapter outlines a theory which is dubbed natural law. "Natural law," writes Napolitano, "states that because all humans desire freedom from artificial restraint, and because all human beings yearn to be free, our freedoms stem from our very humanity, and ultimately from the Creator of humanity" (p.2). Judge Napolitano suggests that the idea that government can take away our freedoms gives the notion that the government gave us our freedom; however, according to natural law, our freedoms come from God, and not the government. Whether the reader is a theist or not, the Judge provides ample examples of what the founding fathers thought about the subject; even Jefferson, probably the least religious of all the founding fathers, seemed to have supported the natural law theory. The Judge urges the reader to the Declaration of Independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson, which is showered with references of a deity from which our freedoms stem. Even if the reader isn't a religious person, the Judge argues that it is in our very nature to be free. So, say the reader doesn't believe in the divine, he or she could certainly agree it is in our nature to be free. A firm understanding of the natural law theory is necessary for the reader to, if not agree, at least understand Judge Andrew Napolitano's angst towards the policies of our federal government. Although Napolitano spends the vast majority of his work dedicated to criticizing the current policies of our government, he reserves a good portion briefing the reader on some of the past abuses posed on the American people. Very briefly, Napolitano attacks even the very beginning's of our country's infancy. He specifically mentions the Alien and Sedition Acts passed by the Federalists. However, Napolitano pays special attention on the abuses carried out by Abraham Lincoln. Either because the Judge is particularly upset with the way Lincoln is viewed as a hero, or because he really does believe that Lincoln was more of a dictator than a president of a republic, the Judge shows no positive bias for the president. A fact that our s

Judge Napolitano is not happy. After you read A Nation of Sheep, you won't be, either. At least not about the state of our rights, freedoms and privacy in 2008 America. What you will be, if you are like me, is angry; angry to discover how poorly the U.S. Constitution has been respected and followed by the people sworn to uphold it throughout much of American history, and how the current administration is arguably the worst we have ever witnessed in this regard. Napolitano argues that they engage in this illegal and anti-American behavior because we the people let them get away with it; WE ARE the nation of sheep, and far too few of us choose to stand up and fight - become "wolves" instead. I have often watched Judge Napolitano comment on American politics and law in his role as a pundit on cable television news. I don't always agree with him, but this book is powerful and convincing. Hardly any American would argue with the notion that we live in a dangerous age, but more and more, the real question is becoming that of whence comes the greater danger to the nation, foreign lands or Washington D.C. and our own so-called public servants. READ THIS BOOK if you care about your country. True patriotism sometimes requires that we get angry in order to find the motivation we need to stand up for what counts. Judge Napolitano is standing, and he needs all of us to join him!

Despite being an experienced jurist, Judge Andrew Napolitano does not use legalese. The good judge writes in a very clear, concise easy to read style. The book reads quickly. Once you start, you cannot stop. I finished in two evenings part-time. The wise judge chronicles the systematic and rapid destruction of our Constitution, our individual rights, and our system of government. A Nation of Sheep is a must read. Are we to be wolves, like our nation's founders, willing to bite back at the hands that try to chain us; or mere sheep to be herded, controlled and led unquestionably by those who think they know better than us what is best for us? The fearless judge is certainly one of the wolves.

Another home run by the fearless New Jersey judge! From the Federalists of the Founding generation, to Dishonest Abe Lincoln, to the flag-waving "patriots" of the present, Napolitano tells how our Constitutional rights as Americans have been undermined and denied-always by leaders claiming to "protect" us. When will we ever learn that government is the enemy of liberty?

Judge Napolitano has done it again! With superb clarity he reminds us of the vast chasm between what the United States is and how the United States is meant to be. As in his prior books, the Judge chronicles the step by step erosion of our constitutional rights and now challenges each reader to stand not as a sheep, but a wolf. He also reminds us that the only power that government is to have is that consented to by the governed. If you read only one non-fiction book this year...make it this one!