Review of It is Dangerous to be Right when the Government is Wrong

We live in frightening times...and I'm sure you're probably sick of the political grandstanding that defines the months leading up to an election.  "You did this" and "I'll do that, if elected."  We have heard all the bologna before.

A scarier reality is the amount of personal freedom we find eroding and how little of this reality makes it into the news, or even in discussions with friends.  Judge Napolitano's book should be read by those who want our country to act congruently with how it was founded.

My review is included below.  Comments always welcome.

Happy Friday,
-Steve

Available at Amazon.com

It Is Dangerous to Be Right When the Government Is Wrong: The Case for Personal Freedom [Hardcover]

By Andrew P. Napolitano

320 pages, $24.99

ISBN-13:  978-1595553508

Non-fiction

Review by Steven King, MBA, MEd

Perhaps the most distressing aspect of living in the United States is what appears to be a daily onslaught against personal freedom.  While this is most certainly an angst felt by conservatives and is usually disregarded by moderates and liberals as political propaganda, it seems that the power of the federal government is growing by leaps and bounds. To honor this country’s beginnings, it seems prudent to stop and analyze how consistently the government is respecting the boundaries of the Constitution.

Looking for well written ilk of this genre is tantamount to sifting through tome after tome of wanton, self-aggrandizing gruel.   Titles include admonitions of “common sense” and the deliverance from tyranny—if you can read past the first few pages you have done an incredible feat. With his sixth book on the U.S. Constitution, It is Dangerous to be Right, When the Government is Wrong, Judge Andrew Napolitano brings refreshing insight into the supremacy and necessity of following the premises of the U.S. Constitution.

It is almost laughable that such a book needs to be written, much less read, to inform the general populace of the truth so many military and police officials quote in their respective oaths of joining:  “I do solemnly swear (of affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me,…”

What does one do, however, when it seems the latter portion of this oath is violated because the President has deviated from the premises of the Constitution itself?  Judge Napolitano wants his readership to reconsider: does the government serve us or master us?  In his book, he traces the necessity of humanity’s natural rights—and their usurping of institutional mandates, including those proffered by the federal government.  Sadly, the American government has outright denied its denizens’ natural rights under the guise that it is protecting our individual freedom.

Napolitano’s writing is relevant and fresh as he describes the erosion of freedoms that grows daily.  The last chapter is perhaps the finest where the author reminds his audience that rejection of the State is the fundamental right of people—if the State is doing things contrary to personal freedom.  The book is a wake-up call to remember that the rights of property, privacy, fairness, speech, and travel are extended to Americans because of our natural rights. The government should not interfere with them and the time to stop tolerating its interference is now.

The words penned therein need to be read and acted upon sooner than later.  To do nothing when considering these truths is tantamount to our collective declaration: we would rather live as slaves than risk perishing for freedom.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255