Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties
by Nonny de la Pe?a
List Price:
Our Price: $4.42
You Save: $5.56 (56%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Aquil Abdullah, Azmat Begg, Bob Barr, John Ashcroft, Tony BlairDirector: Nonny de la Pe?a
Cinematographer: Bestor Cram
Cinematographer: Jennifer Lane
Producer: Nonny de la Pe?a
Writer: Nonny de la Pe?a
Producer: Daniel Raskov
Producer: Earl Katz
Producer: Robert Greenwald
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 68 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-05
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: The Disinformation Company
DVD Reviews of Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties
DVD Review: Is This America?
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the most heartbreaking documentary. Unconstitutional is about the destruction of the American legal system. The US became after Sept. 11th a country where people could be detained without charges, taken out of the country and jailed in another without a hearing and tortured. This is very upsetting and I think it caused a lot of distress with the Bush Administration. DVD Review: UNCONSTITUTIONAL-THE WAR ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES
Summary: 4 Stars
Our country has been here before. During WWII, we put innocent Japanese citizens in internment camps because they were all considered to be security threats to our nation. In retrospect, most people can see what a horrible decision that was. Maybe it was not so clear at the time given the state of the world. When the horrible attacks of 9/11 occurred, it seems that same mindset reappeared and certain people are paying the price again for the evil deeds of others. Is it right to take away the liberties of people who happen to have a skin color or name similar to the terrorists? How far do we go in balancing security and individual freedom? Is the USA PATRIOT Act really making us safer? Was there enough thought and discussion before passing this bill that was rewritten during the wee hours of the morning and not one member of Congress read it through before voting? These and other controversial issues are discussed in this documentary as well as interviews with people whose lives have been affected by the PATRIOT Act such as a US Olympian whose name has made him a target. This is not a partisan issue as you see Bob Barr and Barney Frank teaming up in challenging the administration's actions. These past few weeks have shown us once again how politicians can 'use' a 'crisis' to push through governmental controls and once our freedoms are gone, they don't ever come back. The film makers have tried to present a balanced story although I'm sure not everyone will agree. It is a very difficult job trying to balance security versus freedom and one worthy of every one's involvement. How much freedom are you and I willing to give up to feel secure? Is this what our founding fathers had in mind? A worthwhile investment of your time. WWW.LUSREVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM DVD Review: The Truth (And The Lies) Behind The Patriot Act
Summary: 5 Stars
Much more than buildings, airliners, and lives were destroyed on September 11, 2001. So too was America's ability to balance liberty and security. Only six and a half weeks after the Twin Towers fell, a 345-page piece of legislation fell into the laps of all 535 members of both the House and Senate, and it was passed into law--sight unseen! That legislation was the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, or USA-Patriot Act. But as producer Robert Greenwald and director Nonny De La Pena tell us in UNCONSTITUTIONAL: THE WAR ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES, it is not about either uniting or strenghtening America--far from it.
Part of Greenwald's so-called "Un" trilogy of documentary films (including UNPRECEDENTED: THE 2000 ELECTION, and UNCOVERED: THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT THE IRAQ WAR) that depict the seemingly endless trail of lies that have been perpetrated by the Bush junta against this great nation of ours since 9/11, UNCONSTITUTIONAL focuses in on what has basically been the fulcrum of Bush's existence as president, namely the Patriot Act. But in its 69 minute running time, we get a glimpse of what the Patriot Act has actually done to America--some of it via interviews with people of Muslim heritage who have been singled out for scrutiny simply because 9/11 was the work of Muslims, and some of it with important Constitutional scholars on both the Left and the Right, from ACLU president Anthony Romero all the way over to far right-wing Georgia congressman Robert Barr, who give us a glimpse at the fine print of this hideous and insidious thing draped in the American flag, and crafted for the purposes of National Security--a fairly nebulous thing even in the best of times, and a dangerous and often false presumption in our post-9/11 world.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL makes its point, in a low-key, matter-of-fact way, that the alleged success of the Patriot Act is, in fact, an illusion. Neither our security nor more importantly our liberty are in any way guaranteed or safeguarded by this heinous diktat. And unless we make it a point to put this false sense of security on the ash heap of history, we will lose not only the War On Terror but also everything about America that makes us truly strong--our freedom.
DVD Review: Less Is Not Always More
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fantastic film - but it doesn't go far enough. Though its central premise - that the USA Patriot Act is unconstitutional - is sound, it buttresses that premise with a minimum of anectdotal incidents. As heart-wrenching as these incidents are, they could too easily be dismissed as simply the kinds of things that always go wrong because of "human error." The incidents are clearly tied to provisions of the USA Patriot Act, so it's not a stretch of the imagination to conclude that those particular incidents would not have happened had it not been for that Act. But I have to say (as cold-hearted as this may sound) that the film would have been stronger had the director not tugged so hard at the public's heart-strings; but, instead, included a broader range of individual incidents. It's clear that the ACLU, which pretty much produced this film, is not party to any 911 conspiracy theories: clear precisely because they seem genuinely confused by the round-up of Arab and Muslim people after 911. They see it as a huge mistake, which will create ill-will for decades. What they fail to see is the huge - I mean HUGE - public relations benefit for the Administration. What this roundup did (and, in my view, was meant to do) was thoroughly ingrain in the public's consciousness the idea that Muslims are THE ENEMY. And the proof was in the overwhelming public support for invading Iraq. DVD Review: MUST SEE
Summary: 5 Stars
Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties Without question, this is a must see by all Americans who cherish their civil liberties. See what Bush and Cheney are aggressively doing to destroy our freedoms and our constitution.
Description of Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties
Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties is the new, hour-long documentary from Robert Greenwald - one of the most prolific and progressive producers in Hollywood - in conjunction with the ACLU. This new film, written, directed and produced by Nonny de la Pe?a, details the shocking way that the civil liberties of American citizens and immigrants alike have been infringed upon, curtailed and rolled back since 9/11 and the USA Patriot Act.Autumn of 2001 brought us assaults against Americans' comfort zone on many fronts. We learned that we could fall victim to attacks on US soil, and we learned that those guarantees provided to us in the Constitution were equally vulnerable.
Unconstitutional is the third in a series of Public Interest Pictures films that follows Unprecedented: The 2000 Election and Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War. True to their legacy, Unconstitutional provides the facts and stories that illuminate administration lies, wrongheaded policies and the real victims of these actions - the American people.
Here, you'll get the real story behind the USA PATRIOT Act and other administration policies and the gut wrenching stories behind those affected - from law abiding sales clerks to United States Olympians unable to travel. It'll remind you of what America used to stand for and what it seems we're falling for now. In short, this film will affirm why you're angry and give you a tool to help others join your ranks.
Completing a trilogy that should be required viewing for all Americans, Unconstitutional explicitly reveals how the USA Patriot Act violates numerous civil liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Following the equally persuasive documentaries Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election and Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War, this film presents powerful and tragic examples of how the USA Patriot Act--passed with virtually no Congressional debate just 45 days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01--has been used to justify the unconstitutional arrest of innocent immigrants based on Arab stereotyping; the illegal detention of vaguely defined "suspects" and their improper treatment (including beatings and torture) during extended confinement; prisoner abuse of alleged terrorism suspects in Guantanamo Bay military prison; the allowance of improper search and seizure without due cause; prohibited travel based on racial profiling; bully tactics employed with impunity by local police in efforts to undermine free speech; and other clear indications of the Patriot Act's unconstitutional enforcement. The more personal these stories of violation are, the more gut-wrenching is the realization that U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft--and by extension, the George W. Bush administration--have used the Patriot Act to justify what is essentially a dictatorial police state.
Sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union and full of bipartisan testimony by lawyers, politicians, and victims of Patriot Act abuse, Unconstitutional makes an eloquent case for the careful interpretation of Constitutional law, exploring rising opposition to Patriot Act abuses while exposing how many of our freedoms have been undermined in the name of post-9/11 security. Regardless of your political affiliation, this is a chilling reminder of how seemingly good intentions can corrupt even our most cherished American values. --Jeff Shannon
General DVDs
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Bestsellers in General DVDs
Valentino: The Last EmperorPEACE ARCH HOME ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2009-09-08; DVD
Best price: $13.00
Price in other shops:
The Civil War - A Film by Ken BurnsBURNS,KEN; Release date: 2004-09-28; DVD
Best price: $35.95
Price in other shops:
On the Road with Charles Kuralt, Set 1Acorn; Release date: 2009-10-27; DVD
Best price: $27.10
Price in other shops:
![The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray] Image](/images/The-National-Parks-America-Best-Idea-Blu-ray-B002GWDK6Q-X.jpg){kind=small}
The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray]Release date: 2009-10-06; DVD
Best price: $68.53
Price in other shops:
Monty Python: Almost The TruthUni; Release date: 2009-10-27; DVD
Best price: $18.97
Price in other shops:
The Secret (Extended Edition)The Secret; Release date: 2006-10-01; Published: 2006; DVD
Best price: $7.78
Price in other shops:
The CarterHART SHARP VIDEO; Release date: 2009-11-17; DVD
Best price: $13.85
Price in other shops:
Ken Burns: National Parks - America's Best IdeaRelease date: 2009-10-06; DVD
Best price: $60.95
Price in other shops:
Planet Earth - The Complete BBC SeriesWarner Brothers; Release date: 2007-04-24; DVD
Best price: $26.67
Price in other shops:
Food, Inc.MAGNOLIA PICT HM ENT; Release date: 2009-11-03; DVD
Best price: $12.49
Price in other shops:
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Alex Jones Martial Law 9-11: Rise of the Police StateDVD
Best price: $19.84
Terrorstorm - A History of Government Sponsored TerrorismRelease date: 2006-10-31; DVD
Best price: $7.25
Price in other shops:
America: Freedom to FascismCINEMA LIBRE DISTRIBUTION; Release date: 2006-12-12; DVD
Best price: $4.75
Price in other shops:
Control RoomLions Gate; Release date: 2004-10-26; DVD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
Iraq for Sale: The War ProfiteersRelease date: 2006-09-26; DVD
Best price: $10.70
Price in other shops:
Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on JournalismRelease date: 2004-07-13; DVD
Best price: $4.24
Price in other shops:
Unprecedented - The 2000 Presidential Election - 2004 Campaign EditionRelease date: 2004-07-06; DVD
Best price: $8.65
Price in other shops:
Bush Family Fortunes - The Best Democracy Money Can BuyBush; Release date: 2004-09-28; DVD
Best price: $5.74
Price in other shops:
Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror?Release date: 2003-03-25; DVD
Best price: $3.09
Price in other shops:
Uncovered - The Whole Truth About the Iraq WarRelease date: 2004-03-30; DVD
Best price: $1.79
Price in other shops: