On Civil Liberties
To the Editor:
Permit me to thank Irving Kristol for clarifying the meaning of “civil liberties.” On page 85 of the July issue of COMMENTARY, in his answer to Alan F. Westin, he writes, “A civil liberty is a freedom confirmed by our constitution and our laws.”
This makes my concept of civil liberty all wrong. It was my impression that when some Southern states write segregation and poll tax laws, they are denying Negroes their civil rights, and when Russia enacts laws restricting speech, press, and other natural human activities they too are restricting civil liberties. The same might have been said about Hider and the Nuremberg laws, but I see I was wrong.
Louis M. Rabinowitz
New York City
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