An openly gay, pro-choice, gun-owning, pro-death-penalty, liberal feminist who voted for Reagan, Bruce was elected president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization of Women in 1990. She accuses the Left of perpetual victimhood, thought and speech control to hold onto their power, and calling in the cops to squash any dissent.

>From the Publisher:

Tammy Bruce, the self-described lesbian feminist activist, argues in this provocative book that our fundamental freedoms of expression are under withering assault from powerful special interest groups on the Left. According to Ms. Bruce, the current attempts to silence Dr. Laura are only the latest in a long line of attacks on people whose opinions do not conform with the agendas championed by national feminist, racial, and gay organizations. From rigid speech codes on college campuses to the knee-jerk use of such labels as "racist," "homophobic," and "hateful" in an attempt to socially ostracize people with opposing viewpoints, speaking one's mind today has become increasingly dangerous.

What makes this book's thesis especially powerful is that the author is a progressive who has served in a leadership position at NOW, an organization she now decries as a foot soldier in the war against free speech. "Ironically," writes Ms. Bruce, "it is the progressives who, while seemingly committed to freedom of expression, attempt to exact severe social punishments on anyone who espouses an idea or opinion that challenges their status quo. Perhaps it's time for all of us to reread George Orwell's 1984."

DDC REVIEW:

Though her April 9, 2002 presentation at (liberal education bastion) U.C. Davis (aired on C-Span Book TV - July 27, 2002) was nearly cancelled (by the mind police), former TV journalist Tammy Bruce thoroughly presented her thoughts and defended her book against leftist free speech suppressors. It was refreshing to hear Bruce talk about events that freed-up her thinking and prompted her to write the book -- notably, when she was called a racist for condemning O.J. Simpson for domestic violence, and when she defended Dr. Laura Schlessinger against the "Gay Gestapo." Indeed, her book is highly recommended reading -- for the sake of free speech.

BARNES & NOBLE READER REVIEWS

A reviewer, female graduate school student, June 29, 2002 Brillant! insightful and honest- a must read for those who value (and desire) freedom in America. Great work!!

A reviewer May 28, 2002,
Excellant Book
You have to give this lady credit for telling it like it is!!!

UC Berkeley student, March 18, 2002,
Must Read!!
Every citizen of Earth needs to read this book! Especially anyone who votes in America, so they may see what a vote for a 'liberal' does to us.

A reviewer January 22, 2002,
Wake up, America!
I've had this nagging feeling that my thoughts and speech have been increasingly controlled, and Ms. Bruce gives all the evidence that it has been...and it's scary! A very insightful book for all Americans.

An avid reader and college student, January 16, 2002,
Unbelievable, I agree with Tammy Bruce!
I saw the spine of the book first and thought the title intriguing. I picked it up and saw that it was written by Tammy Bruce. I have rarely agreed with Ms. Bruce but took my chance and bought her book. I am glad I did. This book should be required reading on college campuses across the country. Ms. Bruce has written a serious and often amusing book on a problem that is slowing killing our society and rapidly trampling on our first amendment rights. Laced with person stories, Ms. Bruce comments on, and analyzes how, the Left is suppressing every American's right to free speech and free thought. Anyone concerned with the first amendment and the freedom of speech and thought should read this book. Outstanding!

Also recommended: 'From Rage to Responsibility' by Jesse Lee Peterson, 'A Cure Worse Than the Disease' by M. Lester O'Shea, and 'Bias' by Bernard Goldberg

Table of Contents 1 Beyond 1984: The Rise of the New Thought Police 1
2 Groupthink: The Politics of "Hate" 35
3 Pot. Kettle. Black. The Hypocrisy of the Gay Establishment 57
4 The Misery Merchants: How the Black Civil-Rights Establishment Has Betrayed the Dream 87
5 Not NOW: The Selling-Out of the Feminist Establishment 117
6 Multiculturalism: Thought Police in Costume 145
7 Control the Image and Control the Culture: The Thought Police in News and Entertainment 173
8 The Thought Police in Academia: Indoctrinating the Next Generation 207
9 Protest and Freedom: An Activist's Diary 239
Notes 269
Suggested Reading List 281
Index