The bulk of Gerry Spence's Give Me Liberty! is devoted to conceptualizing present-day America as a slave state. Spence explains that people are enslaved today by corporations as much as African-Americans were by white Southerners prior to the Civil War–a bit of a stretch to say the least. He draws on this comparison, with the corporation as the "New Master," to enumerate a series of "dreams" that he believes could provide true liberty if codified in a new Constitution or government for the U.S.

As Spence readily admits, this is a blasphemous notion in contemporary politics. The Constitution is worshipped by Americans on both sides of the political spectrum as a sacred document that is nearly infallible (aside from the election-year ideologue amendments). At the same time, many of his "Twenty Six Dreams to Liberty" make sense–they could actually improve and extend upon the freedom that America claims to personify. His ideas of decentralizing power and forcing corporations to act as socially responsible members of society are noble and needed. Still, some of his ideas regarding choosing representatives–legislators and judges–by lot may reduce the freedoms of those chosen to serve against their will. Even though this may produce legislation more connected with the realities of the people, I am less than convinced that this would produce a society freer than the one we live in today.

Overall, Give Me Libery makes a good read. He relies too much on anecdote early on for my taste (similar to why I cannot bring myself to read anything Tom Friedman writes). However, by the end, he assumes the role of a modern-day philosopher toying with what makes democracy free and other abstract concepts of government. This latter half of the book is what makes it worth reading. Along those lines, I've added a couple of Spence's newer books to my Amazon Wishlist (what more complement could I give an author?). ( )