We live in an age where everything is fluid, most of all moral standards. They’re often the focal point of politicians’ stump speeches, but these past six years have seen some atrocious acts dismissed, talked around, justified and flat out ignored. In a country where our founding document, which guarantees us certain rights and protections, is being ignored as often as it is evoked, how are we supposed to interpret the term “civil liberties”?

American Civil Liberties Executive Director Anthony Romero sets out to answer that question in In Defense of Our America. He takes a look at several post-9/11 civil liberties cases — the Guantanamo Bay issue, the NSA spying program, the “American Taliban” — and examines their importance in the larger civil rights battle.

Romero appeared on Diane Rehm yesterday. Listen to the full interview.