Media Advisory

Nadine Strossen, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, and NBC News analyst Christopher Whitcomb will debate "Big Brother: The Effect of Government Policies on Civil Liberties," at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2002, at The Johns Hopkins University.

The debate is part of the 2002 Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium, "Changing Times: Who are We? An Introspective Look at American Identity in the 21st Century," a student-run series examining the influence of various political, social and scientific advances on the collective American identity. The debate will be at 8 p.m. in Shriver Hall Auditorium on the Homewood campus, 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore. The event is free and open to the public.

Strossen is a professor of law at New York Law School. In 1991, she became the first woman elected president of the ACLU. Twice named one of "The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" by The National Law Journal, Strossen has written and lectured extensively about constitutional law, civil liberties and international humans rights. During her tenure with the ACLU, she has made more than 200 public appearances each year and has been a regular guest on shows like ABC's "Politically Incorrect" and programs on the Talk America Radio Network. Strossen's books include Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women's Rights and Speaking of Race, Speaking of Sex: Hate Speech, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

A 15-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Whitcomb serves as an on-air analyst for NBC News and writes a monthly column for Gentleman's Quarterly Magazine. Whitcomb investigated acts of terrorism ranging from the World Trade Center bombing of 1993 to the USS Cole bombing in Aden, Yemen. From 1991 to 1997, he served on the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team and received various awards, including the FBI's Medal of Bravery. Before joining the FBI, he worked as a speech writer and press secretary to Rep. Silvio O. Conte of Massachusetts. He has been published in prominent publications such as the New York Times Magazine and FHM. Whitcomb is the author of Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team.

For more information, call (410) 516-7683, visit the MSE Symposium Web site at www.jhu.edu/mse/ or send an e-mail message to mse@jhu.edu.