For our regular ACLU Blog readers, you’ll notice a new site at the same old address. Today we launched the ACLU Blog of Rights. It’s a fresh take on civil liberties news and action. And to kick off the launch of our new blog, we’ve assembled a team of guest bloggers to join us in a symposium on torture.
Today saw the release of the much-anticipated Department Of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General’s report revealing that officials at the highest level of government — including the White House — received reports on the abuse of prisoners in U.S. military custody overseas as early as 2002. This, in addition to the recently released DOJ memos authorizing abusive interrogation techniques and the admission by President Bush that he knew top officials were discussing and authorizing the use of torture by the CIA, make this week’s symposium on Torture and America especially timely.
Today, the Torture and America Symposium features:
And don’t miss ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero’s welcome message to our new and returning readers.
Tomorrow, look for contributions to our Torture and American Symposium from Christy Hardin Smith of Firedoglake, Nicole Belle of Crooks & Liars, Digby of Hullabaloo, author Paul Verhaeghen, and ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel Chris Anders.
And fret not: it’s not just all-torture, all the time. The ACLU Blog of Rights will serve as an online home for the discussion of all crucial civil liberties issues, including privacy, freedom of speech and religion, capital punishment, reproductive freedom, racial justice, voter rights, and the rights of immigrants, women, and prisoners. We’ll be writing about news, current legislation, and the ACLU’s litigation and efforts to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Looks like this site is going to be a minimum daily requirement for me.
rhutcheson
May 20th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
good, maybe this will be site for organizing those ready for revolution and for targets and for the signal
12 million Mexicans with guns gotta love it
as with the read ‘Term Limits’
best to kill all traitors
May 20th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
“Blog of Rights” caught my attention, but then . . . I saw that your bloggers are from Salon and Daily Kos. I like those sites because they match up with my dearest biases, but I would rather not have them speak for ACLU. There is a combativeness in those blogs that doesn’t match my loyalty to ACLU as an organization that studies the issues in light of the Bill of Rights and puts forth its defenses in a clearly reasoned way. Blogs always seem to deteriorate from well-reasoned discourse to less-reasoned, self-serving criticism to arm-waving diatribe. The Bill of Rights doesn’t do that. –M. Wilson, Montana
May 20th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I’m curious as to what the ACLU thinks
of all of the fat hysteria going on
in this country.
-P. Davenport, Michigan
May 20th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I’m glad you finally have a more “bloggy” blog at the ACLU. A few suggestions: Most importantly, ACLU blog authors need to start engaging other legal bloggers, rather than just linking to news items and aclu.org material. Also, commenters need the ability to link. Finally, add trackbacks.
We of the ACLU need to engage the blog world directly, and linking to other blogs (especially ones that oppose the ACLU) and having a robust comments section is how you do that.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Also, stop moderating comments. Set commenting rules and enforce them, ban IPs if necessary, but no prior restraint.
May 21st, 2008 at 3:41 am
Can’t wait to see what the ACLU has to say about 2nd Amendment rights. Oh darn, I guess that one didn’t make the cut.
Glad to know they whole-heartedly support the rights of terrorists in Guantanamo Bay as a way to make the Bush administration look bad though. Maybe the so-called “human rights” advocates should focus more on important issues like the barbaric massacre of Zimbabwean immigrants in South Africa or Burma’s reluctance to provide aid to its suffering people. Instead this blog highlights the ridiculous U.N. probe into the American election!
I have long suspected that the ACLU has been a shameless partisan organization that cares more about denigrating American conservatives than actual human rights and civil liberties. This blog certainly isn’t changing my perception.
LT Nixon, Angry American
May 21st, 2008 at 4:49 am
This could be the MOST educational and informitive blog on the net. Finally something to help ACLU members pass the word and help stop the goverment from violating the most important rights of americans.. THANK YOU “ACLU”
Larry York
May 21st, 2008 at 7:45 am
Please, on your Blog of Rights, tell us something we don’t already know! Every member of ACLU knows that our government is guilty of torture, rape and murder.
I want to read where an government official is indited, tried and either shot, hung or sent to somewhere for permanent rendition!
But please don’t keep reminding me that our leaders are sadists. That I already know.
Phil Hoffman
May 21st, 2008 at 8:33 am
I’m curious to see how much free speech is granted in the comment section.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:37 am
To be so non-partisan, you sure have a lot of far-left bloggers lined up? How about balancing this out with some conservative bloggers? They seem to be outnumbered 10 to 1 in your line up.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:38 am
Torture is wrong in peacetime (unfortunately permitted in wartime) and I agree with the ACLU position except I see the problem being larger, deeper, more dangerous. That problem is terrorism: solve terrorism, and torture will stop. When government can’t deal with the terrorism, it resorts to torture. So: solve terrorism. And my controversial strategy to prevent terrorism (construed broadly) is available free as a Google(r) document online:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dmm4f2k_8fdfpkc
I urge everybody to read it.
– tom sulcer
thomaswrightsulcer@yahoo.com
May 21st, 2008 at 8:55 am
I would think the ACLU should open blog up to all inside this country(not just outside of U.S who live in area that have no civil rights organizations(rural area) to protect citizens who speak out against corrupt local and state government who use their power to punish any citizens who speak out against corrupt. abuse of power and use of public office for own person gain etc etc etc…? Just curious. Just sign me entrenched in corrupt forgottonia
May 21st, 2008 at 9:01 am
Great info!
May 21st, 2008 at 9:11 am
I can personaly relate to the prisoners i went to my Dentist and he put 5 v-chips in my mouth and connected me to the i pod cell phone.
introduced by yours truely AT&T and i need help getting these v-chips out of my mouth people who are given this secret sight pass my home and punch my head to give me pain 24hr a day this is why America should not except this plan it could have worked but this is what happen when good works get in the wrong hands (Help me this is inhuman)
and shows poor charater in any one who would go alone with such a mean act it can happen to YOU cell(850-7233476)
May 21st, 2008 at 9:46 am
Is anyone from the ACLU going to actually engage the commenters here? You know, that’s a pretty integral part of this “blogging” thing, too.
A very small side note: It’s annoying to have to type your name in the post every time you comment, or else it just says “anonymous.” Even the most basic blogging software contains name, email and website address fields. Why not here?
-Mithras Invicti
Lifelong ACLU member
Blog: Fables of the Reconstruction
May 21st, 2008 at 9:50 am
Suzanne, are you there? I have more complaints, sorry. First, who is in overall charge of managing this blog and what is their contact information? I wouldn’t have to post this next question in comments if that were provided - which it is on most other blogs. Could you please change the RSS and atom feed settings to publish the entire post, not just an excerpt? Many of us read blogs through feed readers, and don’t wish to have to click through.
Thanks.
-Mithras Invicti
Lifelong ACLU member, Philadelphia
Blog: Fables of the Reconstruction
May 21st, 2008 at 11:11 am
Hi Mithras Invicti. The blog is managed by a team of people here at the ACLU. You are free to direct any comments or questions directly to us at blog@aclu.org. We are working to address some of the complaints with the comment section, and I will look into the RSS feed settings as well. I agree with you: I like having the full post in my feed as well.
November 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I challenge the ACLU to propose a better terrorism prevention strategy than mine. I believe in much of what the ACLU stands for and advocates except that I think it misses key parts of the puzzle. Torture is wrong, but it’s caused not by a strong government but a weak one — a government that can’t stop terrorism. Therefore, it’s necessary to make government strong enough to prevent terrorism by using my strategy (see Amazon — title is Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism by Thomas W. Sulcer). By exposing terrorism, by understanding it properly, then torture will end, people will be protected, and rights will be protected.