We can be pretty sure that each new day will bring two things: new threats to our civil liberties, and new stories of people standing up for their rights and winning. From the chilling to the triumphant, there is always something to talk about.
With that in mind, we’re re-launching the ACLU blog, with a new look, a new name, and a new invitation to join in the dialogue.
Welcome to the ACLU Blog of Rights!
We envision this blog as a marketplace of ideas and discourse on pressing civil liberties issues, from surveillance and extraordinary rendition to religious freedom and the rights of protestors.
To get things underway, today begins our inaugural online symposium. The symposium will be a recurring feature on this blog, bringing together an ideologically diverse group of bloggers and writers to focus on pressing civil liberties issues.
Our first symposium will explore our government’s use of torture. With recent revelations like the Yoo memo and the White House sanctioning of torture, along with congressional hearings, lawsuits and possible subpoena fights, it’s crucial to continue the robust discussion of what torture means to the United States and American values.
We’ve been working with Salon.com’s Glenn Greenwald to put together this symposium, and we’re excited to welcome some of the nation’s leading writers on the topic of torture. I encourage you to take a look.
People who know the importance of defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, like the more than 500,000 card-carrying members of the ACLU, don’t just live on the coasts in cities like San Francisco and New York. They are spread all over America, from the Midwest to the Southeast. This blog is a place where everyone concerned about civil liberties can come together.
Whether you’re in San Diego or Salt Lake City, and whether or not you carry an ACLU membership card in your wallet, we hope you’ll be a regular visitor to Blog of Rights. Please join us in keeping civil liberties at the forefront of public dialogue.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Can the management at my job prevent me from drinking water at my desk?
May 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Popmom says: Regarding the imprisonment of the FLDS children: taking away children based on the religious beliefs of the parents/community in which they live is unconstitutional, isn’t it? Send them back right away, before compounding the atrocity even more.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
can some one please visit my blog at
leavingmythoughts.blogspot.com there you will find why my civil liberties are being violated.
May 20th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
FAIR COMPITITION LEADS TO A BETTER SOCIETY
The only reason that race is an issue in any society, is because one group or another feel they have the right to gain power or stay in power by any means. Stopping or preventing any fair competition is ok because, “our existance is more important than yours”. Achieving this goal by hook or by crook doesnt matter to some .
This way of thinking can only manifest when one race or culture feels that thier individual existance, beliefs and wants are more important or relevant than the lives of others that also live on the planet. The exceptance of this logic leads to one believing they have the right to take over or exploit another mans property or land, and punish, or demonize anyone who resists or fights back.
When this aproach to survival ,is embraced, and put into action, the individual, the race,the culture, the society, the country, or the nation using it, has actually jeapordized its own future existance, peace and survival. When this aproach to life is used against another human being you have now forced him to either, adopt the same concept to protect himself, ATTACK, flee, be detroyed or dehumanized.
Any and all wars are a product of this phenomina.
As history has always repeated itself in previous societies, after building and maintaining a great society based on these concepts, they all fail because of the same concept that created them.
Colapsing from within , its own people using the concept on themselves, or because the other countries, in fear of you doing the same to them, rush to become powerful enough to protect themselves, or try to do you, before you do them.
It will only end when we as human beings stop using this concept
to, gain power, maintain power, gather resources or secure survival.
We should immidiatly start using our power and knowledge today to first protect ourselves from that which has already been set in motion long time ago. Build and maintain a strong military for defence purposes only.At the same time, create a self sufficient, self sustaining society in America containing a balance of all races and cultures around the world.
We must teach all children the reasons, rules and laws of existing in a peacful inclusive society.
The other way it can end is if the concept of (win any way you can) evolves to a point where the use of this way of life spreads around the country, spreads around the world, and manifests into a massive war that destroys most, leaving only the meak to inherit the earth.
SOUNDS FAMILIAR DOESNT IT.
THANKS
SCORPI2000
May 20th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
The ACLU should find a way to harness the NRAs passion for protecting the 2nd ammendment. There is a gap in the ACLU line. ammendments 1, ,3,4,5,6,7,8,9…
Its glaring. it may be all we really have.
When a government tortures, spys on its own, refuses to find equity in law and justice, is built around profit for corporations, keeps “indesirables” from voting. What is left to protect?
Is it a nation, a government? or a dead horse?
May 21st, 2008 at 11:40 am
All of this is horrifying and makes me ashamed for my country. It is worse by far thant he days when I was working in the civil rights movement. By the way, as concerns the Second Amendment, “It shall be the right of a well armed militia” to bear arms. Why has this been misquoted and misued? Aren’t we flouting enough laws? We are already an outlaw nation.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I’m looking forward to visitin g this site daily. Thanks, ACLU!
May 21st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
You want to talk about a violation of civil rights? How about a state that takes children away from a whole two parent household because they are poor. I had my children taken from me because I was not rich enough to be able to afford a house that the department of social services would approve of. I was forced to relinquish my parental rights, and went through many court cases where they were playing marry-go-round with the attorneys. Tell me how anyone can get a fair shot at a honest court hearing when all the lawyers were at one time, for the state, GAL, or our public defender. Now we are having trouble fighting to get our children back because we cannot not afford a lawyer. If you are poor, you have no rights. If you live in a house that has roaches, you lose your children. If you send your children to daycare that was court ordered and they get headlice, you lose your children. If you try to remodel a trailer to get rid of roaches, you lose your children. If a neighbor girl climbes in your childrens bedroom window and takes them out of the house during nap time without permission, you lose your children. If your floors are not VACUUMED, you have laundry, and one dead mouse UNDER the refridgerator, you lose your children and force you to relinquish your rights. I have been through all of these, and if you cant afford a lawyer, your screwed, because all the public defenders have been involved in your cases before, so how do you expect to get decent representation. You cant, you lose your family and there is nothing you can do about it.
May 21st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
It’s vitally important to look into the crimes the Bush Administration has commited to the Gitmo/Abu Ghraib prisoners and to look into any possible crimes the military has commited by rounding up 500 juvinile supposed “unlawful combatants”. What a JOKE bush and his cronies are making our country look like.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:26 am
The most jokes Bush did goes back to the so called Israel Lobby in the U.S.A.. their force your politicals to do everything that should be good for the state Israel but in the end that does not mean it is good for America, too.
If there would not be such an America - Israel Connection (just think about how much dollars Israel gets every year as so called supports.. support for what? Isreal is rich and grown up and doesn`t need support), the anti-americanism in the whole world (even in the arabic states) would be less than today.
And i`m not something like an antisemit or do not accept the state Israel - even i`m no radical. I´m just a boy watching political stuff.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
QUESTIONS TO ASK AND DISCUSS OPENLY AND HONESTLY
By scorpi2000 - Apr 29th, 2008 at 4:31 pm EDT
THESE QUESTIONS ARE MEANT TO OPEN A LINE OF DIALOG THAT MAY HELP
I am troubled by the current issues of race and discrimination in America.
First of all I am grateful and proud to be an American citizen.
Second I am a realist. All that is true, factual, did occur, or is occurring , no matter how bad ,unbelievable or embarrassing to me or anyone else has to be excepted in order for me to make an accurate calculation or judgment as to what to do next . What choices I make , or which direction I choose in my travels thru life will effect my survival and the survival of my children and their children .
The information that I use to navigate thru life has to be accurate and based on facts for me to have a chance of achieving my goal of first surviving my self, and then possibly securing the survival of my children by teaching them what I learned from my survival experiences?
Every creature that has successfully existed on earth for thousands of years, including us are born with the physical attributes to survive. The other survival factors are learned from their parents and or environment?
These are some of the questions that I ask myself when trying to gather facts to use when making decisions that may effect my immediate, and future survival, of myself and my children.
I ask that anyone reading this also ask yourself honestly these questions and possibly comment?
Why is there so much violence and killing in the black communities?
What are the factors that cause some species to become extinct?
Why did the United States have a civil war that manifested in millions of its own citizens killing each other?
How was it possible that people were accused and killed for being witches in Salem?
How was it possible for one human being to see another human as being less than human?
How was Hitler able to convince his fellow Germans to go along with persecuting and killing the Jewish people?
Why did one race of human feel justified to enslave another race of human and continue the practice for hundreds of years?
Are their humans today that feel they are superior to others?
What made the 911 terrorist so angry or threatened that they would go thru such extremes and sacrifice their own lives to kill thousands of American people?
What was the reason one country would sell another country chemical weapons designed to kill other humans?
What is the phenomenon that causes one country to go to war with another country?
Why is it important that crimes against humanity that happened years ago be remembered and still be an issue of concern today?
Who is on the top of the food chain in the animal kingdom and why?
Who is on the top of the food chain of the human race and why?
Is it possible for a race of people to become extinct, and what would be the factors that could cause such extinction?
Is the quest to be on top of the human food chain the reason that man would kill another man?
In the animal world, such as with dogs that are bread and known for their genetic qualities, like some are known to be gentile as a genetic trait, or some are known to be more intelligent, or some known as vicious. E.t.c. Do these phenomena also apply to human genetic qualities?
What is the main purpose of all religions?
Why is it that in the animal Kingdom it is rare that animals kill for sport, but only for survival reasons?
Why is it that some humans feel its ok to kill for sport?
Why are religious and spiritual scriptures so important to man that they felt the need to pass it on for thousands of years?
Is it necessary for all humans to live in peace to secure the survival of the human race?
Why is it that some humans want to rule the world and others are content with living in peace with the world?
THANKS
SCORPI2000