ACLU, NYCLU, Moving Democracy Forward, and What You Can Do. (Part One)

This has been a big week for freedom and protection of our Constitution. Before I get any further, please remember my commitment to asking all American citizens and those hoping to become citizens, to read The Constitution and The Bill of Rights.

Just a few minutes ago, I received an email, (one of many,) from the ACLU, heralding yesterday’s news that the “Bush administration has conceded that the judicial branch has a role in overseeing surveillance by the NSA.” This is an important victory, but, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. We’ll see what this statement by the administration really means. Time will tell. The ACLU’s email also asks that we sign a petition asking Congress to:

1. Restore habeas corpus and due process
2. End torture in secret prisons
3. Stop warrantless eavesdropping on innocent Americans
4. Fix the Patriot Act and bring it in line with the Constitution

Of the four points the ACLU mentions above, the most important is working to ensure that our government realigns not only the PATRIOT Act, but all our laws and efforts with The Constitution and our Bill of Rights. And by the way, it is “The USA PATRIOT Act,” not “The Patriot Act.” The USA PATRIOT Act has little to do with patriotism, and is an acronym, simply standing for The “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” Act. Lest we forget and allow others to insinuate that illegal wiretapping, torture, and suspension of habeas corpus and due process are American values.

This victory also comes upon the heels of the “Town Hall Meeting on Domestic Spying, NSA Surveillance and the Rule of Law” I had the privilege of attending Tuesday night. More on this later, in part two. But suffice it to say that attendance, all the way downtown at NYU, on an extremely cold evening, was SRO.