 "No Fly List" Blocks People From Flying without Explanation or Due Process Packing for Vacation? Remember the Sunscreen, Camera, and the ACLU Know-Your-Rights Card Suit Against Wal-Mart Highlights Medical Marijuana Patient Discrimination Religious Doctrine Can't Trump Patients' Lives and Health Respecting the Press and Public Access During the BP Oil Spill Respecting the Press and Public Access During the BP Oil Spill We've heard repeated stories of journalists trying to report on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico who are being denied access in one way or another. Whether they're trying to fly over the spill to take photos, gain access to the oil-covered beaches, or take pictures of the dead animals washing ashore, a "media clampdown" continues despite federal government assurances that access is "uninhibited." One BP representative told a Mother Jones reporter that the petroleum company could restrict access to the Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge because "it's BP's oil." And several reports indicate that local law enforcement has actually been cooperating with BP to restrict journalists' access to the spill. It's this kind of news that prompted the ACLU of Louisiana to send a public letter to the sheriffs of all Louisiana coastal parishes reminding them of their obligation to respect the First Amendment rights of the media and the public. The letter states: "This letter is to notify you that members of the public have the right under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to film, record, photograph, and document anything they observe in a public place. No one — neither law enforcement nor a private corporation — has the legal right to interfere with public access to public places or the recording of activities that occur there. Nor may law enforcement officials cooperate with private companies in denying such access to the public." The ocean and coasts have already taken a beating from BP. Local law enforcement shouldn't allow the First Amendment to take a beating, too. back to top   Do you know somebody who would be interested in getting news about the ACLU and what we're doing to protect civil liberties? Help us spread the word about ACLU Online — forward this newsletter to a friend. | July 9, 2010 "No Fly List" Blocks People From Flying without Explanation or Due Process
None of the individuals in the lawsuit, including a disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran stranded in Egypt and a U.S. Army veteran stuck in Colombia, have been told why they are on the list or given a chance to clear their names. Thousands of people have been added to the "No Fly List" and barred from commercial air travel without any opportunity to learn about or refute the basis for their inclusion on the list. The result is a vast and growing list of individuals who, on the basis of error or innuendo, have been deemed too dangerous to fly but who are too harmless to arrest. "Without a reasonable way for people to challenge their inclusion on the list, there's no way to keep innocent people off it," said Nusrat Choudhury, a staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "The government's decision to prevent people from flying without giving them a chance to defend themselves has a huge impact on people's lives including their ability to perform their jobs, see their families, and in the case of U.S. citizens, to return home to the United States from abroad." >> Learn more about the "No Fly List" and the 10 individuals we represent in the lawsuit online Subject: Check-in: Your bags and your rights. If you travel outside the United States this summer, you can kiss your right to privacy, and perhaps your laptop, digital camera and cell phone, goodbye. Did you know... 1. Border security can seize your laptop, cell phone or camera with no suspicion or explanation. 2. Many airports use scanners that conduct a virtual " strip search" of passengers. 3. There are over one million names on the terrorist watch list. 4. The TSA recently expressed interest in having every airline passenger wear "electro-muscular disruption" bracelets that could be used to shock passengers into submission. Traveling shouldn’t mean checking your rights when you’re checking your luggage. It’s time for some sanity when it comes to security. I just asked my members of Congress to rein in travel abuses by the Department of Homeland Security. You can learn more about this and email your members of Congress here: http://action.aclu.org/travel >> Take action! Tell Congress to rein in government travel abuses. back to top Packing for Vacation? Remember the Sunscreen, Camera, and the ACLU Know-Your-Rights Card Summer vacations to the Grand Canyon will require a little extra preparation this year. Along with your camera and hot-weather gear, make sure to pack a copy of the ACLU's new know-your-rights card—advising you of your rights if stopped by law enforcement or immigration authorities. The recent passage of Arizona's racial profiling law, S.B. 1070, has created an environment of extreme uncertainty where police encounters and civil rights are concerned. The ACLU and other leading civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Arizona law in May, but until the law is struck down, the ACLU affiliates warn that individuals traveling in Arizona must be aware of their rights if stopped there. We're distributing know-your-rights cards which advise people how to respond to traffic stops and avoid unfortunate encounters with Arizona law enforcement. Even though the law won't go into effect until the end of July, Arizona's history of racial profiling and the wild-frontier antics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arapaio give reason to believe that at least some state or local police officers will feel emboldened to act on the law before its time. The ACLU wants you to be prepared for such circumstances—especially as the summer travel season hits its stride. >> Download the know-your-rights card (PDF) back to top Suit Against Wal-Mart Highlights Medical Marijuana Patient Discrimination
Joseph Casias, a 30-year-old married father of two, was wrongfully fired from his job at a Wal-Mart store in Battle Creek, Michigan after he tested positive for marijuana following a drug screening. Casias is a legal, registered medical marijuana patient in Michigan. He takes marijuana on the recommendation of his oncologist to help relieve the effects of sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor that was the size of a softball when diagnosed. This treatment became a legal option for Casias in 2008, after Michigan voters passed the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA), which provides protection for the medical use of the drug under state law. In accordance with the law, Casias never used marijuana while on the job, nor did he ever work under the influence of marijuana. In fact, during his time at Wal-Mart, Casias was able to rise from an entry-level stocking position to a managerial role, and along the way, he was named the store's 2008 Associate of the Year. In late 2009, Joseph twisted his knee at work. He was given a drug test after being sent to the doctor's office and, predictably, failed that test due to his lawful use of medical marijuana. Wal-Mart then fired him because he failed the test, despite the company's knowledge that he was lawfully using marijuana for pain treatment and not under the influence of the drug while at work. The ACLU's lawsuit charges that Wal-Mart wrongfully terminated Joseph in violation of the protections of the MMMA. The Casias case will have great significance not only for Joseph's own life and livelihood but also for thousands of patients around the country in the 14 states and the District of Columbia where medical marijuana is legal. Medical marijuana patients already face enough of a challenge trying to treat what are often life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. They shouldn't have to worry about their jobs, as well. back to top Religious Doctrine Can't Trump Patients' Lives and HealthA Catholic-owned hospital in Arizona recently made national headlines for demoting a nun for approving an abortion for a pregnant mother of four to save her life. While most of us would like to think this was an isolated incident, based on the Catholic Church's response and other reports, it wasn't, and it won't be. St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix provided a life-saving abortion to a young mother of four who was 11 weeks pregnant and dying from pulmonary hypertension. The hospital's Ethics Committee determined that if the woman wanted to terminate the pregnancy to save her life, her physicians would be permitted to do so under the Ethical and Religious Directives under which Catholic hospitals operate. The woman decided to terminate the pregnancy, and an abortion was performed. Sister Margaret Mary McBride was the liaison between the Ethics Committee and the physicians who were treating the pregnant woman. Sister McBride, a nurse with more than 30 years experience in health care administration, was demoted because of her role in facilitating the abortion. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, which oversees St. Joseph's, denounced the abortion and issued a statement explaining that abortion is never allowed in Catholic health facilities, even to save the life of the woman. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also indicated that Sister McBride was properly punished for her role in the abortion. Sister McBride's demotion combined with the diocese's and the Catholic Bishops' unambiguous statements sends the message to hospital employees—at St. Joseph's and other Catholic hospitals around the country—that they risk punishment if they provide life-saving pregnancy terminations in the future. Catholic hospitals operate 15 percent of the hospital beds in the country. They're often the only hospital in a particular community, so commonly, they're the only place where a woman can obtain care. As a result, there are many pregnant women who seek emergency reproductive health care in Catholic hospitals who do not share the religious beliefs of the hospital—and may not receive the desired, appropriate medical care. Moreover, doctors and other hospital personnel should not risk losing their jobs to treat these women. Last week, the ACLU asked the federal government to investigate and take action against these hospitals. Denying such care is not only unethical, it also violates federal law. Our government should ensure that emergency rooms that open their doors to the public provide all necessary emergency care, including abortion. No hospital—religiously affiliated or otherwise—has a right to impose its beliefs to deny anyone necessary emergency medical care. >> Take action! Ensure religiously affiliated hospitals provide emergency abortion care. | Join us on...
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The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging the government's administration of the "No Fly List" on behalf of ten U.S. citizens and lawful residents who cannot fly to or from the United States or over U.S. airspace. Two of the ACLU's clients -- a disabled Marine veteran who cannot fly home to the United States from Egypt and a young woman living in New York with asylum status from her native country of Guinea -- tell their stories.
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ACLU Challenges Government No Fly List
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Keep America Safe & Free
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