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It may be summer break for some people. But, those forces out to
undermine our fundamental freedoms aren't taking any time off. Here are
just a few stunning reminders of why you and the ACLU need to remain
active and vigilant:
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- Did that really just pass?
Yesterday, Missouri voted on Amendment 2, the "Public Prayer
Amendment," which could turn all governmental meetings into worship
services. That sure doesn't sound like the separation of church and
state guaranteed in the Constitution to us — in fact, that sounds like
it blatantly encourages state promotion of religion.
Sadly, the amendment passed. But as has been the hallmark of the ACLU for the past 90 years, we're far from giving up.
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- America's racial profiling sheriff.
For those familiar with Joe Arpaio, even the name can elicit chills.
For years, Sheriff Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona has engaged in
blatant and unabashed targeting of Latinos. We just finished arguing a
class-action lawsuit that seeks to prove Sheriff Arpaio violated the
Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment — that his county's
practices discriminate on the basis of race.
Read more about the case and Sherriff Joe's views on racial profiling.
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- Creepy factor: High.
Automatic license plate readers. Sounds like something on the SyFy
Network, but they're actually being used by local law enforcement all
over the country.
By snapping photographs of each license plate they encounter — up to three thousand per minute
— and retaining records of who was where when, license plate readers
are fundamentally threatening our freedom on the open road. Last week,
ACLU affiliates in 39 states filed public records requests seeking
information on how this information is being used. Learn more on our efforts to stop this atrocious policy.
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- Victory!
Last week, we stopped an outrageous attempt in the House of
Representatives to enact a law that would ban abortions in the District
of Columbia that are necessary to protect a woman's health. The law
went so far that it could have forced a woman and her doctor to wait
until her condition is terminal before finally acting to protect her
health.
And, in another victory, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granted our
emergency request to temporarily block a similar ban on abortions in
Arizona. Every time we are able to turn back one of these outrageous
measures, more women are protected from indefensible intrusions into
their most personal decisions.
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Thanks to you, the ACLU is able to stand strong in the face of these and other attempts to undermine our civil liberties.
Sincerely,
Lisa Sock
Director, Online Outreach
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