Thanks to all

We at the ACLU of Massachusetts just want to send out a heartfelt "thank you!" to everyone who attended and participated in our statewide conference on Saturday. While we're still getting our bearings here on Monday morning, the staff felt that the event was quite a success - thanks to the passionate folks who asked questions at our workshops, gave their stories via video, and took action via our action table.

Personally, I'd like to thank those who attended the "Social Media: Blogging for Liberty, Tweeting for Justice" panel - and remind you that the open invitation to become an ACLU blogger still stands. Contact me at driendeau@aclum.org if you're interested.

Thanks again to all!

Conference Eve!

We’re made it to what we’re dubbing “conference eve” here at the office. Tomorrow is the big day – and we’ve got “Sunlight On Surveillance” on the brain.

This week, we were focused hard on getting ready for our workshops (see yesterday’s post for a preview), though there’s been plenty of important civil liberties news.

Our new US Senator, Scott Brown was sworn in. Check out our First Amendment Minute on Brown here.

The President pledged to repeal the military’s anti-LGBT “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which has recently been in the news, with a hearing earlier this week.

The Super Bowl is coming right up, and there’s a real free speech debate going on regarding some controversial ads slated to air during the game. Read the national ACLU’s take here.

We also have a fresh batch of five new First Amendment Minute episodes up for you. We hope to see you tomorrow at UMass Boston (remember, you can register at the door!), and we wish you a safe and free weekend no matter how you choose to spend it!

Listen to our latest episodes here, or on our Podcast Page!

2.5.10


ACLU First Amendment Minute: Howard Zinn


A true American Hero, Howard Zinn, has died. But how can someone who is known as a radical, as Zinn was, also be known as an American Hero?



ACLU First Amendment Minute: Close Guantanamo


In late January 2009, President Obama pledged to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within one year. That year has come and gone.



ACLU First Amendment Minute: The FBI and Your Phone Records


An FBI agent who wants to surveil and inspect telephone records doesn't go to court to get a warrant and doesn't have probable cause or even reasonable suspicion to conduct the surveillance. The FBI agent doesn't get the telephone records, does he?



ACLU First Amendment Minute: Tariq Ramadan


You may recall the story about Tariq Ramadan, the Muslim scholar prevented from taking his job as a professor at Notre Dame by the Bush Administration in 2004. This story has a new conclusion.



ACLU First Amendment Minute: The Highest Court in Texas


The presiding justice of the highest criminal court in Texas refused to keep the courhouse open late in order to receive a request for a stay of execution to which an inmate on death row was entitled. The result of the ethics complaint is what?

Sunlight on Surveillance – the Workshops

As you may know, our statewide conference is just around the corner. This Saturday, we’ll be presenting over 30 speakers across six interactive workshops, along with a special keynote address by National ACLU’s Jameel Jaffer and a very special film session.

We’re all about activism and empowering ordinary folks to use their voices, and that’s why we’ve put together the program we have.

Here’s a quick preview: we have something for every taste, and urge you to come out and get involved.

Taking on Big Brother: Post 9/11 Surveillance

JAMEEL JAFFER, Director of the ACLU’s National Security Program CHRISTOPHER PYLE, Professor of Politics, Mt. Holyoke College

JOHN REINSTEIN, Legal Director, ACLU of Massachusetts

Moderator: LISA H. THURAU, Attorney and ACLU of Massachusetts Board

Liberty and Security in the 21st Century: Can We Have Both?

CHRISTOPHER CALABRESE, Legislative Counsel, ACLU’s Technology and Liberty Program

LAURA RÓTOLO, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Massachusetts

ROBERT ELIS SMITH, Publisher, Privacy Journal

Moderator: ANN LAMBERT, Legislative Counsel, ACLU of Massachusetts

Confronting the New McCarthyism: Post 9/11 Guilt by Association and Dissent

MALICK GHACHEM, Attorney and ACLU of Massachusetts Board

MAHEEN JUNAID, Attorney

NANCY MURRAY, Director of Education, ACLU of Massachusetts

Moderator: BILL NEWMAN, Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts’ Western Regional Law Office

Piercing the Code of Silence: Race, Secrecy and Law Enforcement

DICK LEHR, Author, The Fence and Black Mass

Respondent: HECTOR PIÑEIRO, Attorney

Moderator: SARAH WUNSCH, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Massachusetts

Social Media: Blogging for Liberty, Tweeting for Equality

HOPE LEWIS, Northeastern Law School and ACLU of Massachusetts Board CHRIS OTT, Communications Director, ACLU of Massachusetts

DANIELLE RIENDEAU, Online Communications Coordinator, ACLU of Massachusetts

Shake the System: Civil Liberties Activism in Congress and The State House

CAROL ROSE, Executive Director, ACLU of Massachusetts

BYRON RUSHING, State Representative and ACLU of Massachusetts Board

GAVI WOLFE, Legislative Counsel, ACLU of Massachusetts Moderator:

STEVE HURLEY, Director of Development, ACLU of Massachusetts

You can download the full program here!

First Amendment Minutes update 2.3.10

We’ve been busy building up for the 2010 Statewide conference, which is just around the corner – in fact, it’s this Saturday, Feb. 6^th at Umass Boston. If you’re in the area, you should definitely join us – particularly if you’re interested in blogging and social media.

Until then, we have a fresh batch of podcast episodes ready for you. Listen to them here or on our dedicated podcast page! And be sure to let us know what you think.

2.3.10

ACLU First Amendment Minute: Canada's Largest Trading Partner
America is Canada's largest trading partner, and that country recently imported something from The United States that should make us proud.

ACLU First Amendment Minute: Senator Scott Brown
Here's the ACLU's take on the new senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown.

ACLU First Amendment Minute: Texting While Driving 
A law that prohibits a motorist from text messaging while driving clearly is an unconstitutional, government-imposed restriction on free speech. Or is it?

1.31.10

ACLU First Amendment Minute: Cold Winter of the Great Recession 
In this cold winter of this Great Recession does the Constitution do the hungry and the homeless any good?

ACLU First Amendment Minute: Life Without Parole
 Almost all of the 100 people in the world serving a sentence of life without parole for crimes committed as a juvenile in which no one was killed are locked up in one country.


ACLU First Amendment Minute: A Venerable Democracy
 Today's freedom of speech question: In a venerable democracy, when a citizen posts online a video of a government official lying, what's the likely result?

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts mourns the passing of Howard Zinn, a true friend of civil rights and civil liberties for all.

The following was contributed by Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts mourns the passing of Howard Zinn, a true friend of civil rights and civil liberties for all people. Professor Zinn was fearless in his advocacy, serving as a role model to people young and old with his intrepid work to popularize notions of individual rights for all. The ACLU of Massachusetts was honored to bestow its “Lifetime Achievement” award on Professor Zinn in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to civil rights and civil liberties.

“The extraordinary clarity of his thought and strength of his voice made Professor Zinn one of the most beloved and influential defenders of freedom that our nation has known,” said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “And he was always so generous with his time and wisdom. All of us at the ACLU shall miss him greatly and must redouble our efforts to defend freedom and liberty in his honor..”

First Amendment Minutes: 1/27/10

We've got a fresh batch of First Amendment Minutes for you today, after a brief vacation from podcasting.

As always, you can listen or download the episodes here or on our podcast page: http://aclum.org/podcasts/

1.27.10

ACLU First Amendment Minute: Police Misconduct

Police misconduct, lying on the witness stand, in New York City has become institutionalized. Who said that?

ACLU First Amendment Minute: A New Record

The USA has set another all-time record!

ACLU First Amendment Minute: Wikileaks.org

Can WikiLeaks.org survive? It's a website that publishes documents that someone, somewhere thinks should be made public, and then dares the government, any government, to try to shut it down.

The Truck Stops Here

As you probably know, the state of Massachusetts elected a new senator yesterday, to fill the seat of the late, great, Ted Kennedy. Kennedy was a fierce advocate for civil rights – he fought especially hard for equal rights for all people, regardless of race, class, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion, earning him the nickname “the liberal lion”.

Scott Brown, the Senator-elect, has big shoes to fill – we have some concerns about previous statements he’s made about civil liberties issues, including statements about the use of torture, indefinite detention and equal rights for all.

But don’t forget: the ACLU has been here for 90 years. Elected officials come and go. The ACLU stays. We will never stop defending your right to freedom, liberty and equality under the law. We are in the Courts, in the State House, and in the halls of Congress to defend your rights. We steadfastly resolve to work with Senator Brown – as with representatives of all political stripes – to ensure that the people of the Commonwealth enjoy the guarantees and protections set forth in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The ACLU never backs down from the defense of individual liberty.

We will continue to fight for equal protection for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. We stand for due process under the law, and for the right of all residents to be safe, free and protected from unconstitutional surveillance and unwanted, unwarranted intrusion on their privacy. We will continue to call for accountability and transparency from our elected officials, and we’ll never shy away from seeking justice for all.

We’ve got your back.

- This post was contributed by Danielle Riendeau, Carol Rose and Christopher Ott