A Brief Highlight of National and State ACLU Issues
National Issues
The American Civil Liberties Union is involved in a great number of issues
currently. They include:
Freedom of Speech
With the potential constitutional amendment banning the burning of the US
Flag, and attempts to censor movies considered indecent continuing today,
the ACLU is deeply involved in upholding our constitutional right to speak
freely.
Queer Rights
The ACLU is committed to fighting the discriminatory Defense of Marriage
Act, recently passed by a large majority of congress.
Freedom of Religion
At a time when 18% of Americans believe that Christianity is the official
national religion of the USA, the ACLU is committed to keeping the Church
and State seperate, so that the State will not interfere with the Church.
To this end, it fights the payment of public school funds to parochial
schools, and opposes measures such as the Tennessee posting of the Ten
Commandments in the State Legislature.
Internet Privacy
The ACLU has succeeded in getting an injunction against the Communications
Decency Act, maintaining the right of individuals to discuss controversial
issues such as abortion and sexuality on the World Wide Web.
Immigrants' Rights
In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Congress has sponsored a law,
the Counter-Terrorism Act, which permits deportation without hearing of
legal immigrants in the name of national security. The ACLU is currently in
the process of challenging this law, which unfairly tars all immigrants as
potential terrorists.
Rhode Island ACLU Issues
The Rhode Island ACLU is an affiliate of the national ACLU. We are a branch
of the Rhode Island affiliate, seating one member on its board of directors
at all times.
The Rhode Island ACLU is currently involved in the following issues, amoung
others:
Queer Rights
Recently, a man who spoke to the police regarding the fact that his wallet
was stolen by a man who he had had sex with in a parked vehicle. Both were
brought up on indecency charges. The RI Affiliate successfully lobbied the
RI Attorney General's office to drop the charges.
Your Rights and the Criminal Justice System
The RI Affiliate works hand in glove with the RI Human Rights Commission
to prevent police brutality (RI has the second-highest rate of Police
Brutality in the US) and works to prevent abuses at the Adult Correctional
Institute in Cranston, RI. In one of the many recent cases in this area
that the RI Affiliate deals with, the ACI was required to provide inmates
with acceptable winter wear if they were required to be outside.
Abortion Rights
The RI Affiliate has recently succeeded in getting an injunction against
RI's Partial Birth Abortion Ban.
Censorship
The RI Affiliate recently succeeded in lobbying to end censorship of the
Providence Phoenix at the University of Rhode Island.
Megan's Law
The RI Affiliate is working to prevent abuses to Megan's Law, the law
requiring Community Notification by Sexual Offenders. The RI Affiliate
lobbied against the law initially, but was unsuccessful.
Internet in the Libraries
The RI Affiliate is lobbying local libraries to prevent the installation
of internet monitoring software, which would deny patrons the ability to
view material considered indecent -- some of which is of a religious or
political nature.
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