Humanize the Earth!

Be afraid, be very afraid

Is this fear-mongering to drive up membership renewals? Is there really something “emergency” going on here? Can we live in a state of emergency all the time?

Outraged that the Attorney-General nominee argued that prohibitions against torture were quaint? Concerned that police surveillance of anti-war groups has chilled speech opposing the war in Iraq? Worried that your neighbor’s son, or perhaps your own, will be interrogated by law enforcement because of his race or ethnicity? Fearful that your daughter may be stripped of the right to choose lawful - and safe - reproductive health services? Suspicious that all of our rights have been eroded by the government’s focus on “national security” at the expense of everything else?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, please join activists from around the state for an Emergency Summit of ACLU of Illinois Members Committed to Defending our Constitution.

• Efforts to impose criminal penalties against physicians who provide life saving reproductive health care to women patients;
• Government funding of religious organizations that discriminate against applicants for jobs and social services on the basis of religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, HIV status or any other characteristic that a religious organization finds objectionable;
• Broad authority for intrusive investigations of average Americans based on their religious and political beliefs, without any indication of criminal behavior - in contravention of the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Of course I’m glad the ACLU is working on all of these issues, but I’m concerned about the effects of using fear as a motivator. Comments?