Michael O. Allen

Defending the Constitution

I have a conflict: I am in the ACLU family and subscribe to its ideals. It is in that spirit that I offer this.

The ACLU's John Adams Project Our generation countenanced the illegal imprisonment of hundreds of people on the Cuban island known as Guantanamo Bay. I know some will blame terrible reign of George W. Bush and his minions for the dark times we live in but this historical event is our shame alone to bear.

Setting up this American Gulag was an assault on the character of our nation. We looked for the nearest mall when Bush said “go shop,” instead of questioning what he was up to. So he came up with new ways to take away more of our rights.

But, perhaps more than that, Bush’s biggest crime was devaluing what America means. We, as a people, a society and a culture, were complicit in that. The American Civil Liberties Union offers us a road back to reclaiming our virtues as a nation.

The question is: will we rise up to the challenge?

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4 responses to “Defending the Constitution”

  1. » Defending the Constitution

    […] TomCat wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt […]

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  2. Todd Drew Avatar
    Todd Drew

    I am also a member of the ACLU family so take from this what you will. I have been a supporter of the organization since birth thanks to a father who believed in nothing more than justice. He used to tell me, “The ACLU is on the right side of every fight.” They are once again.

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  3. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Great job by the ACLU. I am not “card-carrying member” but I should be.

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  4. veronica a. Avatar
    veronica a.

    hi michael, this is an EXCELLENT site, by the way.

    I think the ACLU has done a great job. I totally agree with your post! Nodding our heads isn’t enough. As the Bush reign nears its end, i struggle with guilt as an American wondering “what could i/we have done to help stop this s–tshow?” Almost 8 years, and we have few answers. Everyone is outraged, but what have we done? Expose (accent over the last e) after expose, breaking news report after breaking news report, etc…all that’s happened is that we’ve become more aware of the countless injustices. I guess it’s easier to make fun of Bush. The soldier death milestones don’t even matter all that much anymore. I’m nervous that we think that a new President will wipe the slate clean. We have such an amazing ability to forget. We have better things to do. We don’t even have time for each other’s problems as fellow Americans and now we have so many enemies in other nations that don’t have such a short memory. When will we wake up?

    Can you tell that i’m a little frustrated? Keep up the good work!

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