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Two Out of Three Americans Living in Constitution-Free Zone

CitizenSugar — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 10:00:50 -0700

Welcome to the border — where anyone can be stopped and searched. It used to be just the point of entry along Canada and Mexico, but Homeland Security has taken an increasingly loose — or wide — interpretation of it. Now? It's a 100-mile radius that wraps around the border of the United States.

Oh yes. It’s called the Constitution-Free Zone by the ACLU. The concern is that it erodes the rights of the Fourth Amendment — the one that protects against unreasonable searches and seizes — for two-thirds of Americans. That's 197.4 million people, and pretty much all of New England.

Authority that the Constitution would have prohibited can now be exercised by the US Customs and Border Protection. It’s been setting up inland checkpoints where it typically questions citizenship; however, people have reported extended questioning and increased pressure to permit searches.

Many are calling for congress to investigate and pass new laws to protect Americans before things go too far. Do you fear it will? Or are you glad to see a protective barrier ringing the country regardless?

Sex Offenders Get Scarlet Pumpkin for Halloween

LibertySugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:53 -0700

As part of their parole, Maryland sex offenders must display a pumpkin sign that states "No candy at this residence." Along with posting the warning sign, the violent and child-sex offenders must also stay in their homes on Halloween, keep the lights off, and not answer the door. The state has distributed warnings to families, telling them to stay away from homes with the pumpkins.

The ACLU is currently challenging an identical Missouri law, claiming the provisions are too vague to enforce and add punishment to sentences already served. While parents and the community must protect children, do you think rehabilitated sex-offenders have a right to some privacy? Does fear go too far in trampling the rights of these ex-cons, or did they give up those rights?

Clothes Call? Woman Kicked Out For Lesbian T-Shirt

CitizenSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:10 -0700

Normally a woman entering a federal building to pick up a social security card for her son wouldn't end up in controversy. Unfortunately for Lapriss Gilbert, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, wearing the wrong t-shirt. When she arrived at the government complex sporting a t-shirt with the words “lesbian.com” on the front, a private security officer hired by the Homeland Security Department stopped her and demanded she leave the premises.

The guard, an employee of Paragon Security, cited The Rules and Regulations Governing Conduct on Federal Property to support his claim that he is able to decide which articles of clothing are acceptable and which are not. Unfortunately, the document does not offer such guidance.

According to a witness, the hired guard’s “loud, unreasonable, aggressive and angry approach to the situation almost caused chaos.” Gilbert says of the incident, "As an African-American and a lesbian, I haven't been through one day without facing some sort of discrimination . . . but this is just shocking." The ACLU is looking into the case they call the most blatant discrimination they've seen in a federal office building.

Answer to Crime? Keep People Off the Streets With Curfews?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:30 -0700

It's just like being a teenager, except your parents are the police! And instead of grounding, they can put you in jail! Curfews are popping up in tons of places, aimed at controlling crime. With goals similar to the police checkpoints in Washington DC, the newest towns getting an early bedtime: Helena, Arkansas and Hartford, Connecticut.

Sparked by violence, Helena, AR has implemented a 24-hour curfew in a troubled neighborhood, questioning all passers by. The city council voted unanimously to allow police to expand the program to any area of the city, despite ACLU claims that the police action is unconstitutional. The patrols have resulted in 32 arrests since they locked down the 10-block radius. The council acknowledges the hardship of the curfew but says those living in the city want the random and drug-fueled shootings to stop, regardless of what it takes.

To see what's happening in Hartford, and whether it actually works,

America's Terrorist Watch List Hits 1 Million Names

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:40:12 -0700

America's Terrorist Watch List Hits 1 Million Names The good news is that Nelson Mandela is no longer on the US's terrorist watch list. The bad news is that the list now has 1 million names, which leads one to question just how effective this list really is. The ACLU says, "America's new million record watch list is a perfect symbol for what's wrong with this administration's approach to security: it's unfair, out of control, a waste of resources, treats the rights of the innocent as an afterthought, and is a very real impediment in the lives of millions of travelers in this country."

Droopy Drawers: Is a Ban on Baggy Pants Racism in Disguise?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:15:29 -0700

Like your pants with a little extra room? If you live in Flint, MI, you better hitch up your britches; the city's new police chief announced yesterday that he's going to start arresting people wearing baggy pants. Oh yeah, you heard correctly. No more low-hanging pantaloons — the chief says people are showing off altogether too much of their derrières and it's creating a problem. He says, "this immoral self-expression goes beyond free speech. It rises to the crime of indecent exposure/disorderly persons." The pants punishment? $500 and up to three months in jail. While it's true that many don't understand the need to sag one's pants, and may rather not see someone's underduds, can a person's pants lead to arrest? It's a case the ACLU is quite interested in. Curious in not only how the law will be enforced, but also how it will disproportionately target young African-American men. A local ACLU attorney says, that a person's right to choose their clothing is an issue of freedom of expression, though he cautions that not all expression is protected by the Constitution. The local NAACP president expressed her concern that the new law has racial implications this way, "I'm not interested in looking at anyone's underwear. My concern is how (the policy) will be applied equitably."At the moment, the police aren't entirely sure either. Is it possible that dealing with a small societal issue like indecent saggy pants, could have larger benefits over time? Is this a racially motivated move costumed by concern for decency?Source

Droopy Drawers: Is a Ban on Baggy Pants Racism in Disguise?

It's racist, targeting a community through a popular style. Indecency is just a cover.

Ridiculous! Sagging pants can be indecent, and little changes do make a place better.

I don't know whether it's racism, but it's certainly not a good use of police time.

Other. I'll wear my opinion on my sleeve in the comments.

Teacher Throws Kid's Mexican Flag in the Trash — Kid To Sue

CitizenSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:08 -0700

Cinco de Mayo may have left more than a tequila hangover and a fridge full of leftover nachos for one teacher in Idaho. A simple act of confiscating a flag from a student might put him on the receiving end of a lawsuit from the ACLU.

The student in question said he was changing into gym clothes at his high school on Cinco de Mayo and holding the Mexican flag when his teacher told him, "Give me the flag." The student claims he asked what the problem was, and his teacher said, "'The problem is that we are in the United States and not in Mexico.' He grabbed it from me. He threw the flag in the garbage can." The trouble worsened after school when the student went to retrieve his flag — he says the teacher taunted him and refused to give it back.

The teacher remembers the event differently, to see how, and how the ACLU is getting involved,

High School Principal Outs Two Gay Students

LibertySugar — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:45:29 -0700

A Memphis high-school principal accused of outing two gay students, is now at the center of an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit. The principal, Daphne Beasley, asked teachers to compile a list of student couples, in order to assist her in the fight against public displays of affection. Once armed with the romantic information, the principal posted the list in public, for teachers, students, and parents to see.

Two gay students, Nicholas and Andrew, were effectively outed. In an interview with local news, Nicholas explained: "I really feel that my personal privacy was invaded. I mean, Principal Beasley called my mother and outed me to my mother!" Nicholas also alleges that a teacher would not let him go on a school trip to build homes in New Orleans because he would embarrass the school with his gay affection. As a result of the list, Nicholas and Andrew say they are being harassed by fellow students as well.

The ACLU hopes the lawsuit will bring school-district policies that would stop such out-of-control behavior by administrators, policies they say violate students' constitutional rights. They also are asking that the principal apologize to the students, who should also be monetarily compensated for the horrible experience.

Are you outraged by the principal's action? Is PDA in high schools such a threat to the educational experience that it deserves such drastic action? Do these students deserve financial compensation? Is it the only way to get the school district's attention?

Source