Published:
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Ever since 9/11, the ACLU has taken head-on the misconception that there is a dichotomy between liberty and security. With media coverage of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 ramping up, the ACLU-WA is taking the opportunity to remind people that America can be safe and free.
In a Seattle Times online forum on “9/11: Balancing Freedom and Security” this week, ACLU-WA board member Paul Lawrence criticized the political push we’ve seen toward safety at the expense of our constitutional values and commitment to the rule of law. He pointed out that overreach has occurred “in the sanction of the use of torture as a tool, Guantanamo, allowing [warrantless] searches of both US and non-citizens, and the use of military tribunals rather than the court system.”
Lawrence explained that these methods were unneeded because we have had successful prosecutions in civil courts, which highlights that use of military commissions is not necessary. Planned attacks, he said, “have been prevented by using traditional police techniques -- principally relying on informants -- rather than [warrantless] searches or torture. That should tell us that violations of the Rule of Law were not necessary.”
He concluded by declaring that, “The way forward lies in decisively turning our backs on the policies and practices that violate our country's greatest strength: our Constitution and its Bill of Rights.”
Other forum panelists were former US Attorney and Law Professor John McKay, former member of the 9/11 Commission Slade Gorton, and CAIR-Washington executive director Asalan Bukhari. You can check out the full discussion on the Times website.
