Terrorism/Emergency Powers

The ACLU is representing three men who were tortured by the CIA and who are now suing the architects of the agency’s torture program. 

The past few years have seen numerous attempts to reform the notorious Patriot Act and its problematic provisions which the NSA has interpreted to permit unprecedented dragnet surveillance. None have been successful, thanks in large part to the continued fearmongering of the “war on terror.”

Last month, Seattle Metro buses were running a disturbing ad.  Funded by the U.S. State Department, the ad featured pictures of 16 men wanted around the globe for terrorist activities.  The pictures of the men, all appearing to be Muslim with turbans, beards, and brown skin, were right below the large, bold message “FACES OF GLOBAL TERRORISM.”

A decade ago, I had just turned ten years old.  I had heard the term “terrorism” before, but always thought it was something that only happened in other parts of the world or in the past.  On September 11th, 2001, that all changed.  That morning, I awoke to a new world, the one that has encompassed the lives of my peers and me for the past decade.

Ever since 9/11, the ACLU has insisted that our nation must protect both security and freedom. True patriotism means affirming a commitment to the principles of the Bill of Rights and the values of liberty that are essential to our democratic way of life.