ACLU

Free showing of “1984” film at Loft Cinema

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Free Screening! 1984 Join us for a special free screening of the classic film version of George Orwell’s chillingly prophetic novel, 1984, on April 4th, the day Orwell’s protagonist Winston Smith begins rebelling against his oppressive government by keeping a forbidden diary. TUESDAY, APRIL 4 AT 7:30PM | FREE ADMISSION at Loft Cinema, 3233 E. … Read more

America’s descent into the darkness of ‘Trumpism,’ the new American fascism

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On Friday, International Holocaust Remembrance Day no less, No mention of Jews in White House’s Holocaust Remembrance Day tribute, and with no sense of irony, our Dear Leader Donald J. Trump announced his long-anticipated Muslim travel ban and an unconstitutional religious test for entry into the United States. Trump Bars Refugees and Citizens of 7 Muslim Countries:

President Trump on Friday closed the nation’s borders to refugees from around the world, ordering that families fleeing the slaughter in Syria be indefinitely blocked from entering the United States, and temporarily suspending immigration from several predominantly Muslim countries.

In an executive order that he said was part of an extreme vetting plan to keep out “radical Islamic terrorists,” Mr. Trump also established a religious test for refugees from Muslim nations: He ordered that Christians and others from minority religions be granted priority over Muslims.

“We don’t want them here,” Mr. Trump said of Islamist terrorists during a signing ceremony at the Pentagon. “We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country, and love deeply our people.”

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Lewis Black: Voter Suppression? Not on My Watch!

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Comedian Lewis Black is ACLU spokesperson against voter suppression.
Comedian Lewis Black is ACLU spokesperson against voter suppression.

Acerbic political comedian Lewis Black backs the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) fight against voter suppression. Check out the video after the jump.

From the ACLU…

At a photo shoot with ACLU’s Voting Rights Project Director Dale Ho, ACLU voting rights ambassador Lewis Black gets so f#%!in’ tired of politicians trying to deny people the right to vote. 

The ACLU is fighting against bad voter suppression laws across the country.

The rules of voting are still in flux in many states, so to make sure you know your rights when you vote, go to https://www.aclu.org/letmevote

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ACLU Files Suit on Behalf of Refugee Children

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ACLU refugee children The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit on behalf of the 1000s of refugee children being held in detention centers in the southwest.

The ACLU suit claims that the children should have legal representation when they go through their deportation proceedings.

I have witnessed several immigration hearings for people with and without lawyers. Setting aside anxiety and potential Spanish/English/indigenous language barriers, judges and lawyers have their own lingo and their own rules. Even adult non-lawyers can get tripped up by the legal system. These deportation hearings are literally a life or death matter for the refugee children. There is a fine line between being label a refugee who is fleeing violence and persecution in her homeland (OK, you can stay) or a migrant who broke US law and crossed the border (Hasta luego).

Providing them with lawyers is the humanitarian thing to do to. I also believe that the government should make every effort to hook up these minors with relatives who are in the US. (I have this to say to the people who claim the US can’t afford to care for these children and treat them humanely: TAX THE RICH.)

From the ACLU..

Eleven-year-old Luisa was too young to apply on her own for a visa to come from Guatemala to the United States where she hoped to be reunited with her mother. But since federal immigration authorities detained her last year in Texas, Luisa has learned that she is apparently not too young to act as her own lawyer as federal immigration officials move to deport her back to her native Guatemala.

During a recent hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, Luisa and more than two dozen other children crowded into a small room where the U.S. government has begun deportation hearings against them. Some sat quietly, feet dangling from benches. Others, who spoke indigenous languages and understood little Spanish, looked nervously around struggling to understand the proceedings.

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