Christopher M. Finan, President of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, to Speak at ACLU of Utah Bill of Rights Celebration
Editorial Cartoonist Pat Bagley Will Also Be Honored at the Dinner
Christopher M. Finan
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On Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 6:00 p.m., the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah will host its annual Bill of Rights Celebration at the Sheraton Hotel in Salt Lake City. The benefit dinner offers Utahns a chance to support the work of the ACLU of Utah Foundation and to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of civil liberties.
This year’s Bill of Rights Celebration will feature special guest and speaker Christopher M. Finan. Finan is the president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), an organization established by the American Booksellers Association in 1990 to defend the First Amendment rights of booksellers and their customers. Finan has been involved in the fight against censorship for over twenty-five years. In addition to his work with ABFFE, he is chairman of the board of directors of the National Coalition Against Censorship and is a trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation. His new book, From the Palmer Raids to the PATRIOT Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America, will be published by Beacon Press in May. The ABFFE is currently a plaintiff in the ACLU of Utah case The King’s English v. Shurtleff.
The Bill of Rights Celebration will also be a chance to honor The Salt Lake Tribune editorial cartoonist and author Pat Bagley, who will receive the ACLU of Utah’s 2007 Torch of Freedom Award. For almost thirty years, Bagley’s editorial cartoons have offered a sane, funny, and insightful perspective on local and national civil liberties issues. His syndicated cartoons appear in newspapers around the country, and his work has been featured in Time, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian of London. He is the author of several books, including, This is the Place (a young adult history of Utah), Dinosaurs of Utah, Welcome to Utah, and the nationally acclaimed Clueless George Goes to War. The Torch of Freedom Award is presented to Utahns whose work affirms and strengthens the principles outlined in the Bill of Rights.
For additional information about the ACLU of Utah’s Bill of Rights Celebration, including information about how to purchase tickets to the event, please see www.acluutah.org/07dinner.htm or call (801) 521-9862 ext 101.
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Take Action -- Ask Congress to Restore Due Process of Law and Fix the Military Commissions Act
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Just before the 2006 elections, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act, eliminating protections against unlawful imprisonment, convictions based on coerced evidence, and numerous other violations of due process. They also gave the president absolute power to designate enemy combatants and to set his own definitions for torture.
Already, several measures have been introduced in Congress to fix the Military Commissions Act. The ACLU is urging Congress to enact both measures. The “Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007” (H.R.1416/S.185) would restore habeas corpus for those detained by the American government. The “Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007” (H.R. 1415/S. 576) would also reinstate habeas rights and clarify the definition of “enemy combatants.” Additionally, it would block the federal government from making up its own rules on torture and abuse.
Ask your Members of Congress to support these bills >>
Learn more about the Military Commissions Act and the right to habeas corpus >>
Supreme Court Ruling on Federal Abortion Ban Endangers Women’s Lives
The ACLU and the National Abortion Federation criticized yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a federal law banning certain abortions. It is the first abortion decision from the Supreme Court since Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired. Both organizations say that the Court’s decision will endanger women’s health.
Read more about yesterday’s decision >>
The Real Face of Real ID on YouTube
The Utah House of Representatives recently passed a resolution urging Congress and the United States Department of Homeland Security to suspend the implementation of or repeal the federal Real ID Act. They did so with good reason—if the government’s new Real ID rules come to Utah, we can count on longer lines at the DMV, worse services, bureaucratic snarls, and higher fees. And a national ID card that will invade our privacy.
Get a firsthand look at all this in a special Freedom Files video short, Real ID -- A Real Nightmare, now on YouTube. The piece features Bill Cattorini, a retired Chicago fireman who has been caught in a bureaucratic limbo due to a discrepancy between his birth date as listed on his driver’s license and the date on his social security card. That was never an issue until Illinois began trying to comply with some parts of Real ID. Now Cattorini can’t drive.
Watch Real ID -- A Real Nightmare >>
Learn more about Real ID and what you can do to oppose it >>
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