American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU

Originally posted on Citizen Orange

I'm proud to have another link in the pro-migrant blogroll, today.  T. Don Hutto is a blog "dedicated to providing information on the growing movement to shut
down Hutto and prevent this model of immigrant detention from spreading
nationally". 

The "Don Hutto Family Residential Facility", was the first prison designed specifically for immigrant families.  It is run by the Corrections Corporation of America, the U.S.'s largest for-profit corrections company.   If the thought of profiting from one of the largest prison populations in the world isn't sickening enough, check out the information the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has on the Hutto Detention Center.  The letter I've pasted here, from a detained child identified as Kevin to the Canadian Prime Minister, has haunted my dreams.  I will quote it below.

Judge Strikes Down Part of Patriot Act

September 6, 2007 by The Associated Press

A federal judge struck down parts of the revised USA Patriot
Act on Thursday, saying investigators must have a court’s
approval before they can order Internet providers to turn over
records without telling customers.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said the government orders
must be subject to meaningful judicial review and that the
recently rewritten Patriot Act "offends the fundamental
constitutional principles of checks and balances and
separation of powers.

The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the law,
complaining that it allowed the FBI to demand records without
the kind of court order required for other government
searches.

The ACLU said it was improper to issue so-called national
security letters, or NSLs - investigative tools used by the
FBI to compel businesses to turn over customer information -
without a judge’s order or grand jury subpoena. Examples of
such businesses include Internet service providers, telephone
companies and public libraries.

Yusill Scribner, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office,
said prosecutors had no immediate comment.

Jameel Jaffer, who argued the case for the ACLU, said the
revised law had wrongly given the FBI sweeping authority to
control speech because the agency was allowed to decide on its

In West Virginia thre is a cohabitation law, which makes it a misdemeanor for unmarried people to "lewdly and lasciviously associate" and live together. This law is being challenged by a lawsuit, filed by the ACLU on behalf of an inmate whose parole was delayed because of his plan to cohabit with his fiance.

Well, I have lewdly and lasciviously associated and lived together with women before I was married. And enjoyed it very much, thank you. And I considered it none of the government's business that I did so. However, I always had the option of marrying who ever I wanted to lewdly and lasciviously associate with.

Since gays are not allowed the same right to marry eachother that I have, this cohabitation law seems to clearly discriminate against gays, preventing them from lewdly and lasciviously associating with eachother legally.

But really, the fundamental question here is what business is it of the government to care who lewdly and lasciviously associates with who? When will we get the governmemt out of our bedrooms? Oh, yeah. When we get rid of Republican control over our government.

In a released statement by Planned Parenthood congratulated Sen. Hillary Clinton in her efforts to get Plan B approved for over-the-counter use. NARAL, PFAW and the ACLU have been swift to point out that it's a half-win : underage women and fertile children have no free access to emergency contraception. Which is why at culturekitchen Lorraine Berry is taking the pledge to start a PlanB Underground and buy the damn thing to anybody under 18 who needs it.

There is no need to force underage women and fertile little girls down the path of an abortion or unwanted pregnancy for unrational health reasons having all to do with religious extremists obsession over parental rights. Hoorah for New York State Senator Liz Krueger to tackling the issue head on:

KRUEGER CALLS FDA "MORNING AFTER" MOVE A "HALF-VICTORY"; CALLS UPON STATE SENATE TO PASS S.6686 WHICH WOULD MAKE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION AVAILABLE FOR ALL AGES AT NEW YORK PHARMACIES

New York—Describing today's Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) move to make emergency contraception available over-the-counter to women over 18 as "a half-victory", New York State Senator Liz Krueger called upon the state Senate to review S.6686.