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New ACLU President On ElectionsI had a busy weekend being elected President of the American Civil Liberties Union. My first thought after the election was that the ACLU could certainly teach the country a lot about how to run a presidential election. All efforts were made to allow every one of the eligible voters (the 83-person National Board of Directors) to participate in the process and vote. There was no negative campaigning; the debates were only about the issues; and every vote was counted. My second thought was about the awesome responsibility of leading the ACLU through the challenging times to come. Since the beginning of Anthony Romero’s tenure in 2001, we have experienced exponential growth of our membership, our national and affiliate staffs, and our budget. Both the turbulent economy and the Obama/McCain election will require us to have new conversations about how we can best advance our mission: to protect and restore our civil rights and civil liberties. We are approaching the centennial of the ACLU in 2020. My chief goal as President will be to make sure that the ACLU is a permanent fixture in the country’s landscape going into our second century. I have received many congratulatory calls and emails from people I have known in all aspects of my life. My young friend Lucas Hartstone-Rose, who has been living in Ghana, talked about the importance of the ACLU not just in protecting our own rights, but in setting an example for the rest of the world. “Not only has the unlawful imprisonment of detainees, in Guantánamo Bay, without due process, and subject to what is clearly cruel and unusual punishment, hurt us at home, but it’s really undermined our ability to persuade other governments to respect people’s rights.” I hope to help lead the ACLU to do the work we have always done in promoting liberty, equality, fairness, and tolerance. And I hope to reach out to new communities in this country which have not always understood that our work is also on their behalf, to new generations of civil libertarians, and to the global community of which we are part, whether we intend to be or not.
Tags: Civil Liberties News
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Oct 28th, 2008 at 5:36pm
Ms. Susan Herman, ACLU President: why is the american civil liberties union *DEATHLY SILENT* on the Torture Murder of Americans with highly classified directed energy neurological, etc. weapons??
Oct 29th, 2008 at 1:37am
Congratulations Susan! You have some big shoes to fill, but I think you'll do a fantastic job!
I completely agree with your statement on reaching out to religious groups who believe the Union is hostile to thier values. The ACLU's agenda is so broad that everybody, no matter what their politics, has some issues in common with us. I also think it's a laudable idea to be involved more in the international community--specifically on the issues of drug legalization, immigration, religous persecution, and issues related to terrorism.
I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you ruffling plenty of feathers, as every libertarian must do!
P.S.--Might I suggest encouraging a change in ACLU policy concerning the Second Amendment in light of D.C. v. Heller? I'm from Texas after all--I had to ask!
Oct 30th, 2008 at 9:18am
The ACLU is a joke!
Oct 30th, 2008 at 9:14pm
Wow, Susan!
You so utterly deserve this honor, and you will be an awesome president for the ACLU. Thanks again for all you do for freedom and justice.
Aloha!
Kit Grant (your roadie and fan)
Dec 21st, 2008 at 6:49am
As I see it, the ACLU is the last vestige of hope for this country founding principles.
DON'T EVER MISTAKE THEM FOR THE ACLJ.
Mar 15th, 2009 at 11:09am
Why is the ACLU so reluctant to support the Second Amendment? It seems the ACLU does not support the second based on class or category rather than individual merit and this is very similar to the “D” word.