Mirror of Justice

Patriot Act is un-constitutional

July 15th, 2009 at 08:56pm Under Constitutional Law

By Michael Webster Syndicated Investigative Reporter: April 18, 2009 at 12:00 PM PST

    The USA PATRIOT Act broadly expands law enforcement’s surveillance and investigative powers and represents one of the most significant threats to civil liberties, privacy and democratic traditions in U.S. history. The act in its current form gives sweeping United States Constitution   Page one of the original copy of the Constitution

 search and surveillance to domestic law enforcement and foreign intelligence agencies and eliminates checks and balances which had been the difference between the free world and the suppressed.

That difference previously had given courts the opportunity to ensure that those powers were not abused. PATRIOT and follow-up legislation now in development threaten the basic rights of millions of Americans and has turned America into a suppressed state.   A new bill introduced in this 110th Congress is designed to extend the USA Patriot Act allowing what many experts say are illegal provisions which will continue to allow the FBI, DEA, ICE, ATF, U.S. Military and other federal agencies to spy on investigate and arrest innocent Americans. The law because of the act allows for violations of Americans constitutional rights that our fore Fathers did not intend.    Constitutional lawyers all across America say the Patriot Act should be repealed not reinstated. President Bush signed into law the earlier renewal of the controversial Patriot Law on December 30, 2005 as the provisions were due to expire they were extended with Public Law 109-160 that pushed the date from December 31, 2005 until February 3, 2006. The date of expiration was again changed from February 3, 2006 until March 10, 2006.

The origenal Patriot Act was passed into law on October 24, 2001 by the Congress of the United States, just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with few Congressman even reading it and virtually no debate.  There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and even worse the power to break your door down at your home at any time of the day or night and conduct unconstitutional searches and seizures or if your lucky and are not home they can search your home or business in secret without telling you for weeks, months, or even indefinitely.  

According to Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) the law dramatically expands the ability of states and the Federal Government to conduct surveillance of American citizens. The Government can monitor an individual’s web surfing records, use roving wiretaps to monitor phone calls made by individuals “proximate” to the primary person being tapped, access Internet Service Provider records, and monitor the private records of people involved in legitimate protests.

PATRIOT is not limited to terrorism EFF writes on their web site. They point out that the Government can add samples to DNA databases for individuals convicted of “any crime of violence.” Government spying on suspected computer trespassers (not just terrorist suspects) and all of this and more requires no court order. Wiretaps are now allowed for any suspected violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, offering possibilities for Government spying on and monitoring any computer user’s searches, e-mails and in fact record every stroke on any computer.   Foreign and domestic intelligence agencies can more easily spy on Americans.

Powers under the existing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) have been broadened to allow for increased surveillance opportunities. FISA standards are lower than the constitutional standard applied by the courts in regular investigations. PATRIOT partially repeals legislation enacted in the 1970s that prohibited pervasive surveillance of Americans.   PATRIOT eliminates Government accountability. While PATRIOT freely eliminates privacy rights for individual Americans, it creates more secrecy for Government activities, making it extremely difficult to know about actions the Government are taking.   PATRIOT authorizes the use of “sneak and peek” search warrants in connection with any federal crime, including misdemeanors. A “sneak and peek” warrant authorizes law enforcement officers to enter private premises without the occupant’s permission or knowledge and without informing the occupant that such a search was conducted.

The Department of Justice, with little input from Congress and the American people, is developing follow-on legislation – the Domestic Security Enhancement Act (nicknamed Patriot II) — which would greatly expand Patriot’s already sweeping powers.   The federal government has turned American freedoms into a world wide mockery with their unchecked spying on ordinary Americans, part of a broad pattern of the executive branch using “national security” and or “suspected terrorism ” as an excuse for encroaching on the privacy and free speech rights of Americans without adequate oversight. It eliminates many protections against unlawful imprisonment and now many rights in U.S. legal system are absent — such as the important right of habeas corpus.

As written the act violates due process for all Americans. All the president has to do is call a citizen an “enemy combatant,” and the person’s due process rights disappear. The US Government says that U.S. citizens can be detained and then tried in secret trials – in absentia, and can use secret evidence that the accused cannot see or challenge.  If evidence is obtained by coercion, or torture government lawyers contend that it should still be allowed as a basis for conviction, there by erasing 300 years of Anglo-American jurisprudence.

You should be very uncomfortable with the collection of your records by the governmentwhich are using the Patriot Act to demand your social security number and other private financial or medical information by order of secret courts and the muzzling of those citizens who receive such orders from speaking publicly about them. This is a violation of both the 1st and 4th amendment. You should also oppose the collection of both private and business records by banks, pharmacies and other businesses which are using the Patriot Act to demand your social security number and other private financial or medical information. Criticism of former President Bush’s admission that he had received warnings only weeks before September 11th has made it more important to understand the origins of the act. There has never been a more urgent need to preserve fundamental privacy protections and our system of checks and balances than the need we face today. As illegal government spying, provisions of the Patriot Act and government-sponsored torture programs transcend the bounds of law and our most treasured values in the name of national security and just the allegation of suspected terrorist activity be it true or not. The current Act that was extended and updated you can read online at this site: www.epic.org.

Financial TransactionsThe sections of the Patriot Act that deal with financial transactions fall under Title III, which is also known as the International Money Laundering Abatement and Financial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001. It stands on its own as a separate act of Congress as well as being part of the Patriot Act, and is an amended version of the 1986 Money Laundering Control Act and the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act. The earlier acts tended to focus on preventing money laundering and international cash flow as it related to the drug trade, or to gambling, smuggling, and other types of criminal activity. In the 2001 version, the focus has shifted towards money laundering as a means of financing international terrorism.The current act encourages financial institutions to collect certain data to identify customers and their transactions in case any of the activity should be flagged as “suspicious” by a government agency. “Suspicious” in most cases means involving any foreign nationals or corporations. The Patriot Act considers any such accounts or transactions worthy of intense scrutiny. (Although the scrutiny will, of course, be more severe for certain nationalities than for others.)What if you are a US-born, US citizen, do not have any arrest record, and are not involved in any type of criminal activity? If you’d just like to open a bank account or engage in another banking transaction, can a bank force you to provide your social security number? How about fingerprinting you? Is either of these strictly required by law? Not exactly – although if you do not wish to provide your social security number you will have to obtain an alternate taxpayer identification number. This information (along with your name, address, and date of birth) is used as part of the required Customer Identification Program (CIP) used to verify customer identity (and to compare customer information with lists of known terrorist suspects). Such information may also be required by other money service businesses such as currency exchanges. All having the effect of the financial institution acting as agent to and for the US Government.Fingerprints are not a requirement of the Patriot Act, and they are certainly not required by all financial institutions – so if your bank insists on this procedure, you may wish to take your business elsewhere.Cash TransactionsCash transactions are certainly not prohibited, but they bring more government scrutiny, and they are now more inconvenient for certain vendors to process. If you deposit, withdraw, or make a purchase involving more than $10,000 in cash in one day, the other agency involved has to file a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) with the IRS that reports details such as your name, address, and taxpayer identification number. If you purchase over $3,000 of traveler’s checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks, such a transaction will also be reported to the IRS via a Monetary Instrument Log (MIL). And should you engage in any activity that indicates you may be engaged in money laundering or otherwise violating the law, your transaction may even trigger your being put on the no fly list and on the Suspicious Activity Report (SAR). The SAR will be filed without your knowledge – it is, in fact, against the law for you to be informed of the SAR as your knowledge would compromise the subsequent investigation.

If you want the Patriot Act to be repealed you should immediately write your Congressperson and express your concerns, if you and millions of others don’t America’s leadership in freedom and many of our own basic freedoms and liberties will be a thing of the past.

What Do We Do When a Group of People Have Their Rights Taken Away??

July 15th, 2009 at 08:54am Under Civil Rights Law

Pregnancy Discrimination: Know Your Rights!

July 14th, 2009 at 08:54pm Under Civil Rights Law

As a starting point one thing should be made very clear: You cannot be discriminated against for being pregnant! You cannot be fired. You cannot be refused employment. You cannot be demoted. You cannot be docked pay.

Unfortunately, it seems to be a fairly common occurrence that once a woman becomes pregnant her formerly nice and reasonable employer treats her differently. Treating a woman differently – unless it’s to say how awesome it is that she’s pregnant – is likely to be illegal.

In 1978, Congress enacted the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) as an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In doing so Congress made clear that women were not to be punished for becoming mothers.

The PDA prohibits discrimination in areas and ways, including*:

*    Hiring/Firing: An employer cannot refuse to hire a woman because of her pregnancy or a related condition and cannot fire a woman for those things either. *    Pregnancy & Maternity Leave: An employer: cannot single out pregnant women for special procedures to determine her ability to work; must hold open the job while she is on pregnancy leave; must treat her the same as any temporarily disabled worker if she is unable to perform her duties for a short time; must allow her to work if she is able.  *    Health Insurance: Employer provided health insurance must cover pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions on the same basis as other medical issues.  *    Fringe Benefits: Benefits cannot be given only to married couples. Benefits cannot be provided differently to pregnant and non-pregnant employees. Seniority, vacation, pay, temporary disability benefits, must all be the same as all other employees.

*This list is not all inclusive. See an attorney if you feel as if you have, or are, suffering some sort of mistreatment.

Additionally, the law prevents retaliation for complaining about discrimination either to your employer or to the EEOC. States and local governments may also have laws that are similar to the PDA. For example, in Illinois the city of Chicago, Cook County, and the state of Illinois all have laws intended to prevent or remedy pregnancy discrimination. There are also administrative forums at each of these levels devoted to hearing claims of discrimination and providing remedies, including monetary damages.

Women who suffer, or believe that they may have suffered, discrimination need to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC within 180 days of the date of the last act of discrimination. The various local and state agencies may have different filing times but many mirror the 180 day filing requirement set by the federal government as well as the types of discrimination considered illegal. Missing the filing date may eliminate the women’s right to sue so careful attention must be paid to the date, or dates, the act of discrimination took place.

As always, it’s best to consult a local attorney about a claim of discrimination but these forums will allow a woman to file her claim without a lawyer and some will investigate the claims using trained personnel.

Will Gay Marriage and Civil Unions Hurt the United States?

July 14th, 2009 at 02:55am Under Civil Rights Law

With New Hampshire soon becoming the fourth state in the U.S. to offer legal recognition to gay and lesbian relationships, the “traditional marriage” debate is once again heating up.

The religious right maintains that civil unions and gay marriage will break down the traditional family. They hold firm that God meant for marriage to be between one man and one woman for the purpose of procreation. I have heard television evangelists say that our laws were derived from the 10 commandments and that we are a Christian nation. Radical right wing websites plant the seeds of fear by equating civil unions and gay marriage to legalizing pedophilia!

Fear is a very powerful emotion. Fear is what enabled Hitler to execute millions of Jewish people. Fear is what convinced the American people that invading Iraq was the right thing to do. It is easier to fear and avoid the unknown than it is to embrace change. Only education and experience can ease the emotions caused by man made fear.

If we looked beyond the radical opinions on both sides and looked at what we have learned from experience, it is clear that gay marriage and/or civil unions do not break down the fabric of our society.

Looking toward experience for some answers, Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004. Most of the other New England states have some type of civil union laws. Providing legal recognition to gay relationships has not produced any negative change in the lives of any New Englander, it has not had an affect on heterosexual marriage nor has it produced an increase in pedophilia (as some would want you to believe).

To find the correct answers to the questions surrounding the legalization of gay unions, one only needs take a rational look at the issues:

1. If my gay neighbors get married, how will this affect me?

It won’t

2. Is the institution of marriage a Christian owned institution or is this a legal contract?

The state requires a marriage license, therefore, marriage is a legal contract. In addition, the state provides alternatives to religious marriage ceremonies.

3. Do we, as Christians, have the right to tell others, including others that practice a religion that allows gay marriage, they must live by our Christian laws?

American is freedom of religion. Christians have no right to force their religious beliefs on others.

4. Marriage is for procreation, therefore, since gay people cannot procreate, these relationships should not be sanctified.

If this were true we would require every couple to have a fertility test before they are married and disallow any infertile person to marry.

5. Sanctifying gay relationships will break down traditional families and marriages.

How can this possibly happen? Gay people are only asking for the same rights and responsibilities granted to heterosexual couples. Recognizing gay relationships will not cause more people to “be gay” nor will it break down any heterosexual marriage. The only possible way that gay relationship recognition would have an affect on the “traditional family” would be if you were looking at “traditional” in a biblical way. In that way, there would be no “man” of the family or biblical “head” of the household.

Sanctifying gay relationships will not hurt this country. It may even make this country stronger. It will open more people up to health insurance eligibility. It will take some off welfare rolls (once married, welfare will not cover the families if at least one person works). It will reduce the states liabilities to provide low income people with health insurance, child care reimbursement, etc because fewer families will meet the income qualifications for these services. But most importantly, it will provide your neighbors with the ability to visit their partners in the hospitals, sign consent for medical treatment for their partners and prevent the children in these families from having to feel ashamed of the parents that they love.

National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

July 13th, 2009 at 08:54pm Under Civil Rights Law

Over the past year more than 3 million Americans were homeless. A scary thing is that a lot more people are at risk of becoming homeless. The Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted a study in 2001 which showed that nearly 5 million low-income American households were paying more than a half of their income on rent and thus were a great risk of becoming homeless. A great number of circumstances like missed paycheck, health problems or unpaid bills can force these families into homeless.

One of the main reasons for homelessness is obviously deficit of housing that poor families can afford. National Law Center has special projects that are aimed to increase a number of affordable housing. NLCHP has helped to convert federal property worth more than $100 million into housing, job training centers, and child care facilities for homeless people. These places help thousands of homeless people every year. NLCHP also helps to Increase Housing Through Enforcement of Civil Rights by supporting and advocacy consultations. NLCHP assists local groups to battle Not-In-My-Back-Yard opposition to siting of housing for homeless people. NLCHP has issued two reports documenting NIMBY impact on housing and services for homeless people, talking about Fair Housing Act protections for siting of such facilities, and suggesting practical actions to reduce NIMBY resistance.

Since the level of income has a great effect on risk becoming homeless, the Law Center has developed Income Project that is focused on providing Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, welfare, and some other benefits for homeless people. NLCHP runs an Earned Income Tax Credit campaign with the help of which homeless workers can find out more about the tax credit and how to receive it, since tax credit is a great increase in income. The Law Center also helps homeless people wit mental disabilities to receive Mental Illness Disability Benefits.

The Law Center implements effective actions according to the McKinney-Vento Act, the law that provides a great number of educational rights to homeless children. NLCHP also supports parents, guardians and educators all over the country to make sure that homeless children have an access to public schools, so they can get proper education. The Center makes great effort to enforce different laws and policies that would protect homeless children and teens.

Another very important aspect for homeless people is civil rights. The NLCHP does not leave this aspect aside. It fights against the laws that prohibit homeless people conducting life-sustaining activities in public places, even if there are no private spaces provided for homeless to conduct these activities. For instance, laws do not allow sleeping in public places even if a person does not have a home where to sleep. Some laws might not allow eating in public places. To help out homeless people regarding this issue, the Law Center has Civil Rights Project that advocates against the laws that I have mentioned above. On March 4, 2005 in Washington D.C. the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, one of two organizations in the inter-American structure for the encouragement and protection of human rights, had a inquiry to evaluate fulfillment with the basic human right to housing by the largest Western nations.

It is crucially important that NLCHP updates and innovates its programs regularly. For example, at the end of January 2005 the Center presented Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness to D.C. City Council. The D.C. plan like many others is mainly focused on chronically homeless. However, it should also focus on homeless families and children.

In order to end homelessness, according to NLCHP, a number of policies have to be implemented to eliminate the basic causes of this unwanted by any society issue. The Law Center’s main goal is to increase the number of affordable housing, raise incomes, so people can afford to pay rent and still have money left over, and increase government assistance to homeless people.

Discrimination in Employment — Relevant Federal Laws

July 13th, 2009 at 09:01am Under Uncategorized

Discrimination in employment is prohibited by a series of federal laws. These laws are the following:

(a) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (commonly referred to as “Title VII”);

(b) Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA);

(c) The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended (ADEA);

(d) The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA);

(e) The Civil Rights Act of 1991 (often referred to as “CRA of 1991″); and
Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The ADA prohibits employers from discriminating in employment on the basis of disability, in the public sector and in the private sector, but excludes the federal government.

The ADEA prohibits employers from discriminating against persons 40 years of age and older.

The EPA prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of gender in how they pay for substantially similar work under similar conditions.

The CRA of 1991 provides for monetary damages (including punitive damages) in cases of intentional (willful) discrimination and clarifies provisions about disparate impact actions.

The Rehabilitation Act, Section 501, prohibits discrimination in employment against federal employees with disabilities.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the main federal statutes prohibiting discrimination in employment. The headquarters of the EEOC are located in Washington, D.C., and there are regional offices and local field offices throughout the country. Check telephone information under Federal Government listings for a contact phone number, if you think you may have been subjected to employment discrimination.

Minnesota Coalition Of Civil Rights Organizations Oppose Rybak Budget Proposal Cutting Complaints Investigation Unit

July 11th, 2009 at 02:54am Under Civil Rights Law

Rybak is calling it a “transfer” but this proposal is to cut five full time minority attorney investigators, two contract minority attorney investigators and one supervisor, minority law school graduate of Thurgood Marshall Law School, who has been in the unit for over eight years.Protection of civil rights within the City of Minneapolis can be traced back to an executive order issued by Mayor Hubert M. Humphrey. In 1967 the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance was passed. In 1974 the investigative powers were strengthened with subpoena power, less than 10 cities have this power with such power in the nation. In 1991 a new section was added to provide for Domestic Partner registration at City Clerk. “Cutting this unit is discarding decades of civil rights history and ignores the growing need to service Minneapolis’ increasingly diverse population,” said George Brandon, from the Council of Black Minnesotans. “We cannot stay quiet; citizens of Minneapolis must rally to have their voices heard by contacting the Mayor’s office and City Council Persons, because cutting this unit means that it will never come back.”For the first time in the department’s history, they have an all minority attorney staff doing this legal work and have closed 100% more cases in 2008 than in 2007. The Complaint Investigations Unit has seen a backlog of cases from its inception, which is a sign of the amount of discrimination complaints that make it through its doors. There are over 450 open and active cases and it is highly unlikely that the Minnesota State Department of Human Rights can absorb all of these cases as they face cuts also. Additionally, there are jurisdictional and time limits issues which may make transfer of these cases impossible. “I truly believe the Department’s role in investigating and adjudicating complaints affordsaccess to justice for people who otherwise feel they have none,” explains Amy Johnson, Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota who served as an attorney Civil Rights Commissioner. “Investigators can come and go but at the end of the day, it is the people of Minneapolis who will be disenfranchised and their voices will not be heard because Saint Paul is just not as accessible to citizens of Minneapolis like this department is,” said Toni Newborn, former President of the Black Law Students Association – William Mitchell College of Law chapter. The Ways and Means Committee Meeting is on March 2, 2009 at 1:30 PM and full City Council meeting is on March 6, 2009 at 9:30 AM. Civil Rights Coalition includes: Council on Black Minnesotans, Council on American-Islamic Relations – MN Chapter, Jewish Community Action, MN Dakota Conference NAACP, OutFront Minnesota, Urban League Minneapolis

John Murtari Receives Feeding Tube, Continues Passive Resistance for Civil Rights and Equal Parenting

July 10th, 2009 at 08:54pm Under Civil Rights Law

Devoted and loving father John Murtari received a feeding tube today, and says he’s relieved. Murtari, founder of A Kids Right, is carrying through with his passive resistence of not eating or drinking to highlight the need for family law reform, the civil rights of noncustodial parents and equal parenting.

Murtari’s health started to deteriorate soon after he turned himself into the Jamesville Correctional Facility in New York July 31. He lost twenty-eight pounds in 9 days, had such low blood pressure the medical personnel couldn’t get a diastolic reading, had uncontrollable shakes, and was starting to have trouble finishing a sentence. He agreed to cooperate with the doctors when he was told they’d be giving him a feeding tube, so he’s had approximately 30 ounces of water and 2 nutritional supplements since he was moved to the Onondaga County Justice Center August 3rd.

Murtari has been charged with willful failure to pay child support, even though he says he’s been paying as much as he can afford. His child support order was calculated by using the salary of a previous job, at twice the income he makes now.

This practice of imputing income has thrown many noncustodial parents into arrears, threatening their drivers’ and business licenses, and their freedom, like in Murtari’s case. What was once created to protect the children of “deadbeat” parents is now turning average people; normal, loving, responsible, law-abiding parents of both genders, into criminals.

A rally was held in front of the Onondaga County Courthouse yesterday on the International Day of Demonstration for John Murtari and Equal Parenting. Demonstrators came from as far away as Canada, and from all over New York.

Kris Titus of Fathers4Justice/Canada was dressed as Wonder Woman and Jim Hayes of Fathers and Families New York was dressed as “the elephant in the room.” Joel Benjamin, member of Fathers4Justice/USA, Tammy Bowman, member of the New York Civil Rights Council, Guy Lavigne of Fathers4Justice/Canada, Jennifer Kuhn of the National Coalition of Free Men/Greater New York, Mark Young of Exiled Fathers/Virginia and Chris Shaw of the Children Equal Parenting Association of Canada were also present. Several television crews stopped by and interviewed participants, and two articles have been published in newspapers. (links below)

In a show of support for Murtari and Equal Parenting, photos have been sent to the Purple Ribbon Campaign from all over the world. (Purple is known as the color of equality.) Family law reform advocacy, and activism, is occurring in dozens of countries, where a common phrase is, “The best parent is both parents.”

Post Standard – August 10 – Jailed Activist Refusing Food

Finger Lake Times – August 10 – Lyons Man Refuses Food, Water

California Election and Civil Rights Attorney Discusses Republican 2008 Presidential Election Tactics, Robo Calls and Negative Ads

July 10th, 2009 at 02:54pm Under Civil Rights Law

I am deeply concerned, not just as a Civil Rights advocate, and not just as as a constitutional and first amendment lawyer and as an election attorney in California, but simply as an American at the election campaign tactics I am seeing in this 2008 Presidential election by the Republican party. Even as criticism mounts from both Democrats and Republicans, the tactics being employed by the Republican Presidential candidates are destroying any semblance of truth and fairness in the election process and using discrimination to try to gain votes.

Now we are hearing of the latest tactic by John McCain, the very candidate who previously criticized this tactic in a previous election – robo calls. Robo calls are automated telephone calls that are negative attacks on the other candidate, only instead of airing these ads on television, they come by way of the telephone, usually when you are having dinner.

John McCain only days before he began using these robo calls, criticized the Democratic candidate for allegedly spending more money than any campaign in history on negative ads. Whether this claim is true or not in terms of money, it does not appear to be true in its inference that Obama is using a greater percentage of his ads on negative ads. That would be John McCain’s campaign.

In his latest tactic, John McCain has clearly crossed the line once again by using these automated calls to tell voters that Barack Obama allegedly voted against a bill that would give care to babies born alive after abortions, that Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington, that Obama places Hollywood above America, that he has worked closely with a terrorist, and that Obama lacks the judgment to lead the country.

Now add the inferences by the Republican party and/or their candidates, surrogates and the people introducing the candidates at rallies that the Democratic candidate is unpatriotic, has an arab sounding middle name, is a person to be scared of, or is a person who can’t be trusted, who has a hidden agenda, or who by virtue of an association with someone who did something when the candidate was eight years old, is a terrorist. Is it any wonder that a woman, at a rally like so many others for the Republicans where hate-filled shouts have been made in recent days, told John McCain she had read that Barack Obama was an Arab?

How, after all these years of improving race relations in this country, are these tactics and election advertisements being allowed to cause civil rights leaders and members of the public fear they are taking us back to times in this country that we thought were behind us? How can a candidate who claims he puts his country first make every attempt to divide this country? We all know that John McCain, who has a long and honorable past, is a better man than what we are seeing at his rallies or on one particular news station. Yet, we continue to see actions and comments at Republican rallies and now these robo calls that have now drawn the ire not just of civil rights activists but even the concern of other Republican Congressmen and Senators. Is it any wonder that Colin Powell, a Republican who served as Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Security Adviser under Republican Administrations has come out in support of Barack Obama and criticized the campaign tactics of John McCain, the latest of which is to infer that Obama’s policies are socialist.

In the last several elections, the focus of many of the most objectionable tactics were to pit religious voters against voters for whom religion was not an issue, based on perceived stances by one or the other candidate on religious issues. This type of insinuation has also been used this year against the democratic candidate, on the basis of an incorrect assumption by some and an intentional mischaracterization by others that since Obama was born in Kenya, he must be a Muslim.

More anger and consternation was brought to the surface this year with the strong showing by Hillary Clinton in the primaries and the selection of Sarah Palin as the vice presidential running mate of John McCain. With questions raised in particular toward Sarah Palin of whether she could be vice president and still be a good mother, women cried gender discrimination foul at the media.

Is it naive to ask why a candidate’s religion ever enter into the debate? If the candidate says he won’t let it interfere with his being fair and evenhanded, shouldn’t that be the end of it? Why should a candidate’s age be a problem if they are knowledgeable and not in bad health, if the Vice Presidential candidate is qualified as well? Why should a person’s gender ever be a problem? But to many voters, these aspects of a candidate are the most if not the only reason for how they will vote.

Perhaps we, as a nation, are forced to accept that at election time, some of people’s worst sides rise to the forefront in our election process, but shouldn’t we be better than that, and shouldn’t the persons we are asked to elect be better than that?

If the polls are any indication, this year we may just see a backlash against those who would make discriminatory inferences, and whose party would use false allegations as the basis for part of their campaigns. It may be naive, but it is hoped that based on a few comments made in the last few days by John McCain, before the election is over and with signs he is behind in the polls, John McCain will repudiate the statements made out of anger and fear by supporters at his rallies even more forcefully than in some earlier statements and again repeat that his supporters should be respectful of Barack Obama and his accomplishments. For at this time in our country’s history, our country can least afford to be torn apart by campaign strategies that have little to do with solving our country’s economic crisis.

If you have a civil rights or discrimination legal matter of any kind, we have the knowledge and resources to be your California Civil Rights Lawyers, and California Discrimination Attorneys. For this reason, be sure to hire a California law firm with civil rights lawyers who can represent you from Palm Springs, Malibu, Rancho Cucamonga, Orange County, San Luis Obispo, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, Corona del Mar, Anaheim, Irvine, La Jolla, El Cajon, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Temecula, Palm Desert, Yorba Linda, Carlsbad, San Diego, Costa Mesa, Westminster, and Murrieta, to Indian Wells and La Quinta.

If you have a civil rights, constitutional or discrimination legal matter of any kind, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com  and learn how we can assist you. You can also call us to speak directly to Sebastian Gibson on the phone about your legal matter.

Civil Rights Attorney: Finding Representation In The Chicago Area

July 9th, 2009 at 08:54pm Under Civil Rights Law

Choosing an attorney, no matter what it is for, is a very involved process. This is especially true when you need a Chicago civil rights attorney. Your civil rights – anyone’s civil rights – are extremely important issues. You want to make sure that you find someone who will represent you with integrity, dignity, and knowledge of both those rights and the laws which apply to them. You’re quite lucky if you live in Chicago, or close enough to the city that you can easily travel there, as there are many civil rights attorneys you can choose from there. Chicago is, after all, a city which stands as a front-runner for civil rights. One of the best places you can begin your hunt for a civil rights lawyer is on the Internet. By simply typing in Chicago civil rights attorney you will come up with a large selection of sites listing legal practices which handle civil rights cases. You can also talk to the people you know. Family members, friends, colleagues, and even simple acquaintances: if any of them have had to make use of a Chicago civil rights lawyer, or know someone who has, they may be able to make recommendations. That way, you have firsthand knowledge of how a potential lawyer performs. You need to get together a list of possible candidates. Then, you need to talk to those potential lawyers. You want to detail your case to see if they can handle it. You also want to see how to two of you seem to get along. What is perhaps the most important item to consider is the lawyer’s credentials. You’ll want to ask a few questions to get a good idea about their level of experience, as well as their success rate, and maybe even their educational background. Ask to see a portfolio of past cases whose circumstance resembles that of your own. Pay attention to the win/lose ratio to get a good feel of where your case might lead.

For more information about Chicago civil rights lawyers, you can look online or visit your local library.