FARMINGTON – New Mexico’s civil rights community is protesting an essay contest at Farmington’s Piedra Vista High School that asked students to explain why preserving marriage between men and women is vital society and why unborn children merit respect and protection.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, Equality New Mexico, and NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico say the contest violates state regulations banning sexual orientation discrimination by teachers. They also object to the ideological slant of such an assignment.

“The contest had nothing to do with encouraging critical thinking,” said ACLU Staff Attorney George Bach. “It was a tactic to shape students’ political views in the guise of an objective school assignment.”

The ACLU found out about the contest last month when the parent of a student who is a sophomore at Piedra Vista High School contacted their office. The assignment was issued in response to an essay contest sponsored by United Families International, a non-profit established in 1978, whose primary mission is “to strengthen the family by promoting marriage between one man and woman and the protection of human life, including unborn children.” (Source: www.unitedfamilies.org). The students were given the option of either writing to the contests prompts or writing a personal narrative.

“Piedra Vista High School’s apparent lack of respect for diversity in thought is troubling,” said Alexis Blizman, Executive Director of Equality New Mexico, an organization committed to full equality and justice for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. “Students in taxpayer-funded public schools simply shouldn’t be forced to accept one viewpoint over another, regardless of the issue.”

The Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico, Giovanna Rossi, said, “Our schools should put education before ideology. Teachers should present factual, unbiased information about health and sexuality – values are taught at home, but the facts should be taught at school.”

The ACLU contacted Donny Ortiz, Peidra Vista High School Principal, outlining its concerns and proposing an essay contest that would prompt students to write alternative viewpoints.

In his response letter to ACLU-NM, Ortiz declined the offer of a competing essay contest. He also explained that the original essay contest was distributed to school districts by New Mexico Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia for interested students only.

We’re experiencing some difficulties with aclu-nm.org. For the time being, you can connect using this address:

http://mjhinton.net/aclu/index.php

At the Bill of Rights Mock Trial on November 19, St. Pius X High School won first place and Highland High School won second. Students from Manzano High School, Highland HS, and St. Pius X won Outstanding Witness Awards, and students from Albuquerque HS, Highland HS, and St. Pius X won Oustanding Attorney Awards. ACLU-NM Executive Director Peter Simonson, Staff Attorney George Bach, and Board of Directors member Tova Indritz were present to present awards.

CONTACT:
Drew Renner, ACLU of New Mexico Northern Chapter Representative at 505-424-3987 or cell at 949 280-4777

SANTA FE – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico Northern Chapter will screen the Santa Fe premier of Robert Greenwald’s film Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price twice on Saturday November 19, at the Santa Fe Film Festival Center in the Cinema Café, 1616 St. Michael’s Drive, St. Michael’s Village West.

Doors will open at 3:00 p.m, followed by an ACLU membership meeting open to all. The second showing will take place at 6:30. Following introductory remarks, the just-released Robert Greenwald/Brave New Films production, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, will have its Santa Fe premier. Greenwald rose to fame with his award winning documentaries Unconstitutional, Uncovered and Outfoxed.

Peter Simonson, Executive Director of ACLU-New Mexico and Lisa Smithline, Vice President of Marketing for Brave New Films, will introduce the film and lead a Q&A session after the screening. Wal-Mart Corporate has been invited to send a representative.

The ACLU-NM Northern New Mexico Chapter semiannual membership meeting will follow the event with ACLU-NM Director Peter Simonson reporting on the organization’s recent and ongoing statewide activities. Old, new, and prospective members are welcome.

A special ACLU membership package including a DVD of this documentary will be available, an ACLU membership card will admit two free of charge, SFFF will charge $6.00 admission for its members to the theater, and nonmembers of ACLU or SFFF will be charged $8.00 admission. Students and nonmembers are welcome. Donations accepted at the door.

For reservations or more information, call 505 424-3987 or e-mail infoaclu@aol.com

ALBUQUERQUE – This Saturday, November 19th, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico Youth Advisory Board of the Central NM Chapter is sponsoring its first Bill of Rights Mock Trial.

The event will take place from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm at the UNM Law School. There will be both morning and afternoon sessions with a midday lunch provided for all.

Teams from five area high schools will participate. The case chosen for this Bill of Rights Mock Trial involves a First Amendment issue, freedom of speech. It centers around the repercussions given to a student for voicing his or her opinion on a controversial issue at a school function.

“This case addresses an issue very important to students: free speech. Free speech is one of our nation’s most prized liberties, and students are just as entitled to it just as must as anyone else,” said President of the Youth Advisory Board Daniel Williams.

The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Values and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. The Youth Advisory Board is under the auspices of the ACLU-NM Central NM Chapter Education Task Force.

Bill of Rights Mock Trial
The Youth Advisory Board, the Center for Civic Values, and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government are pleased to be co-sponsoring the first ever Bill of Rights Mock Trial. The Bill of Rights Mock Trial is a mock trial competition centering around an civil liberties issue. It is structured and formatted exactly like the annual Mock Trial sponsored by the Center for Civic Values. Please download the registration form for the BoRMT if you would like to start a team. If you have already started a team, please download the case, Sandy Hills vs. Midway School District and Dale Greene, Principal Midway High School , and the rules for the Bill of Rights Mock Trial. We have a number of handouts available to help you, your attorney coach, and your students. Please feel free to download them and use them.
Handout - Suggestions for Student Witnesses
Handout - Suggestions for Student Attorneys
Handout - Master the 10 Most Difficult Things
Hadnout - Making the Most of Your Presentation
Handout - Guidelines for Teacher Sponsors
Hadnout - Guidelines for Attorney Coaches
Handout - Glossary of Legal Terms
The registration deadline for the Bill of Rights Mock Trial is November 4, and the competition is November 19.

ALBUQUERQUE – Phil Donahue will deliver a keynote speech critical of corporate media at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico Annual Bill of Rights Dinner on Friday, December 9 at 7 p.m. at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town.

Most people know Donahue for his talk show fame, but may not be aware of his civil rights and civil liberties significance. A leader in national media reform efforts, Donahue will reveal the inside story of corporate media censorship and how First Amendment protections guaranteeing a “free marketplace of ideas” have been steadily eroded with each new merger.

Donahue was interviewed by Sean Hannity of the FOX News channel’s Hannity & Colmes program the fall after he was fired from MSNBC. “Well, we were the only antiwar voice that had a show, and that, I think, made them very nervous. I mean, from the top down, they were just terrified. We had to have two conservatives on for every liberal. I was counted as two liberals.”

When Donahue’s show was canceled, The New York Times reported that “he was actually attracting more viewers than any other show on MSNBC.” All Your TV’s Rick Ellis quoted a network source: “I personally like Donahue, but our numbers were telling us that viewers thought he has too combative and often said things that some respondents considered almost unpatriotic.”

In February, 2003, MSNBC cancelled Donahue’s daily “liberal” talk show–the first of its kind–a mere six months after it debuted. The network claimed poor ratings as the reason, but at the time, Donahue was the highest rated show on MSNBC. His 440,000 viewers a night far exceeded viewer ship for the now long-running conservative MSNBC talk show “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and approached the numbers for “O’Reilly Factor.”

Donahue actively supports gay and lesbian equality; he served on the boards of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and the Ryan White Foundation. In 1999, he received the Family Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign.

A press conference will be held with Donahue at 3pm on Friday December 9 at the Fireplace room in Hotel Albuquerque on 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW. The last day to buy tickets for the event is December 2, the reception begins at 6pm that evening and the awards dinner starts at 7pm. Tickets are $85, $800 for a table of 10, and you can call to place an ad in the program at 266-5915 or go to www.aclu-nm.org.

Public radio talk-show host Arcie Chapa will moderate the event and hand out the awards. ACLU-NM continues to grow, due to the work of many dedicated volunteers. This year we are honoring Bennett Hammer, Ousama Rasheed, Roger Smith, and Joyce Briscoe for their contributions to the ACLU of New Mexico.

2005 ACLU Bill of Rights Dinner
Friday, December 9, 2005
Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town (Formerly Old Town Sheraton) 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW · Albuquerque, NM 87104

Cash bar at 6 p.m. · Dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets: $85 · Ticket Information: 505-266-5915 or www.aclu-nm.org

Register by Friday December 2, 2005. Reservations will be held at the door.

KUNM talk-show host Arcie Chapa will moderate the event.

A leader in national media reform efforts, Donahue will deliver a keynote speech critical of corporate owned electronic media. Donahue will reveal the inside story of corporate media censorship and how First Amendment protections guaranteeing a “free marketplace of ideas” have been steadily eroded with each new merger.

Honoring

Civil Libertarian of the Year: Bennett Hammer, for his years of dedication as a member of the ACLU-NM Board of Directors, as the New Mexico representative to the national ACLU Board of Directors, and for his efforts in creating a permanent office place and home for the ACLU-NM.

Cooperating Attorneys of the Year: Ousama Rasheed and Roger Smith for their successful efforts to challenge the City of Albuquerque’s over-zealous DWI property-seizure law.

Volunteer of the Year: Joyce Briscoe, for her work to promote civil liberties in schools, the state legislature, and for her organizing efforts against reauthorization of the Patriot Act.

CONTACT: Drew Renner, ACLU of New Mexico Northern New Mexico Chapter, 505-424-3987 or infoaclu@aol.com

SANTA FE – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico will host a screening of the film Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price on Saturday, November 19, 2005, 3:00 p.m. at the Cinema Café on 1616 St. Michael’s Drive.

WHAT: This will be Santa Fe’s public premier screening of Director Robert Greenwald’s latest feature length documentary. Representatives have been invited to speak from Brave New Films, ACLU, and Wal-Mart Corporation. An ACLU of New Mexico Northern New Mexico Chapter Membership Meeting will follow the film with an update provided by Peter Simonson, ACLU-NM Executive Director.

WHEN: Saturday November 19, 2005 at 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Cinema Café at 1616 St. Michaels Dr. in Santa Fe.

WHY: ACLU of New Mexico Northern New Mexico Chapter Semi-annual Membership Meeting; new and prospective members are encouraged to stay for the entire program.

COST: ACLU membership card admits 2 free of charge; Santa Fe Film festival charges $6 for festival members; all others charged $8.00 to enter. Special ACLU membership package includes documentary DVD.

With all the big news coming out of Washington, it’s crucial that we not forget about one of the most important political stories of this decade: the fight to restore the fundamental liberties lost over Patriot Act reauthorization. We, and you, have been in a fierce struggle to bring much needed reform to this controversial legislation.

As you know, the House of Representatives and Senate have passed competing bills for renewal and these versions are set to be resolved in conference committee soon. This moment is our best chance to effect real reform. And our efforts are paying off.

The Bush administration thought they would be able to renew and expand the Patriot Act easily. We — the ACLU and our activists and bipartisan allies — have made the measure controversial enough that opponents of reform can’t just steamroll a bill through. Everyone expected a quick reauthorization this fall, but it is now November and we still cannot say for sure when the bill will reach the floor for a vote.

This is tremendous news and shows that we are winning the public debate. This week, the nation’s attention turned to the alarming Patriot Act proposals for expanding the federal death penalty. These new provisions would, among other things, allow prosecutors to dismiss a jury that deadlocks on a death sentence and replace it with successive “sentencing juries” until they get one to vote for the execution. It would also triple the number of federal crimes that can be punished by death.

The ACLU is aggressively fighting these expansions. Already, Mary Jo White, the former federal prosecutor who tried several al Qaeda suspects in the African embassy bombings, publicly opposed the measure. And we expect more prosecutors and law enforcement officials to come out against the proposal.

As public outcry over Patriot Act powers grows, both The New York Times and the Washington Post have weighed in unequivocally (something that doesn’t happen that often) against the House death penalty expansions. To “get the right answer on the Patriot Act, it is critical that controversial, unrelated legislation be considered separately,” said the Post. While The Times said “The House’s simplistic vote for another ‘crackdown’ gesture can only further sully the notion of patriotism in a renewed Patriot Act.”

There is mounting pressure from an increasingly broad group of individuals and institutions to keep the Patriot Act free of divisive and unnecessary measures like the frightening changes to federal death penalty law.

Last month, for instance, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders reached out to Congress and called for reforms to the Patriot Act. In a recent press conference we stood with key conservative and libertarian allies in a bipartisan call for reform. More than 160 representatives and 25 senators who have signed a “dear colleague” letter pressing their fellow lawmakers to support much-needed Patriot Act fixes.

Our fight is also making steady progress in the courts. This week we presented oral arguments in our two cases challenging the constitutionality of “National Security Letters,” FBI demands for personal records issued without any review by a judge.

Our work on behalf of an Internet service provider reached the Second Circuit after a judge struck down one NSL power in the Patriot Act as entirely unconstitutional. The newer case involves an organization with library and Internet records whose identity cannot even be disclosed because of a government gag order. A lower court has already ruled that the gag violates the First Amendment. The government has appealed the decision, and we continue to fight for our client’s voice to be heard now, in the timely and critical debate over the Patriot Act.

Again, I thank you personally for your support. Without it, we would not be able to bring these suits, nor would we be able to corral such a large and amazingly diverse group of voices in favor of reform.

Because we have helped foment true debate in the halls of the Capitol, we cannot say for sure when the final votes on Patriot Act renewal will occur.

But we will have another update for you soon on the current controversy over the Patriot death penalty provisions, the “John Doe” litigation and the prospects for a vote.

Until then, know that we are winning.

Sincerely,

Anthony Romero
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union