My Page: Emily Haas
Shapiro in Missoula for Montana ACLU Gathering
ACLU Legal Director Says Civil Liberties Depend on Individuals
Winning the war on terror will not only take the effort of our entire nation, but will depend on individuals to stand up for their own civil liberties, Steven Shapiro, the legal director of the national ACLU, said in Missoula Saturday.
Shapiro was speaking to a banquet of about 200 people at the Montana ACLU annual membership meeting at the Doubletree Hotel, concluding a day of workshops covering issues of abortion, medical marijuana, school safety and the death penalty.
"The war against terrorism is never going to be won entirely on the battlefield. It is a war of ideas and we are never going to prevail … if we sacrifice our principles and the moral high ground,” he said.
In his speech, “How to Preserve Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror,” Shapiro pointed out that the basic building blocks of the American democracy -- civil rights-- are in shambles due to inconsistencies with the three branches of government. Shapiro quoted Judge Learned Hand to emphasize that we cannot depend on our politicians to represent our best interests, “Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.”
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slideshow: filmmakers' party
Hobnobbing at the Big Sky Film Fest
The Fifth Annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival rolled into Missoula on Thursday, February 14 bringing 106 films from more than 40 countries, including the World Premiere of Missoula’s very own “The Little Red Truck” about the Missoula Children’s Theatre.
Filmmakers gathered on Friday night in the Wilma Theatre's Red Light Green Room to kick off the festival, which runs through Wednesday, February 20 with films showing on both the Wilma 1 and Wilma 2 screens.
NewWest.Net photographer Emily Haas joined Friday night’s festivities at the Filmmakers' Welcome Party. Click here or on the image to view a slideshow of the event.
For a detailed schedule of film screenings at this year's festival, visit www.bigskyfilmfest.org.
slideshow
Capturing the Crown of the Continent
During the University of Montana's winter session, a group of students ventured out to learn in one of the state's most spectacular outdoor classrooms, the Crown of the Continent.
It was Rick Graetz's pilot Crown of the Continent geography course, designed to examine the complex and threatened ecosystem that lies just north of Missoula.
NewWest.Net photographer Emily Haas was one of the students exploring the Crown. Click here or the image above to view her slideshow.
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