ACLU Legal Director Says Civil Liberties Depend on Individuals

By Emily Haas, 3-02-08

	Caption: ACLU legal director Steven Shapiro in Missoula Saturday. Photo by Emily Haas.

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.”

“I do happen to believe that even one person can change the world, and if one person can then the rest of the country can help restore our national sense of priorities and once again renew our commitment to the principle of liberty and justice for all,” he said.