Defending Civil Liberties in the U.S.

In our post-September 11 world, civil liberties and democratic processes have become a casualty of "national security" measures carried out in the name of the Global War on Terror. Rights to due process of law, freedom from torture, and rights to privacy that protect citizens against illegal wire-tapping and surveillance have been and continue to be violated by government powers.

Since the September 11 attacks, new laws such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the USA Patriot Act, and the Military Commissions Act have compromised our freedoms under the pretext of advancing national security. Every day, more and more evidence surfaces showing that civil liberties have been a casualty of the Bush administration’s policies and the so-called Global War on Terror.

The U.S. National Security Agency, in conspiracy with private telecommunications companies, has conducted warrantless wiretapping and other illegal surveillance of persons in the United States. And in places like the Guantanamo Bay prison system, due process and prohibition of torture, cornerstones of democracy and international law, have been suspended, redrawing the legal and moral landscape of our country and the world community.

In the United States, UUSC:

• Supports and works with U.S.-based program partners to defend civil liberties
• Mobilizes UUSC’s constituency to participate in defending civil liberties.
• Endorses and/or opposes national legislation that threatens civil liberties.
• Opposes the Military Commissions Act.