Walk Like An Egyptian and Other Relics of 1986
shenna, March 25, 2013 - 6:37amRemember the song "Walk Like An Egyptian" by the Bangles? It topped the chart for four weeks back in 1986. That's the last time our nation's electronic privacy laws were updated when the Electronic Communications Privacy Act was signed into law by then President Ronald Reagan. In 1986, the cell phones that were available were far too small to fit in one's pocket. Perhaps no one envisioned then that the cell phone itself and other electronic devices would become essentially miniature tracking units that most of us carry around with us everywhere we | continue reading
Open Government,March (Anti-Choice) Madness, GPS Tracking, and DOMA
Ryan, March 22, 2013 - 4:52pmEach Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.
Government Transparency:
Today, the ACLU and others told the Maine Legislature’s Transportation Committee that the public has a right to know about public-private transportation projects. Currently, information about public-private partnership projects are kept secret. A proposed law would change that. Read more here.
March Anti-Choice Madness: | continue reading
Government Transparency:
Today, the ACLU and others told the Maine Legislature’s Transportation Committee that the public has a right to know about public-private transportation projects. Currently, information about public-private partnership projects are kept secret. A proposed law would change that. Read more here.
March Anti-Choice Madness: | continue reading
Girls Rule the House (and the Senate)!
jill, March 21, 2013 - 8:29pmToday was my FAVORITE day of the session, every session. Today was Girls Day at the State House, an annual event sponsored by our friends at Maine Women's Lobby.
100 eighth grade girls come to Augusta from all over the state. They learn about the legislative process, participate in a mock public hearing and stage a press conference. Every year, I am amazed by how smart, opinioned and articulate the girls are. It gives me great hope for our future as a state. These young women might consider running for office some day and it all started today!
| continue reading
100 eighth grade girls come to Augusta from all over the state. They learn about the legislative process, participate in a mock public hearing and stage a press conference. Every year, I am amazed by how smart, opinioned and articulate the girls are. It gives me great hope for our future as a state. These young women might consider running for office some day and it all started today!
| continue reading
The Bipartisan Push For Digital Privacy
Rachel, March 20, 2013 - 11:50pmCheck out this blog post from our national Washington Legislative Office on the bipartisan push for digital due process rights:
It's a big week for reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), a little-known law which safeguards internet communications but hasn't been touched in nearly 30 years.
| continue reading
Dorothea Dix: Speaking Up for Those Who Need it Most
Rachel, March 19, 2013 - 7:25pmDorothea Dix, born in Maine in 1802, was a champion of the rights of the mentally ill before most people even considered the idea that the mentally ill should have rights.
As a volunteer Sunday School teacher for women incarcerated in the East Cambridge Jail in Massachusetts, Dix witnessed conditions that would shape her work forever: the jail was unheated and dirty, and no consideration was given to the care of the mentally ill.
| continue reading
As a volunteer Sunday School teacher for women incarcerated in the East Cambridge Jail in Massachusetts, Dix witnessed conditions that would shape her work forever: the jail was unheated and dirty, and no consideration was given to the care of the mentally ill.
| continue reading
Fifty Years Later, An Improbable Story Remains Unfinished
Jon, March 18, 2013 - 5:31pmOn January 8, 1962, a letter appeared at the Supreme Court. It was written in pencil, from a jail cell at Florida State Prison, and began: “To the Honorable Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States, Comes now the petitioner, Clarence Earl Gideon, a citizen of the United States of America, in proper person, and appearing as his own counsel.”
| continue reading
| continue reading
This Week in Civil LIberties: Solitary Confinement, Single-Sex Classrooms, LGBT Rights, and the Death Penalty
Ryan, March 15, 2013 - 12:43pmEach Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.
Solitary Confinement Report: | continue reading
Solitary Confinement Report: | continue reading
Photos from the Maine State Prison
Anonymous, March 14, 2013 - 4:28pm
Images from the Maine State Prison, taken to accompany our new report about solitary confinement reform in Maine, Change is Possible.
Read the report and see other accompanying materials, including a podcast interview with Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte, here.
View the Slideshow:
»
No Limits
edward, March 14, 2013 - 1:11pmJoan Benoit Samuelson would be famous if she didn't run another step after winning the inaugural Olympic Women's Marathon in 1984.
A two time Boston Marathon champion and American women's marathon record holder for 17 years, Samuelson is perhaps Maine's most famous and recognizable athlete. However, it's what she continues to accomplish as a runner and community leader that makes her truly extraordinary.
| continue reading
A two time Boston Marathon champion and American women's marathon record holder for 17 years, Samuelson is perhaps Maine's most famous and recognizable athlete. However, it's what she continues to accomplish as a runner and community leader that makes her truly extraordinary.
| continue reading
Single-Sex Classrooms - A Bad Idea for Maine
oami, March 14, 2013 - 7:46amToday, the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs is holding a public hearing on LD 699, which seeks to allow Maine public schools to segregate classrooms by sex. We will testify in opposition, alongside many of our partners including Equality Maine and the National Organization for Women.
On top of the questionable legality of single-sex schooling in public schools, segregating students by sex in Maine's schools raises significant educational and pedagogical concerns.
| continue reading
On top of the questionable legality of single-sex schooling in public schools, segregating students by sex in Maine's schools raises significant educational and pedagogical concerns.
| continue reading