LOS ANGELES — The ACLU of Southern California has become the first ACLU affiliate in the nation to adopt a resolution condemning the Iraq war. The measure also condemns the Bush Administration's many instances of abuse of power during the so-called "war on terror."
The Board of Directors of the ACLU/SC took the action at its meeting last month and will present the resolution at the organization's National Biennial Conference in Seattle, June 13-16, where delegates from all 53 affiliates will gather to discuss issues and policy.
"The Bush Administration, both as part of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in general, has committed serious violations of the Constitution and of civil rights and civil liberties that constitute a systematic abuse of power," the resolution states.
It then lists 16 separate examples of how the Bush administration has abused its power, including:
- Presenting false, incomplete and misleading information to justify the Iraq invasion
- Using the National Security Agency to spy on telephone conversations without warrants
- Intercepting mail and listening to privileged communications between attorneys and clients
- Detaining individuals for unreasonable periods of time without access to legal counsel
"This administration has violated some of the most sacred of our constitutionally guaranteed rights and protections," said Isabelle Gunning, ACLU/SC president. "Our board felt we were morally obligated to state our objections to the Bush Administration's illegal activities. And since these violations are inextricably connected to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we felt we had to speak out against these wars as well."
