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Bill of Rights Day is Dec. 15

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday, Dec. 15 marks Bill of Rights Day! The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii celebrates the 220th anniversary of its ratification, offers free copies of the Bill of Rights to the public, and invites the public to contribute poems to the second annual “Bill of Rights Day Haiku Challenge.”

Get free copies of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment Toolkit by contacting the ACLU of Hawaii. Include your name and a postal mailing address.

Call (808)522-5906, neighbor islands toll-free: 1-877-544-5906, or email office@acluhawaii.org.

To enter your Bill of Rights Day-themed haiku in the 2011 Haiku Challenge, read the entries so far and get the Challenge rules, visit http://acluhi.org/know-your-rights/2011-bill-of-rights-day-haiku-challenge

Executive Director Vanessa Chong said, “The Bill of Rights reflects the longstanding and fundamental values of the American people. These rights are in the spotlight daily in Hawaii and on the national level in government policies that impact free speech, freedom of religion, the right to associate with whom we want and the right to be treated fairly under the law.

The Bill of Rights exists to keep the government in check. Otherwise, we risk losing basic freedoms. Those individuals who are perceived as unpopular, poor or who lack political power are often the first to have their rights taken away. The best insurance is to know your Bill of Rights, use your rights and fight for them. Our responsibility to protect these rights becomes especially critical when government time and again seeks to overly expand its power, to silence marginalized communities or to undermine the rule of law.”

The Bill of Rights was added to the federal Constitution and ratified on Dec. 15, 1791 to prevent a repeat of English government tyranny. In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared Dec. 15 to be “Bill of Rights Day.”

One Response to “Bill of Rights Day is Dec. 15”

  1. babymalai says:

    BILL OF RIGHTS DAY? MY GOD, WHY AREN’T YOU TALKING ABOUT THE BILL THAT THE PRESIDENT JUST PASSED, AND DIDN’T VETO IT LIKE HE PROMISED, THE BILL THAT SINGLE HANDEDLY ELIMINATES RULE OF LAW, DUE PROCESS, AND THE RIGHT TO BE INNOCENT BEFORE PROVEN GUILTY
    Confusingly, Obama previously threatened a veto for 1032, but NOT 1031. 1032 is UNRELATED to imprisoning citizens without a trial. He has never suggested using a veto to stop Section 1031 citizen imprisonment. In fact, it was requested by the Obama administration. Watch the video for proof.
    S. 1867 — National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012
    (Sen. Levin, D-MI)
    DETAIN US CITIZENS FOREVER!!! GUILTY BEFORE INNOCENT, GRAB YOU OFF THE STREET AND NEVER SEE YOUR FAMILY EVER AGAIN, NO JUDGE, NO JURY, HOW CAN THEY DO THIS? ALL FOR THE SAKE OF SAFETY? I THINK NOT, WHO THEY LABEL AS PEOPLE OF SUSUPICIOUS IS RIDICULOUS, IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN A WEEK OF FOOD IN YOUR HOUSE, YOU ARE SUSPICIOUS, IF YOU OWN A WEAPON, IF YOU USE BINOCULARS, IF YOU PAY WITH CASH, IF YOU DONATE TO CHARITY, THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE SUSPICIOUS OF THEIR NEIGHBOURS,EVERYONE,
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FHXhMhcsRY

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