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BLACKLISTS HAVE ARRIVED 

The American Civil Liberties Union turned down  $1.15 million in future funding from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations as a result of funding agreements that would force the ACLU to restrict certain free speech and other undefined activities. The ACLU's Executive Director, Anthony Romero, made the announcement in October while also raising the warning; "...We all have a role to play in protecting our country from those who would harm us further. But we should not trample--or allow others to trample-- on our most valued principles that have made us the beacon of freedom around the world."

This past July the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) which culls donations from federal employees for charities, mandated that participating non profits must certify that they do not employ anyone named on government 'watch lists'. The ACLU subsequently withdrew from the CFC.  Approximately 10,000 non profit organizations participate in the program.

Guidestar, a non profit which caters to non profits as a consultant organization that collects information on American non profits, surveyed the sector and found that 51% of non profit executives frowned on the government watch lists, citing them as full of inaccuracies, unreliable, inconsistent and subjective.  Several of the respondents were concerned that the lists, "are based on racial profiling and scapegoating...political in nature-- the kinds of human rights violations many non profits work against."

On 35 occasions, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) has endured lengthy delays at U.S. airports because inexplicably he is listed on such lists used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), likewise was detained recently for the same reason.  According to the Washington Post, hundreds if not thousands of airline passengers have complained that they have been unfairly targeted because their names are on such lists.

Critics cite the lists as ludicrous, they assume that supposed terrorists will use their real names, rather than protecting our country the lists instead are creating havoc for the airlines, the airports, and many thousands of innocent travelers.  Passengers who have challenged the lists and have requested to have their names removed, have not fared well, once names are listed they cannot be removed.  The TSA has after investigating complaints issued letters that support the passenger's claim but the traveler must carry the document with them whenever they are in transit.  Rep. Lewis, who is an African-American, known for his civil rights activism, called the measure reminiscent of South African apartheid.

On November 10th, the ACLU and 12 national non profit organizations sued the Office of Personnel Management's Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) over the requirement that forces charities to compare their employees against such watch lists. The lawsuit charges that the government did not follow appropriate procedures in instituting the watch list policy, that the policy is vague and misleading, and that it violates the First and Fifth Constitutional Amendments.

L.M. / Contributing Correspondent

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