Anthony Romero: The Urgency of Action in the Age of Obama

Commonwealth Club





MORE >>

Post to

Likes

Dislikes

RATE

15,316 Views

Info
Bio
Chapters
Highlights
Transcript
Download
More

Partner:: Commonwealth Club
Location:: The Commonwealth Club of California
San Francisco, CA
Event Date:: 04.30.09
Speaker:: Anthony D. Romero
Tags:

Summary: Although the first few months of Obama's presidency have brought considerable change, there is still much work to be done in the area of civil liberties.

Anthony Romero, a pioneer figure in ACLU's history, believes that the economic crisis and international pressure will force Obama to put potentially divisive issues on the back burner, such as gay rights, the future of Guantanamo, and the war on terror. In this talk, Romero discusses how we must still work to promote activism in the Obama era.

Bio

Anthony D. Romero

Anthony D. Romero is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation's premier defender of liberty and individual freedom. He took the helm of the 87-year-old organization just four days before the September 11, 2001 attacks. Shortly afterward, the ACLU launched its national Safe and Free campaign to protect basic freedoms during a time of crisis. Under Romero's leadership, the ACLU gained court victories on the Patriot Act filed landmark litigation on the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. custody, and filed the first successful legal challenge to the Bush administration's illegal NSA spying program. Romero, an attorney with a history of public-interest activism, has presided over the most successful membership growth in the ACLU's history and more than doubled national staff and tripled the budget of the organization since he began his tenure. This unprecedented growth has allowed the ACLU to expand its nationwide litigation, lobbying and public education efforts, including new initiatives focused on racial justice, religious freedom, privacy, reproductive freedom and lesbian and gay rights.

Chapters

: Watch Full Program

01 hr 07 min 16 sec

Add to Profile
01.: Introduction

05 min 26 sec

Add to Profile
02.: Romero's Opening Remarks

02 min 09 sec

Add to Profile
03.: Putting the Bush Years Behind Us

03 min 58 sec

Add to Profile
04.: Challenges the Obama Administration Faces

03 min 26 sec

Add to Profile
05.: When Moral Hazard Infiltrates Government

03 min 15 sec

Add to Profile
06.: Justice Department Memos on Interrogation Techniques

02 min 27 sec

Add to Profile
07.: Obama's Mixed Messages on Indictment

03 min 19 sec

Add to Profile
08.: The Partisan Argument

02 min 30 sec

Add to Profile
09.: Interrogation Techniques Applied By the Bush Administration

04 min 00 sec

Add to Profile
10.: The Ball in Holder's Court

03 min 35 sec

Add to Profile
11.: Awaiting the Interrogation Photographs

03 min 18 sec

Add to Profile
12.: Q1: Believing Obama

03 min 44 sec

Add to Profile
13.: Q2: The Torture Debate

02 min 06 sec

Add to Profile
14.: Q3: Intelligence Obtained Through Interrogation Techniques

02 min 09 sec

Add to Profile
15.: Q4: How Far Up the Chain?

03 min 15 sec

Add to Profile
16.: Q5: How Far Down the Chain?

02 min 17 sec

Add to Profile
17.: Q6: Truth Commission

03 min 04 sec

Add to Profile
18.: Q7: Obama's Divided Attention

03 min 53 sec

Add to Profile
19.: Q8: Swine Flu/Economy and Civil Liberty Endangerment

04 min 08 sec

Add to Profile
20.: Q9: ACLU Plan for Gay Marriage

02 min 28 sec

Add to Profile
21.: Q10: Advice for Law Students

02 min 32 sec

Add to Profile
: Watch Full Program

01 hr 07 min 16 sec

Add to Profile

Should Bush Torture Memo Architects Be Prosecuted?

03 min 56 sec

Add to Profile
ACLU Director Calls for Prosecution of Top Bush Officials

05 min 17 sec

Add to Profile
Watch Full Program

01 hr 07 min 16 sec

Add to Profile

There is no transcript for this program

Save this program for later

To download this program become a member. JOIN NOW >>

Video (mp4)
219 MB 53 min
Audio (mp3)
36 MB 9 min

Select your connection speed to see approximate download times:

To download this program
become a member.

NO ADS + DOWNLOADS + HQ VIEWING

Encyclopædia Britannica Article

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Organization founded by Roger Baldwin and others in New York City in 1920 to champion constitutional liberties in the U.S. It works for three basic concepts: freedom of expression, conscience, and association; due process of law; and equal protection under the law. From its founding it has initiated test cases and intervened in cases already in the courts. It may provide legal counsel, or it may file an amicus curiae brief. The Scopes trial was one of its test cases; it provided counsel for the Sacco-Vanzetti case. In the 1950s and '60s it opposed the blacklisting of supposed left-wing subversives and worked to guarantee freedom of worship and the rights of the accused. Its work is performed by volunteers and full-time staff, including lawyers who provide free legal counsel. See also civil liberty.; American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on britannica.com