Jon Perri, earned his B.A. in Psychology from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire and currently resides in San Francisco where is the Outreach Director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Featured Organization: Check out the local activism page and activist tool kit from the American Civil Liberties Union. Visit our Volunteer page to find more organizations like this.
Featured Appeal: Encourage your elected representative to make personal liberty a paramount concern, even on controversial matters such as national security. Visit the legislative action page to email them this or any other message.
Featured Tip: Support and participate in independent media. Post your own news at IndyMedia.org. Visit the Vote with Your Choices page for more tips like this.
Getting Personal at Bisco
HeadCount's "Man on the Lot" visited Camp Bisco 8 to ask what Personal Liberty means to you. The results were predictably outrageous. Also check out HeadCount’s Man on the Lot videos about the Supreme Court and lot artist "O O."
Personal liberty can mean many things to many people, but most would agree that the core American democratic principles revolve around the rights of individuals to express themselves and to live free of undue government control. Determining where to draw the line between freedom and chaos is where the debate begins.
A foundation of personal liberty is represented in the First Amendment to the Constitution. It guarantees us not one but five freedoms: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble and freedom to petition the government. Organizations like the First Amendment Center and the American Civil Liberties Union devote their time to defending these rights.
To others, personal liberty has an economic context, valuing governmental restraint and policies that favor the free market. The Libertarian movement embodies this philosophy, representing a political alternative to liberalism (liberalism technically means personal liberty and is in line with the libertarian movement, it’s not really an alternative) or conservatism. This underscores that personal liberty, as an issue, really transcends traditional partisan politics. It’s not the exclusive domain of the right or left, or Democrats or Republicans. Self-described “Ultra-Conservatives” site Personal Liberty as a core value, as do liberal organizations like People for the American Way.
In March 2008, a Christian Coalition Vice President testified before a Congressional Committee in support of laws protecting net neutrality. During her testimony, she cited an example of Verizon Wireless censoring a text message sent by NARAL (a pro-choice organization) to its members. The Christian Coalition does not support abortion, but it recognized the harm of censorship, even when applied to the message of a group with which it disagrees. While Personal Liberty-related issues create unexpected alliances, they also are at the center of some of the most heated ideological schisms.
One of the more pressing Constitutional issues relates to the Second Amendment – the right to bear arms. The National Rifle Association is one of the largest membership based groups in the U.S., and one of the most influential in government.
The fight to legalize same-sex marriage has created a sea of change in America in just the last five years. With groups such as The Task Force lobbying and waging legal battles, five states have legalized same-sex marriage and a third of all Americans support such measures.
Another movement that is rapidly gaining momentum is the fight to legalize marijuana for personal or medical use, led by organizations such as the Marijuana Policy Project. About half of all Americans now favor the legalization of marijuana, according to a recent poll, and 12 states have adopted measures to de-crimininalize marijuana use. President Barack Obama even addressed this in a press conference earlier this year, answering calls from the online community for him to state his position. He said he does not favor marijuana legalization. However, his administration has halted federal government raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in California, which are legal under state law.
Want to know how Personal Liberty affects you? Have you ever been pulled over and not wanted to consent to a search? Did you know the Fourth Amendment protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures? To navigate through these questions, visit flex your rights.
On a broad, societal level, the President and the makeup of the Supreme Court has a great affect on Personal Liberty in the U.S. and the reaction of citizens. There are reports that gun sales have skyrocketed since Barack Obama took office, out of fear that tighter gun control will be adopted. Now, as another Supreme Court justice steps down, the potential changes to the personal liberties we now experience may change. The retirement of Justice Souter, an avid civil rights and Roe v. Wade supporter, has given President Obama the chance to nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor as Souter’s replacement and the opportunity that the political makeup and our personal liberties could change again.
Here are some additional links about various personal liberties you may find interesting:
- NCAC.org – The National Coalition Against Censorship works to support free expression.
- TheFirstAmendment.org – A nonprofit group that protects “freedom of information, expression and petition.”
- PrometheusRadio.org – A nonprofit organization that builds, supports and advocates for community radio stations.
- TheFire.org – the web site of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
- TheFutureOfMusic.org – This organization represents the interest of musicians and has been leading the fight regarding net neutrality and open airwaves.
- FreePress.net – A national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media.
- GunOwners.org – A nonprofit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the rights of gun owners.
- National Gun Rights Blog – Regularly updated news on gun rights.
- SSDP.org – Students for Sensible Drug Policy advocates reform of drug laws through a network of campus chapters.
- FreeSpeech.org – Got an idea for an unconventional TV show? Free Speech TV works to reflect the diversity of our society, to provide perspectives that are under-represented or ignored by the mainstream media and to shine a national spotlight on engaged citizens working for progressive social change.
- PrivacyRights.org – A clearinghouse of information regarding privacy rights.
- CivilRights.org – A regularly updated website listing civil rights news.
- IGLHRC.org – The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
- TheTaskForce.org – The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
- LamdaLegal.org – Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV.
Phish Telluride shows will have “trip tents”
July, 28 2010
As Phish’s Telluride run nears, the beautiful Colorado village is preparing for whatever it is they think will happen when the circus comes to town.
Is Forever 21 Normalizing Teen Pregnancy?
July, 22 2010
A teen blogger is “freaking pissed” over retailer Forever 21’s recently launched maternity line–marketed specifically in states with the highest teen pregnancy rates.
As Phish's Telluride run nears, the beautiful Colorado village is preparing for whatever it is they think will happen when the circus comes to town. They've already taken measures to help with their biggest concern: the large number of fans showing up without a ticket (or money to buy one). But according to Telluride Chief Marshal Jim Kolar, they're also concerned about the use of psychedelic drugs causing bad trips.
“There are a lot of drugs involved with these folks,” said Kolar, describing the range of expected narcotics as “a whole potpourri of illegal substances” including marijuana, cocaine, LSD and heroin in addition to “a lot of drinking.”
Attached to the medical tent normally set up for large events like the Bluegrass and Blues and Brews Festivals will be a secondary “trip tent” where those high on hallucinogens can essentially go for a time-out if they need to.
Softly lit and containing cots and chairs, the tent will be manned mostly by concerned friends of the trippers and overseen by some Emergency Medical Services personnel, said Chief Paramedic Emil Sante.
“They can stay as long as they like,” he said, noting that the goal is to prevent law enforcement holding facilities from being clogged up with trippers.
“As long as they’re not a threat there’s no reason they can’t be in the tent,” said Sante.
In the U.S. it's generally considered difficult to implement harm reduction strategies at live music events because of the RAVE Act, a law that holds venue owners responsible for any drug use that occurs on their property. This created a particular problem for the rave and electronic music scene where MDMA use is common. Many venue owners refused to allow any type of information about the harms associated with using ecstasy or to even provide free water for fear of being viewed as encouraging drug use and losing their business.
The trip tent idea seems to be catching on. They exist at a more festivals than you think, but often try to fly under the radar by avoiding any promotion other than word of mouth. Seeing one take place openly at the Telluride shows is more than just an embracing of harm reduction values - it is ultimately engaging in the larger scale debate of how to address non-violent drug offenders and providing a way to separate those who create trouble for themselves from those making trouble for others.
One teen blogger is "freaking pissed" over retailer Forever 21's recently launched maternity line--marketed specifically in states with the highest teen pregnancy rates. Julie Z. writes, "Having a clothing line specified for teen pregnancy brings the normalization to an all time high, and capitalizing on this 'phenomenon' is gross. Now we don’t even have to give up fashion to be a mommy, not to mention that every time we go into that store we are again hit with the idea 'teen pregnancy is just not that big a deal.'"
Julie Z., understandably, has her own (hilariously described) motivations for waiting to have children, but does that mean that she (or anyone) should be calling another girl’s choice “gross?” Because choice is really what this should be about, right? Reproductive rights advocates work tirelessly to protect unfettered access to birth control, abortion services, and education about both so that teenage and adult women can educate themselves about their options, so they can choose the best one available.
Although she says she’s not denouncing teen-mothers, “(they shouldn’t be written off from society just because they have kids, y’hear?),” Julie Z. seems to be arguing that teen mothers shouldn’t have access to the hottest sweat-shop produced fashions from Forever 21 by virtue of their burgeoning belly.
What do you think--is Forever 21’s new line evilly and opportunistically fueling unrealistic fantasies of teen-motherhood or simply offering another fit option that now, thanks to years of abstinence-only education, is in high demand?
