I admit it – I am one of those mushy types who still gets goose bumps when I stand with a crowd to sing the national anthem; I get positively teary saying the Pledge of Allegiance. When I look at the stars and stripes, I don’t see cloth — I see everything that gives the flag its meaning: the principles enshrined in the Declaration of
Continue reading “Honoring the Flag”
Power Versus Principle
Recently the Indiana Civil Liberties Union brought a suit challenging the constitutionality of Indiana’s property tax assessment formula. We did so because we believe it violates federal constitutional guarantees of equal protection as well as provisions of the Indiana Constitution.
Continue reading “Power Versus Principle”
Censorship and the Arts
I have this recurring fantasy: a caveman discovers that he can produce drawings of the animals he hunts on the walls of his cave. Excited by the possibilities of his art, energized by the creative act, he produces a drawing–only to have it rubbed angrily off the cave wall by someone in his tribe who declares that the depiction of animal…
Continue reading “Censorship and the Arts”
God’s Team
When Speaker-In-Waiting Newt Gingrich announced his intent to force a vote on a constitutional amendment authorizing public school prayer, the subsequent public reaction reminded me of nothing so much as an athletic contest. The "teams" are lining up, the coaches and…
Continue reading “God’s Team”
Guilty of DWB
There are some accusations that evoke a response of "Oh, that can’t be true." The ICLU gets regular complaints from African-Americans that they are subjected to traffic stops for no reason, and it is tempting for a white lawyer to dismiss those…
Continue reading “Guilty of DWB”