The NSA's New "Friends, Family and the Feds" Program



The news last week that the National Security Agency has been gathering the telephone records of "tens of millions" of Americans set off a firestorm last week. ACLU offices across the nation have been besieged with phone calls, emails and letters asking the organization to speak out on the issue. Visit http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/25541prs20060511.html and you can read the ACLU's statement on the issue and sign a petition to the phone companies urging them to protect our privacy. Stay tuned for more news!



Anti-Family Measure Filed with State Board of Elections



The inappropriately named Illinois Family Institute has filed petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections to place an advisory referendum on the Illinois ballot in November that would bar gay and lesbian families from receiving any governmental benefits - including the kind of benefits that allow children to have insurance coverage and give partners the right to visit sick loved ones in hospitals. We do not know as yet if the proponents of this troubling measure obtained enough signatures to place the measure on the ballot. Still, a group of concerned persons across the state have formed an organization to oppose this putative referendum. You can learn more about the organization at http://www.fairillinois.org.



ACLU of Illinois, Other Groups ask Federal Court to End Segregation of Persons with Mental Illness



The ACLU of Illinois is joining with three disability rights groups to challenge the State of Illinois' policies that force persons with mental illness to live in large, for-profit nursing homes. The case comes more than two decades after state officials said they would close large, state-run facilities for the mentally ill as a means of better serving those with mental illness in community-based settings. The lawsuit asks the state to finally fulfill that promise. You can read more about the case at http://www.aclu-il.org/news/press/2006/04/federal_court_asked_to_end_iso.shtml.



Membership Summit a Great Success



Our 2006 Membership Summit - Defending Democracy in Our America - was a great success on April 22nd. Members discussed ways to organize in our local communities in order to facilitate participation in the electoral process and in local governmental meetings. If you want to see photos from the event, as well as the materials distributed at the Summit, please click http://www.aclu-il.org/conference/.



Upcoming ACLU Events



The Chicago Pride Parade will take place on Sunday, June 25th. We always have a great time, and everyone is welcome. All ACLU marchers receive a FREE ACLU T-SHIRT, water, snacks, and statue of liberty headgear! The parade assembles on Halsted street, south of Belmont, and we kick off between 11 and noon. The atmosphere is electric, and the people are always fun, especially the ACLU crowd. Interested? Just e-mail ysotelo@aclu-il.org.



Join us on Saturday, May 20th for a visit to the newly opened Freedom Museum with other ACLU members. The Freedom Museum is located in the Chicago Tribune building in downtown Chicago. The museum's resident scholar will address our group. Admission is $4. Email ysotelo@aclu-il.org to RSVP.