The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn't bend on its own. To secure the gains this country has made requires constant vigilance, not complacency. Whether it's by challenging those who erect new barriers to the vote or ensuring that the scales of justice work equally for all in the criminal justice system and not simply a pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails... it requires vigilance. —President Barack Obama, August 28, 2013
On Tuesday, September 17, 2013,
the US Constitution will turn 226 years old making it among the oldest
continuous forms of government in modern history.
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The
Constitution is a living document created to protect the rights of the
people--but which people? This is a fundamental question and challenge
for each generation. The ability to preserve advances made in civil
rights and gender equality over the last 50 years, and protect our civil
liberties requires that we know not only how the Constitution has
changed, but also why those changes were necessary.
Today,
American's rights to privacy, peaceably assemble, religious expression,
a speedy and public trial, and a free press, among others, are being
aggressively eroded. "...History is a protective armor against being
misled," Howard Zinn taught us.
Much of this legislative agenda is
implemented under the pretext of national security and the 'war on
terror.' In the same way institutional racism and discrimination against
African-Americans, Native Americans, women and others in the work
place, education, housing, and policing practices had its own legal
justification.
We
have to continue to teach present and future generations to stand up
for liberty when our government won't. We at Bill of Rights Defense
Committee would like to help you start the school year with a focus on the Constitution by providing encouragement, materials,
and lesson plans for Constitution Day.
How does the Patriot Act, NSA
surveillance, and local law enforcement spying affect youth today?
How should our Constitution work to protect them from these and other
abuses of power by the government and civil bodies intended to protect?
What else should be added to the Constitution or are there ways it
could be further amended, and for what purpose?
Yea! Habitat for Humanity. My very favorite place where I spend a lot of money. Every year, Habitat helps a family build a home. However, in some states, when you apply for SNAP and medical benefits, if you look at what you are signing, the clause will say that the state can take what they want, carte blanc if something happens to you. So, don't depend on living the house to your children because they will have to move out and the house sold. Habitat may not tell you that because they may not know. 
