Rockland Coalition for Democracy and Freedom

It was a packed meeting room in the New City Library on April 27 for the 9^th Annual Helbraun Awards ceremony. After having an opportunity to view and read the many entries on display, student participants, their families and teachers were welcomed by RCDF president Helen Lipovsky.

All 7^th grade contestants received Certificates of Recognition from both the New York State Assembly, presented by Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, and the Rockland County Legislature, presented by Chairwoman Harriet Cornell. The students also received pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution, along with a letter of congratulations, provided by Congressman John Hall. Special monetary prizes were given to two winning entries and four honorable mentions.

The winning entries were submitted by two groups of students from the A. MacArthur Barr Middle School: Jackie Ferro, Jessica Leung, Brandi Marulli, Stephanie Mungroo, and Stefanie Wu for the creation of their website, which can be accessed for a limited time at http://web.mac.com/the1amendmentproject/Site/Welcome.html and Samantha Brenner, Lyndsay Gregory, and Bethany Gruskin for their tri-fold poster display.

The four students to receive an honorable mention prize were Rebecca Blair from Nyack Middle School, Louise Larame from Pomona Middle School, and Christina Mayo and Amelia Mindich. both from Felix Festa Middle School.

Almost 100 entries were submitted by Rockland County 7th graders for the 9th Annual Phyllis Helbraun Awards Competition.

Created to encourage young people to reflect specifically and creatively on the impact of the First Amendment on their lives, the competition drew responses from students in the form of essays, posters, paintings, dvd presentations, and an original website.

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony to be held on Sunday, April 27, at 1:00 PM at the New City Free Library on Main Street. The public is welcome.

3 Prizes of $350.00 each will be awarded for the 3 winning entries, and 3 entries will receive Honorable Mention prizes of $50.00 each.

All students who submitted an entry will receive a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution.  RCDF would like to thank Congressman John Hall for his generosity in providing these copies.  His accompanying letter, addressed to the contestants, read in part:

“It gives me great pleasure to support the 7th grade students who are participating in the essay contest on what the Bill of Rights means to them… I hope you will remember that many people made great sacrifices to protect these freedoms and I urge you not to take any of them for granted. Please allow me to wish success to all those taking part in this very worthwhile learning event.”

Christopher Finan, author of From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America, will speak at our May 20th public meeting in Clarkstown Town Hall. The meeting starts at 7:30 PM. Refreshments will be served.

Chris Finan is President of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the booksellers voice in the fight against censorship. He is currently chair of the National Coalition Against Censorship and a trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation.

The title of his speech will be Censors and Civil Liberties: The Fight for Free Speech in America Today. Our constitutional amendments protecting freedom of speech and freedom of the press exist on paper, but according to Chris Finan, the American people must remain vigilant if we want to keep them. “Perhaps the best explanation for the expansion of free speech,” he writes, “is that over the last century we have learned that it will survive only if we cultivate it. Our constitutional protections and liberties depend on the courage of individuals who fight for their rights.”

The Real ID Act attempts to federalize state driver’s licenses by imposing regulations on how they are issued and verified.  In effect, the outcome will be a national ID card containing a chip linked to a fifty-state interlinked database that could be used to track the movement of citizens.  Although not specified yet, the card could be required for future receipt of government benefits, for voting, and for an ever-widening array of purposes.

The threats to privacy are obvious.  The government would be creating the infrastructure for surveillance; the consolidation of data, including signatures, would increase the risk of identity theft, and the private sector could require use of this universal ID card for their own purposes, adding to the mountain of personal data collected about every individual.  While none of this is the expressed intent of the law, insufficient protections, lack of encryption, and past government violations of privacy give reason for alarm.

In New York State, a rapidly growing coalition of organizations representing a wide range of issues and political beliefs is working to prevent implementation of the Real ID Act.  The coalition, New York Alliance Against the Real ID Act, of which RCDF is a member, urges state and federal lawmakers to support anti-Real ID legislation.  Bills have been introduced in both the State Assembly and State Senate urging New York’s Congressional delegation to support repeal of the Real ID Act.  Eighteen states across the country have passed bipartisan legislation opposing the law.

For more information, consult the website of the New York State Civil Liberties Union, www.nyclu.org, and type “Real ID.”

Marjorie Smith, a Piermont attorney representing three detainees at Guantanamo Bay, will speak at our April 12, 2007 meeting, hosted and co-sponsored by the First Unitarian Society of Rockland County in Pomona.

Ms. Smith’s experience will undoubtedly make for a fascinating evening, as her first-hand knowledge and insights give us a better understanding of our Government’s practices and the unusual restrictions placed on the legal process involving detainees at Guantanamo.

The program begins at 7:30.  Refreshments will be served.

The Unitarian Society is located at 130 Concklin Rd.