I follow the ACLU on mainstream social media. Some recent posts have alluded to ICE, the CPB and police reform. I find this interesting.
What took them them so long? These are issues that have been festering for decades; why did it take a person like Trump and incidents like the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police to make America's largest civil liberties organization realize that the state is a major threat to civil liberties. History shows this is nothing new; movements often start in the streets and then reach the halls of power. It took places like Selma and Birmingham to wake America up to the need for civil rights laws. Stonewall and the ACT-UP made America aware of the need for LGBT to have protections. The ACLU may be late to the party, but I say better late than never or not at all.
I am concerned that the ACLU may be trying to co-opt the efforts of the "boots on the ground" in the affected communities. When activist movements are embraced by the mainstream, direct action is often frowned or looked down on. The ACLU may need to realize that "those who bleed--lead". They can handle the efforts in the halls of Congress, etc, but leave the streets to those affected.
Back To the Web
My plans for January may need to change. Instead of learning Commodore 64 BASIC and trying to modify a piano program, I may be refreshing my HTML, CSS and learning RWD or Bootstrap. A fellow activist has announced her intentions to run for Harrisburg City Council and another activist has hinted at a activist run for Harrisburg Mayor.
It shouldn't take me too long to refresh and I do have a space to practice in. I will keep you folks posted