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"Portrayal not the man I know"
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Dear Friends and Colleagues:
New York Magazine recently published an article on the ACLU and Anthony Romero. It’s a shame so much editorial space ended up being wasted on a rehashing of issues long resolved within the ACLU.
The article did at least cite some of the very positive accomplishments of Anthony Romero and his talented staff in the aftermath of the tragic events of 9-11.
Among those points:
- "Today, the ACLU is by far the world’s largest public-interest law firm. Romero’s teams have fought back against the Patriot Act, litigated the National Security Agency's domestic-spying program, and brought cases against the torturing, kidnapping, and arbitrary detentions that have been the unfortunate legacy of Washington's 'war on terror.'"
- "'You can't underestimate the extraordinary work the ACLU has done over the last five years,' says Leonard Rubenstein, who heads Physicians for Human Rights."
- Dramatic rises in membership (300,000 to 573,000), national staff (186 to 379), affiliate staff (318 to 408), total support and revenue ($13.6 million to $28 million) as well as net assets ($4.4 million to $10.3 million).
But, sad to say, the article largely devolved into yet another character attack on Anthony and on other ACLU leaders. You’d think, though, that since the writer was recycling old stories he would at least get them right. No such luck.
The Anthony Romero described in the New York Magazine is simply unrecognizable to me. He is portrayed in a way that simply is not the man I know. The same is true of many of the portrayals of the staff and the ACLU National Board members.
As I suspect is the case with many of you, I am tired of looking backward and not forward. I do not want to deal with matters that were raised and addressed by the ACLU National Board in 2002, 2003 and 2004. As far as I am concerned, even though the political climate may seem a bit more receptive to our collective interests we still have a very long list of urgent justice and social policy matters to address. And I cannot help but think that if Ira Glasser (and his noisy band of destructive dissidents) would put this much energy into advocating for the progressive agenda -- instead of attacking progressive leaders -- we all would welcome him on our team.
As far as I am concerned, Anthony is really doing a fabulous job running the ACLU and he is the right man for that job now. I think that I can say that with some credibility having worked directly with Ira (for eight years) and Anthony (for four years) before I retired in 2005. I am inspired by Anthony's work, the work of his incredibly dedicated staff and the work of the ACLU affiliate organizations.
To their credit, they are not letting the naysayers distract them. Instead, they are dealing head on with the many assaults of the Bush Administration on our civil liberties and constitutional rights. They are facing in the correct direction: the future, and I am very proud to call them my friends and to support their distinguished leadership.
I hope that you will continue to stand by the ACLU and its current leadership. We need to strengthen, not weaken, the bonds between us all.
I thank you for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
Laura W. Murphy
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