Presenter
Presented by Mr. Shields
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WHEREAS, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - our nation's guardian of liberty – works daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States by conserving America's original civic values - the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and,
WHEREAS, our government is founded on two counterbalancing principles: that the majority of the people govern, through democratically elected representatives; and that the power of a democratic majority must be limited, to ensure individual rights. The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of these protections and guarantees:
Your First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly. Freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state.
Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.
Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.
WHEREAS, on Sunday, March 7, 2005 the Pittsburgh Chapter of the ACLU convened its annual meeting and conferred upon Attorney Michael J. Healy, the distinguished Marjorie H. Matson Award for Civil Liberties and Civil Rights which is awarded to those who serve the cause of civil liberties and exemplifies those qualities the ACLU desires to encourage and acknowledge; and,
WHEREAS, Michael J. Healey is one of Western Pennsylvania's pre-eminent labor and First Amendment lawyers who has worked tirelessly to defend and promote the freedoms embodied within the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. His never-ending desire and willingness to defend the rights of the poor, the powerless and t...
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