THE ACLU--SO MUCH FOR DEFENDING INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHTS TO FAIR AND IMPARTIAL COURTS

On November 3rd I sent a letter to Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, Executive Director of the ACLU in Richmond, Virginia, asking if her organization would help me with my complaint against Virginia Supreme Court Justice Cleo E. Powell.

I met Ms. Gastanaga in White Stone, Virginia where I asked to look at my argument. Her body language clearly indicated she did not welcome my request, but because I asked in the presence of others, she agreed to look at it. She also said she is a personal friend of Justice Powell. I naively hoped that if she could not help, but saw merits in my case, she would refer the complaint to someone else in the ACLU.

It is now nearly three months since I wrote Ms. Gastanaga. She has not responded and apparently does not intend to acknowledge my letter. Clearly, the old boy/old girl network is at work. In this case it is especially disappointing because of the high standards the ACLU ascribes to.

“ACLU MISSION STATEMENT. Since its founding in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been the guardian of liberty, working in the nation's courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve individual working rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and the laws of the United States.”