It is crucial that the public understand that the Democratic Party is the party of civil rights, especially in this time, with the Republican Party's numerous violations of the most important tenets of our law.
One of the most important civil rights issues facing our country today is the question of "coercive interrogation." To me, this is a relatively simple question: Will we be a nation that tortures its prisoners, or will we be a nation that follows due process? What with the atrocities at Abu Ghraib and black sites across Europe, combined with the Bush administration's recent assertion that waterboarding, a practice which amounts to controlled drowning, has been used on detainees, it is clear that the GOP and the current president are veering in the other direction. I will do my utmost to restore America to the strong anti-torture stance that, until recently, was generally accepted by all parties.
Mike Simpson voted to allow the government to wiretap conversations and engage in intrusive investigations without a warrant, even from a secret FISA court, whose decision would remain private and therefore would not danger national security. It is my understanding that the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution provides protection against search and seizure without a warrant. Every Idahoan and every American ought to enjoy the protections of the Constitution. It's time to send a message to Washington that our rights are not negotiable. We can and must preserve them at the same time as we provide for national security needs. Maintaining this balance is not the easy way out, but it is necessary.
The issue of same-sex unions is also a matter of civil rights. Whatever one's opinion of same-sex relationships might be (and I believe that such relationships are perfectly valid), it is not our business to pass moral judgments on the victimless lifestyle choices of other individuals. It is certainly not the place of an employer to do so; sexual orientation does not affect a worker's job performance. If elected I, unlike Congressman Simpson, will support extending civil rights protections in the workplace to include those involved in same-sex relationships. It is not the place of the government or corporations to determine family values.
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