Sanders' VT Congressional Town Meeting on Civil Liberties Positive and Hopeful

Left to right: Panelists Zachary Marcus, Trina Magi, Rep. Bernie Sanders, Edward Morrow, and Ben Scotch.

On Sunday, August 17, Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) sponsored a Congressional Town Meeting on the "USA Patriot Act and Our Civil Liberties," co-hosted by the Northshire Bookstore of Manchester Center, Vermont. One hundred and twenty-five people of all ages and from all walks of life attended the forum, according to Zachary Marcus, marketing director of Northshire Bookstore and a member of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. The event, held at the First Baptist Church of Manchester, examined civil liberties in the U.S. in the wake of the 9/11 and the Patriot Act. Sanders was joined by panelists Ed Morrow, co-owner of Northshire Bookstore; Trina Magi, president of the Vermont Librarians Association; Ben Scotch, former executive director of the Vermont ACLU; and Marcus.

Some of the 125 concerned citizens in attendance.

Each panelist spoke briefly and then the floor was opened to the audience for questions and discussion. "The emphasis of the presentations and the Q&A," Marcus said, "was that protection of civil liberties is not a partisan question, but rather a matter of concern for all Americans. Anything that jeopardizes the legitimate rights of any American ultimately places at risk our collective liberty and freedom."

Marcus described the tenor of the meeting as "positive and hopeful" and said that he was "ecstatic" about the turnout, which comprised a cross-section of the community. "It shows the concern in our local community for the protection of civil liberties," he said. "Many voiced that concerns for security and safety in the U.S. must be balanced with protecting our civil liberties, which were fought for long and hard by those who came before us."