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Civil Liberties and Two Oscar Nominated Films

An Uncanny Resemblance to Brokeback Mountain

Though they were in a committed and loving relationship, Sam Beaumont and Earl Meadows were not the types to march in a gay pride rally. “We had a real nice, quiet life together,” Sam said of their life in Bristow, Oklahoma.

That ended when Earl died two years ago. Now Sam is not only facing life without his other half, but also the very real possibility of losing the home they built and lived in together for 23 years. Unfortunately, the notarized will Earl drafted to leave everything to Sam had only one witness -- Oklahoma requires two. To make matters worse, almost all the couple's assets were in Earl's name.

If Sam and Earl could have married, the property would have passed to Sam automatically. But since Oklahoma law doesn't recognize same-sex relationships, the home Sam and Earl shared went to Earl's disapproving cousins who rarely spoke to Earl when he was alive and had never even set foot on the property. Meanwhile, Sam is struggling to hold on to what little he has left.

Brokeback Mountain is a powerful drama that tells the story of a romantic relationship between two male ranchers. The film has been nominated for eight Academy Awards and draws attention to the struggles of same-sex relationships when there are little or no legal protections.

To read more about Sam and Earl, go here.


Good Night and Good Luck Tells Story of Free Press

Good Night and Good Luck tells the story of five journalists who exercise their basic freedoms to expose Sen. Joe McCarthy, who they felt would destroy those freedoms in an effort to defend them. Sen. McCarthy was famous for "naming" people as Communists and bullying. Edward R. Murrow led the group of journalists that confronted McCarthy. Murrow and his team eventually brought McCarthy down, but it was not without a fight. Congressional hearings that were supposed to expose Communists ended up exposing McCarthy and his effort to suppress free speech.

The film is a true representation of the complexities the journalists face when trying to tell the truth.

To read more about McCarthyism and the ACLU, go here.

Excerpt from "McCarthyism Lives: The Case of David Horowitz":

"Right-wing ideologue David Horowitz provides living proof that McCarthyism is alive and well. His latest tirade is the just-published book, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics. It would be laughable, if not for the fact that a lot of people accept his assertions as “fact” and, even worse, embrace the name-calling and demonizing style of discourse that Joe McCarthy perfected and David Horowitz continues.

Like McCarthy, Horowitz attacks as “dangerous” anyone who offers a critical thought about the United States."

posted by Annamarie at 6:08 PM