Political Quotes

“I want to take a moment to recognize the achievements and contributions of a remarkable advocate and distinguished leader in my home State of Vermont. This summer, Allen Gilbert will be stepping down from his position as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont. For more than 12 years, Allen has inspired Vermonters and many others as an advocate for personal freedoms. When Allen began at the ACLU-VT, the office had three staff members, only one of whom was full time. Under Allen's leadership, the office has grown to a staff of five, with two lawyers committed to the State's legislative activities. Allen has become widely known for expanding the work and visibility of the ACLU-VT. Those who have had the privilege of working with Allen cite his boundless wisdom and passion for civil liberties among his many notable qualities. During his time with the ACLU-VT, Allen has been a champion of free speech, government transparency, and privacy rights, not just in Vermont but nationwide. I have long counted him as an ally in my own work. I was proud to invite him to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 2007 about the REAL ID Act. More recently, Allen's contributions were extremely helpful as I developed reforms to curtail government surveillance powers, culminating in the enactment of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015. Allen and I have also worked together to end Federal vehicle checkpoints near White River Junction.…”