A fighter for our rightsGary Peck said on public radio the other morning that he Òpoured a lot of heart and lifeÕs energy into that job.Ó He was talking about his recently concluded 13 years as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. of Nevada. He was right about his heart and lifeÕs energy. Wherever there was a constitutional issue, whether it was a homeless person An individual who lacks housing, including one whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations; an individual who is a resident in transitional housing; or an individual who has as a primary residence a being shunted from one street to another, a member of a minority group fighting discrimination, or a police officer telling someone he couldnÕt hold a sign or otherwise express his on a public sidewalk, there was Gary Peck. He was interviewed recently on Dave BernsÕ ÒState of NevadaÓ program on KNPR-FM. The interview, printed in FridayÕs Las Vegas Sun The Las Vegas Sun is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group. The paper was published in the afternoons on weekdays from 1990-2005. , was headlined, ÒPeck presses for free speech as if heÕs still at the ACLU ACLU: see American Civil Liberties Union. .Ó It is a measure of PeckÕs passion that he remains devoted to constitutionally protected freedoms. In addition to throwing himself and the resources of his organization into free-speech cases, Peck led the ACLU on many other issues, including overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. and inadequate health care in prisons, the huge caseloads carried by public defenders, voting rights, gay and lesbian rights The goal of full legal and social equality for gay men and lesbians sought by the gay movement in the United States and other Western countries. The term gay originally derived from slang, but it has gained wide acceptance in recent years, and many people who are and access for the disabled. Residents of Nevada have benefited from PeckÕs actions in the courts and his appearances before local government boards and the state Legislature. Freedoms, if not defended vigorously, can weaken over time. Peck was never going to let that happen on his watch. Berns expressed our thought when he said to Peck, ÒIt just doesnÕt sound right to call you the former director of the ACLU of Nevada.Ó We can take heart, though, that largely because of the high standard Peck set, the ACLU of Nevada will continue its influential role in our lives. 
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