Each December, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California
 celebrates the anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights by
 paying tribute to individuals who help to preserve civil liberties and civil
 rights. This event provides vital resources that fund the ACLU's watchdog
 efforts to protect fundamental constitutional rights. Please join in that
 defense by supporting this tribute to our outstanding honorees.

 We are very pleased to announce that this year's Bill of Rights Award will be
 presented to Howie Klein, activist and President of Reprise Records and film
 maker Gary Ross. The 2000 Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award will be
 presented to ACLU Foundation Board member Shirley Magdison, who is a longtime
 peace and justice activist.

 The dinner will be held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Thursday,
 December 14, on the eve of the 209th anniversary of the adoption of the
 Bill of Rights. Our program will also feature special guests.

 From The Doors to Barenaked Ladies, Howie Klein has a history of picking
 winners -- and picking fights with the right wing. Klein has long been a
 vocal advocate for controversial art and artists, and unfailingly honest
 about his music, his life and his beliefs. He is hailed by many as one of the
 first gay, out-of-the-closet-and-proud-of-it executives in the record
 industry. He counted gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk as a good friend.

 An outspoken critic of the far right, Klein used his guest DJ spot for a San
 Francisco rock station to lambast Rush Limbaugh, including dedicating the
 song "I'm a Nazi" to Limbaugh. He's also a member of the Lying Socialist
 Weasels Club, a group of "fascist fighters" that seeks to expose the wrongs
 of the right wing. A strong defender of the First Amendment's guarantees of
 creative freedom and the separation of church and state. Klein believes that
 the music industry has always been the most democratic forum of American
 public expression. He thinks it is absolutely critical that it remain that way and
 that the political voices and creative voices of this country remain separate.