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We can be pretty sure that each new day will bring two things: new threats to our civil liberties, and new stories of people standing up for their rights and winning. From the chilling to the triumphant, there is always something to talk about.

With that in mind, we're re-launching the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û blog, with a new look, a new name, and a new invitation to join in the dialogue.

Welcome to the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û Blog of Rights!

We envision this blog as a marketplace of ideas and discourse on pressing civil liberties issues, from surveillance and extraordinary rendition to religious freedom and the rights of protestors.

To get things underway, today begins our inaugural online symposium. The symposium will be a recurring feature on this blog, bringing together an ideologically diverse group of bloggers and writers to focus on pressing civil liberties issues.

Our first symposium will explore our government's use of torture. With recent revelations like the Yoo memo and the White House sanctioning of torture, along with congressional hearings, lawsuits and possible subpoena fights, it's crucial to continue the robust discussion of what torture means to the United States and American values.

We've been working with Salon.com's Glenn Greenwald to put together this symposium, and we're excited to welcome some of the nation's leading writers on the topic of torture. I encourage you to take a look.

People who know the importance of defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, like the more than 500,000 card-carrying members of the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û, don't just live on the coasts in cities like San Francisco and New York. They are spread all over America, from the Midwest to the Southeast. This blog is a place where everyone concerned about civil liberties can come together.

Whether you're in San Diego or Salt Lake City, and whether or not you carry an in your wallet, we hope you'll be a regular visitor to Blog of Rights. Please join us in keeping civil liberties at the forefront of public dialogue.