I went to the ACLU website today. . .
 

Horror of horrors right? Well, I am just at my wits end and I am not sure what to do.

Mondak - I never knew you were a Pinko bleeding heart wus!

For those of you who do not know me, I am a person who votes fiscal policy. I believe our government is asking to much of us today and I feel that we are being governed from far away both geographically and philosophically. Paticularly in light of our capabilities to communicate in the modern world, I feel that the federal government oversees areas that should only be handled locally if they should be handled by a government at all. My view on the federal government is that it should only be stepping in on issues that are needed to address a true public good that could not be handled by private parties / the market itself and cannot be addressed locally. In addition, my view on the definition of a public good is very limited in comparison to most folks.

That being said, I have not spent a lot of time with the ACLU folks. My focus has always been on areas of our country that will help grow the economy and allow business people to operate and see a return on their risk. While there is still a lot the ACLU is behind that I really don't jive with, there are a few things that I have to take another look at. In general, I don't like ACLU views that call for new programs, more money to be spent on things or areas that the government should fund programs. This may not be on any program's individual merit, I just don't like the government involved in any of that. A couple areas that they did not seem to far off on:


Criminal Justice (paticularly as it related to privacy)
Disability Rights
Drug Policy
Free Speech
HIV/AIDS
Lesbian & Gay Rights
Privacy & Technology
Racial Equality
Religious Liberty
Reproductive Rights
Voting Rights
Women's Rights

Not that they are perfect on these things, but certainly interesting. I suppose I would like the thoughts of some TFP members on the ACLU. While I want to hear from everyone, I would be particularly interested in folks who view themselves as fiscally conservative and socially moderate. I don't really feel like there are Legislators or organizations out there who represent folks like me and would like to hear about any that are out there.

http://www.aclu.org/

Re: I went to the ACLU website today. . .
 

The ACLU is a Bill of Rights-protecting organization. When have they ever advocated for new social programs?

Actually there are a lot of examples on their web site. I was somewhat surprised myself. The first one that came to mind was that they wanted to have the government fund an organization called the LSC. This is used to represent poor people in class action suits and challanges to constitutionality. It is also used to suppliment public defender types. There are other examples on the site as well but I won't comment on them or even this example.

Without someone to whine about every little rights violation, we wouldn't have many rights left. I support the ACLU, and speaking of pinko bleeding heart wusses, I'm a "card-carrying" member.

I do not support the ACLU.

Someone has to stand up for the Constitution, otherwise the govt will slowly make it irrelevant in the "interest of our safety"

As long as we're just casting our votes, I do support the ACLU.

I support the ACLU, EFF and, usually, the NRA.

I've got the ACLU for my 1st and 3rd through 15th or so, and I've got the NRA for the 2nd. I'm set.

ACLU....yes, most certainly during these times of er.....um....constitutional revision.

An interesting follow on

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004May12.html


I found this part especially interesting:
...One paragraph described the type of information that FBI agents could request under the law

Let me get this straight...I can't even know what type of information the FBI can obtain about me without a warrant? I don't even have the RIGHT to know what they can seize be it an internet log or my power bill ? That is a load of crap for sure!

The ACLU is a valuable organization in my humble opinion.

"Mondak - I never knew you were a Pinko bleeding heart wus!" That's pretty insulting, i dont think i'm a wuss and dont act like one. were you trying to create a healthy and respectful debate?

Jarsh I think he was just joking around. I'm defineatly in favor of the ACLU.

<==== robot

Well - for the most part, I was making fun of myself. I never gave the ACLU the time of day before. Somewhat because of my traditional stance on things and somewhat because of preconcieved. Hopefully it did not put you off too much. . .

I think that the ACLU is one of the best things going. They may not be popular in some sectors, but at least they take a stand on our rights instead of letting our rights fly by the wayside in these days of Ashcroft and his followers in their quest to "protect" us.

I don't always agree with what the ACLU does, but I do believe we need some kind of organization that espouses the less than popular view.

yeah, sometimes, i think the ACLU does some crazy shtuff. Support for Nambla, etc, but overall, i am a supporter of them. Especially during these "Constitution..what's that?" times of the gov't...

I swear this is a massive pet peeve of mine. The ACLU does NOT support NAMBLA. The ACLU supports the right for NAMBLA to exercise their first amendment rights.

The ACLU is in the business of keeping civil liberties avaliable in all situations not making "moral" decisions.

Huge generalization coming......I believe that when there are not at least two sides to contest an issue, you typically end up with a very poor result.

I would no sooner want a exclusively single-party government or governement with no internal checks and balances than I would want a government with nobody "on the outside" to challenge it. I am a member of the ACLU less for its specific positions (although I agree with many) and more for my desire to ensure both sides can be heard.

nano, you're right, i was merely picking out the one thing that EVERYONE seems to harp on...

but yeah, i do admire them for defending the 1st amendment vehemently

Sure they might defend organizations that are controversial (though not necessarily their position), I'm glad they do because if you or anyone has your rights violated, they're there to defend it

I've got my ACLU card... and a Sierra Club card too. :)

I consider myself fiscally conservative and socially liberal.

ah very libertarian

A card holder as well. I think the ACLU gets pegged as being a "bleeding heart liberal" organization by many conservatives because of a few of the extreme positions that they take, however much of what they are trying to defend should be appreciated by all of us i.e. 1st ammendment rights, constitutional protections etc.

If for no other reason I think that EVERYONE should support the ACLU for their efforts in fighting Ashcroft's DESTRUCTION of your constitutional rights via the patriot acts:

Here here