Monday, June 05, 2006

ACLU Warning

I joined the ACLU several years ago. I could claim that it was naive optimism, that I sincerely believed in their commitment to defending the Bill of Rights — but I couldn't sell that fiction if I tried, so I'll be honest and confess that I wanted bragging rights. I was looking forward to the next argument where some liberal muppet would accuse me of betraying personal liberties, and I'd slap my ACLU card down onto the table and look smug.

I think I'd been watching too many Westerns on cable that week. Maybe I wasn't getting enough sleep. Either way, it was a dumb idea; and by the time I realized that, I was out $35.

For the next year, I was flooded with letters urging me to "stop Ashcroft" from passing various laws. (Apparently the ACLU hasn't been briefed on the separation of powers.) When the time came to renew, an enthusiastic fellow telephoned me and said the ACLU needed my donation to be ready "to defeat Bush in 2004."

I declined. When they called back, I repeated my answer. In the years since, I've politely asked at least a dozen times to be removed from the ACLU's mailing list. I've submitted two requests in writing. The calls and letters keep coming. Just last week, I got another.

Be forewarned. If you understand the ACLU's charter and you agree with its mission, then by all means, write a check. But make no mistake: It's a heavily partisan organization that abuses its legal status as a tax-exempt charitable organization to keep hounding individuals despite repeated requests to desist. Once you get on its list, you'll never get off.

2 Comments:

At June 09, 2006 2:49 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I did the same thing in college. I really believed they were defending the bill of rights, AND I will admit I liked the line "card carrying member."

As I've become more informed, I've realized the ACLU, like the NRA, have been hi-jacked by person's agendas that are not in the best interest of the 2 agencies. If you ask anyone, liberal or conservative, if they "support upholding the Bill of Rights" and "promote and educate on responsible gun use and ownership," they will say "of course!"

Yet we are plagued by a group that wishes to remove the word God from the Pledge and another that wants automatic weapons to be available for sale at Wal-Mart.

 
At July 21, 2008 9:31 AM, Blogger viking2boot said...

The ACLU should be abolished. It is undermining the foundation our country was founded on. It’s an insidious cancer that needs to be stopped.
What about us non atheists? We like the 10 commandments in public places. We like having "In God We Trust" on our money. We like having prayer in OUR schools. Other religions need to understand what this country was founded on and not have it changed to their country’s belief. We have the right to have it "OUR" way, the American way it works!
It also attempts to give more rights to criminals than victims. The ACLU should be abolished. It is undermining the foundation our country was founded on. It’s an insidious cancer that needs to be stopped.
What about us non atheists? We like the 10 commandment is public places. We like having "In God We Trust" on our money. We have the right to have it "OUR" way too. Why else do so many want to come here? I don’t see people streaming to leave to go to a better place.
It also attempts to give more rights to criminals than victims.

 

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