The impact could be greater then you think….. 

By Robert Farrow

from Glib Fortuna at Stop the ACLU

We are very lucky to have the First Amendment. Without it, our chattering classes would be falling all over themselves to ban speech that offends sensitive groups, just as Canadian- and Euro-chatterers are doing now. We know this because our campus speech codes, the models for the disastrous hate-speech laws elsewhere, were the inventions of our own elites. Without a First Amendment, the distortions and suppressions of campus life would likely have gone national. Mel Gibson, Michael Richards, and many rap artists would be in jail, or at least facing charges.

The cause of free speech can no longer expect much help from the American Civil Liberties Union, more concerned today with civil rights and multicultural issues than with civil liberties and free speech. True, the ACLU still takes some censorship cases—it led the fight against the first wave of campus speech codes circa 1990, for instance. But the rise of the ACLU’s internal lobbies or “projects,” such as the Lesbian and Gay Project and the Immigrants’ Rights Project, has made the organization look more and more like a traditional left-wing pressure group, with little passion for the First Amendment. The ACLU is also following the money: funds flow in because the group responds to concerns of feminist, gays, and other identity groups, not because of its historical defense of free speech and civil liberties.

These days, the ACLU visibly stands aloof from obvious First Amendment cases—such as the college speech and harassment codes—and even comes down on the anti-free-speech side. Consider the group’s stance in Aguilar v. Avis Rent-A-Car System, a case involving ethnic epithets aimed by supervisors at Latino employees of Avis in San Francisco. A California court ruled that Avis had permitted a hostile environment. The California Supreme Court, abetted by both the northern Californian and the national ACLU, agreed, and upheld the lower court’s startling speech restriction: prior restraint on workers’ speech, forbidding a judge-made list of specific words. These words, not yet revealed or promulgated, will soon be taboo in every California workplace, even outside the earshot of Latino employees, and even if they are welcome. As civil libertarian Nat Hentoff wrote: “This may be the broadest and vaguest restriction of speech in American legal history.”

Even with the ACLU, the mainstream media, school officials, and much of the professorate AWOL, the speech police haven’t gone unopposed. Just ask former Clinton official Donna Shalala. As chancellor of the University of Wisconsin in the late eighties, she proved a fervent early advocate of campus speech restrictions. Though Shalala occasionally praised free speech, she and her team imposed not only a full-fledged student speech code, later struck down in federal court, but also a faculty code that provoked the first (and so far, only) pro-free-speech campus campaign strong enough to repeal such repressive restrictions. The Wisconsin faculty code was a primitive, totalitarian horror. Professors found themselves under investigation, sometimes for months, without a chance to defend themselves or even to know about the secret proceedings. One female professor said: “It was like being put in prison for no reason. I had no idea what it was that I was supposed to have done.”

It was pointed out when I previously posted the ACLU’s relative silence on campus speech suppression that the ACLU itself has a “policy” on campus speech codes and that ACLUers are on the board of FIRE. My answer: so what? A single 13 year-old statement and few letters here and there to universities over the years hardly excuses the ACLU from its conspicuous non-involvement in fighting the most tyrannical institutions in America. It has representation on FIRE’s board? Again: so what? Syria, Sudan and Saudi Arabia were on the UN Commission on Human Rights.

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I’m sure everyone’s heard about the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Christmas trees that were removed when a Rabbi threatened to sue if a menorah weren’t also displayed with the Christmas decorations. The airport, not wanting to put up the menorah only to open themselves up into having to accomodate every wiccan, Islamist, Kwanzaan, and multiculturalist under the sun, opted to simply remove all Christmas displays in the airport,

Like Mary at Freedom Eden, I think it is unfortunate that people found it necessary to send hate mail to the rabbi.

While I was at a client’s home Monday morning, I caught Tammy Bruce on the FOX morning show with that Democratic strategist (whose name escapes me), and both thought the removal of the trees was outrageous. I thought Tammy Bruce had the most eloquent way of expressing it, when she mentioned about the narcissism of multiculturalism, and how we don’t need to see ourselves reflected in everything. Christmas after all is about Jesus Christ. Can you imagine different interest groups wanting to push their identity to be recognized during Cinco de Mayo or Black History Month? It shouldn’t be "all about me". It’s okay to be exclusive. During Nisei Week, I’m not interested in seeing Chicano pride marching in the street parade alongside surviving members of the 442nd, the highly decorated all-Japanese-American WWII battalion. I expect to celebrate the beauty of Japanese-American cultural heritage. You might say that’s different: it doesn’t concern religion. I disagree about the difference. Religious culture is still culture; and true tolerance means you allow any given culture to celebrate in peace, without demanding that your culture also take center stage.

Here is what Tammy Bruce wrote on her blog:

As everyone knows, the trees have since been restored in the airport; and we may now all sleep restfully with visions of sugarplum dancing through our heads. Aaah….the wonders of YouTube. God bless the uploader of this:

And the Democratic strategist is Bob Beckel…of course! One comment he made which I liked was in pointing out that a menorah is a religious symbol (although, Linda Chavez points out it also represents a cultural and historic celebration in its own right); whereas the Christmas tree, arising out of pagan tradition, is largely secularized. It is a religious symbol, yes; but also, so much more. It is a part of American tradition. And as such, means something to an even wider audience.

My family was never a Christian family; but we honored and celebrated the Christian holiday without feeling alienated or threatened by it; we always had presents under a tree and mailed Christmas cards; and in our own way- with feelings of peace on earth and good will to all, I think that brings honor to Christ….and to American solidarity, as exemplified by being bound by a common tradition:  the tradition of Christmas.

You might be a liberal if…..

If you think it?s okay to kill babies, but not murderers then ?

Then you might be a liberal

If you are more threatened by the soldiers trying to protect you then the people trying to kill you then??.

Then you might be a liberal

If you find Christianity offensive, but not burning the flag then??

Then you might be a liberal

If you really think peace marches will stop genocidal maniacs then

Then you might be a liberal

If you are bent on national suicide and don?t know who your enemy is then

Then you might be a liberal

if you fear the police more then the criminals

Then you might be a liberal

if you think raising taxes and having less money to spend really helps the economy

Then you might be a liberal

if you think taking away a person?s ability to defend himself makes the country safer

Then you might be a liberal

if you are more worried about the rights of the people who are shooting then the ones getting shot

Then you might be a liberal

if organized religion offends you but hedonism does not

Then you might be a liberal

if you have been messing up the country since the 60?s but still think it?s someone else?s fault

Then you might be a liberal

feel free to add your own????.

(and one more funny, though not to far from the truth…..)

ACLU Sues Jesus

by Alan Coper: NBC News 5/1/06

ACLU Dirctor Robert Nash announced today that he plans to sue Jesus in Federal Court. ?Clearly Jesus has violated the Constitutional Separation of Church and State and Equal Protection clause. Such an open display of Religion has no place in today?s America.?

ACLU supporters burned images of Jesus on the steps of the Capitol today. ?We will stamp out out the menace of Christianity,? they chanted during their day long display.

Also today, female Senators were officially disbarred from the Capitol as the Federal Government strove to be in compliance with the new Fairness for Muslims Act.

By Robert Farrow

Only the ACLU would believe that they could get some volunteer workers thrown off of private land:

ACLU fails to toss Minutemen from state lands

Members of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps can continue patrolling on state trust lands without permits because they’ve been invited by ranchers leasing the land and agreed to do ranch work, a state official said.

The decision ends an attempt by the American Civil Liberties Union to get Arizona to force the volunteer anti-illegal immigration activists off the land because they hadn’t gotten state permission.

“They are authorized to be there under the terms of the lease,” deputy state Land Commissioner Richard Hubbard said Tuesday. He said a state employee who had told the Minutemen members on Monday they needed permits was incorrect.

The group is carrying out a monthlong patrol south of Three Points on the private King’s Anvil Ranch southwest of Tucson. Pat King, whose ranch includes some state trust land that she leases, said she has a contract with the Minutemen to monitor cattle, pick up trash and fix fences.

King is a supporter of the Minutemen and said the ACLU efforts were wrong.

“Those American Civil Liberties Union persons up there are not concerned about me at all,” King said. “So they are not really the American Civil Liberties Union are they? Because they don’t give a darn about what has happened to my constitutional rights to property.”

The ACLU’s Ray Ybarra said his group complained about the Minutemen to the state Land Department last week.

We all know they hate the Minutemen but only in a twisted ignorant mind would they believe that people don’t have the right to do legal activities on their own land….the arrogance of these people is mind boggling.

Right on Mississippi! (h/t Stop The ACLU who got it from Assorted Babble)

The billboard is emblazoned with screaming red letters: “Convicted! Sex crimes against children!”

On either side of the message is a photograph of a convicted sex offender along with his name, sentence and description of his crime - all printed in bold red print. One is serving 20 years for sexual battery against a 9-year-old; the other, 15 years for statutory rape of a child under 13.

This 12-foot-by-25 foot billboard - now hovering over U.S. 49 in Richland for all southbound drivers to see - is part of an effort by the state Department of Human Services to raise public awareness about sexual crimes against children.

The billboard, pasted Wednesday over an old picture of three smiling Girl Scouts hawking cookies, is one of 100 that will be put up statewide by the end of the week. Another, larger billboard that was rolled out earlier this week on I-55 in Byram states, “Statutory rape is a crime!”

Two convicted sex offenders are depicted on a billboard on U.S. 49 in Richland on Wednesday. The sign is part of a campaign sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

The signs use photographs of sex offenders currently serving time.

And so far, the public, at least in Mississippi, seems to be behind the department - sometimes with a have-no-mercy attitude.

“Put all their pictures up there,” said Tammy Rhodes, who works near the billboard at Southern Sports Center.

“I think, if you weren’t thinking about anything else on your drive to work and you saw that picture, you’re going to think about it: What’s in my neighborhood?”

Have you checked your area to see how many sex offenders live nearby? If not go here. Do a search of your zip code, don’t enter a name, and you will get a complete list. Every state has a dedicated website so do a google search for your state.

I have 52 registered offenders in my zip code. 52! They should have their photo’s plastered on every billboard across this town.

But living in the Socialist State of Kalifornia that will never happen. Thanks to the ACLU.

And now the ACLU is a bit peeved at Mississippi:

Nsombi Lambright, who heads the American Civil Liberties Union in Mississippi, has called the move a waste of taxpayer funds. She has questioned the logic of using convicts who are serving sentences and whose information goes public on the sex offender registry list.

But the ACLU, a tiny office consumed by its fight against a bill that would ban most abortions in the state, shows no sign of taking on the issue as one of its causes.

“Of course, we’re concerned with every civil liberty violation, but because of the small staff, we can’t work on everything,” she said.

Lambright, who has gotten calls from Good Morning America and Nightline on the issue, said she has not made a decision about taking action.

No action yet, guess the ACLU is too busy representing NAMBLA and Sheehan.

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(h/t California Conservative who got it from Ex-Liberal In Hollywood)

Only those smoking the ACLU grass would see someone getting patted down for weapons at a football stadium as against their constitutional rights:

TAMPA - When the Buccaneers instituted a policy requiring all fans to be patted down for weapons before entering Raymond James Stadium, the American Civil Liberties Union vowed to file suit. Thursday, they followed up on that threat.

A lawsuit, filed on behalf of a season ticket holder, seeks to immediately stop officials from conducting what the ACLU calls the “suspicionless” pat-down searches.

According to the ACLU, fan Gordon Johnston inquired about canceling his season tickets after he learned that the searches would be implemented. But the team would not refund the nearly $900 for his tickets.

Now, Johnson and the ACLU are asking the court to declare the pat-down policy in violation of the state constitution. The civics teacher said Thursday that he’s just practicing what he preaches to his students every day about civil rights and the Constitution.

“I want to be safe. But don’t I want to be safe at the mall? Don’t I want to be safe going down the street too? Does that mean we all get searched and checked all the time? Are they going to stop us? Are we going to turn into a police state, or what?” he said.

The pat-down policy was approved with some hesitation by the Tampa Sports Authority last month before the team’s first home game. At the time, the NFL told the community that RayJay was the only stadium not conducting the searches. Since then, however, the Cincinnati Bengals announced that they would not be performing the searches at their home games after state officials questioned the legality of the pat-downs.

So who the hell is forcing this guy to go watch a football game? If he does not want to get patted down, DON’T GO! This is a private business wishing to keep their customers safe and this guy along with the ACLU is crying that his rights are being violated…give me a break.

How does this differ from airport searches? Did I miss the ACLU lawsuit against the airlines?

Continuing with this theme, Jay at Stop the ACLU has a great post:

It happens somewhere in America almost everyday. Some small school, city counsel or County Courthouse gets sued. Perhaps your town has a historical monument to honor the dead from WWII that just so happens to be shaped like a cross. Or maybe your child?s school will be having a winter break instead of Christmas this year. Whatever it is, don?t fool yourself?it could happen to your town. And what will happen when it does? What will happen when the ACLU comes into your backyard? Will your town stand up for its religious liberties, or fold? The ACLU will go full force and has plenty of money to back it up. Does your town have the funds to defend itself? The ACLU has the backing of huge liberal groups, funded to the tee. How doe your town stack up?

Don?t think it couldn?t happen to you. Right now, there are those out there watching it happen to them. What can you do? If the ACLU wins, guess who pays for it? Thats right, you do.

I found the following at ReclaimAmerica.Org

U.S. Representative John Hostettler has introduced legislation which seeks to prevent the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from collecting millions of dollars in court awards when they seek to remove symbols of the Christian faith from society.

The Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 (H.R.2679) would prevent secular organizations from collecting attorney fees after suing communities to remove memorial crosses, Ten Commandments displays, or any other vestige of the Christian faith. The legislation reads, ?The remedies with respect to a claim under this section where the deprivation consists of a violation of a prohibition in the Constitution against the establishment of religion shall be limited to injunctive relief.?

ACLU Generates Revenue in Courtroom Campaign

$156,960 = Nebraska

The ACLU was awarded $156,960 after a judge overturned an amendment to the Nebraska Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The amendment was approved by 70 percent of Nebraska voters.

$790,000 = San Diego

The ACLU was given $790,000 after suing to nullify a lease between the city of San Diego and the Boy Scouts of America. A federal judge sided with the ACLU, ruling that the Boy Scouts are a religious organization because they require kids to pledge an oath to God and promise to live a ?morally straight?

$150,000 = Barrow County (Ga.)

The ACLU was awarded $150,000 after suing to remove a display of the Ten Commandments from the Barrow County Courthouse.

$615,500 = Florida Supreme Court

The Florida Supreme Court established the Florida Bar Foundation and then commissioned the foundation to provide $615,500 to the ACLU of Florida between the years of 1990 and 1997.

$121,500 = Kentucky

The ACLU was awarded $121,500 after suing to remove a monument outside of the Kentucky Capitol building.

$277,000 = Kentucky

The ACLU was awarded a whopping $277,000 after suing to overturn a state law against abortion in 1994.

$299,500 = Kentucky

In 2001, the ACLU was awarded more than $299,500 after suing to overturn abortion regulations in Kentucky.

$50,000 = TennesseeA Tennessee County was forced to pay the ACLU $50,000 after losing a legal battle to preserve a display of the Ten Commandments.

$37,037 = Loudoun County (Va.)The ACLU was awarded $37,037 after winning a lawsuit to prevent a Loudoun County (Va.) from installing pornography filters on public llibrary computers.$175,000 = Alabama

Following the lawsuit, involving former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building, state taxpayers were forced to pay nearly $550,000 in attorney fees and court costs. Of that, $175,000 went to the ACLU.

$63,000 = CaliforniaTaxpayers were forced to give the ACLU a whopping $63,000 after their lawsuit to remove a World War One Memorial Cross from the Mojave National Preserve.

$74,462 = Habersham County (Ga.)

The ACLU received $74,462 from Georgia taxpayers after suing to remove a Ten Commandments display from the Habersham County (Ga.) Courthouse.

$25,000 = Pulaski County (Ark.)

The ACLU was awarded $25,000 after suing an Arkansas county for telling the child?s parents that the 14-year-old boy was living an openly gay lifestyle in school.

$135,000 = Cobb County (Ga.)

The ACLU is scheduled to receive $135,000 from Cobb County taxpayers, after suing the county to remove warning stickers from the district biology books. The stickers simply read, ?Evolution is a theory, not a fact.?

$75,000 = Pasco (Wash.)

The city of Pasco, Washington was forced to pay the ACLU $75,000 after they lost a lawsuit to remove the painting of a naked woman from the Pasco City Hall.

$52,000 = Seattle (Wash.)

Residents in Seattle, Washington, were ordered to pay $52,000 to the ACLU ? for defending a student?s ?right? to mock the assistant principal in a sexual online parodies ? sodomizing Homer Simpson and appearing in Viagra commercials.

$6,000,000 = American Taxpayers

The ACLU, along with other pro-abortion organizations, have shared in court awards estimated to be worth roughly six million dollars following the Supreme Court?s decision in which they declared the Nebraska partial birth abortion ban unconstitutional. Reportedly, these lawsuits affected thirty states.

$18,000 = London (Ohio)

After suing London, Ohio, for allowing their football coach to host a voluntary prayer for athletes, the ACLU was awarded $18,000 in attorney fees.

$110,000 = Multnomah County (Oregon)

Incredibly, Multnomah County taxpayers were asked to pay a whopping $110,000 after the ACLU sued them for allowing the Boy Scouts of America to recruit on public school campuses.

$111,000 = Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue was ordered to pay the ACLU $111,000 after losing a lawsuit in which the ACLU sought to prevent the organization from picketing near abortion clinics.

$230,000 = San Diego (California)

San Diego residents were forced to pay $230,000 in legal costs in an effort to defend the Mount Soledad Cross (a memorial to the Korean War) from an ACLU lawsuit. The Korean War Memorial had been established in 1952.

Don?t let it happen to your town, or if it is going to happen?don?t pay for it. Reclaiming America has put together a petition that already has over 100,000 signatures. We also have a petition asking for the same thing, to stop taxpayer funding of the ACLU in Establishment Clause cases. You can sign both petitions here. Help us curb the secularization of America.