4 ms·

I had great respect for them when they were doing that kind of thing and standing up for everyone's right to speech. Do they still engage in that? If I recall c

I had great respect for them when they were doing that kind of thing and standing up for everyone's right to speech. Do they still engage in that? If I recall correctly they haven't had cases like that in decades. All their recent cases in my memory are left-leaning at least, which, while they do represent many good goals in my opinion, is understandably a political slant.

mikeyouse 10y ago
>. Do they still engage in that? If I recall correctly they haven't had cases like that in decades. From: https://www.aclu.org/defending-our-rights/court-battles https://www.aclu.org/defending-our-rights/court-battles Some recent cases; * The ACLU filed a motion in Michigan state court challenging the constitutionality of a subpoena issued to the website PubPeer demanding that it turn over the identities of anonymous commenters * The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass interception and searching of Americans’ international communications. * Whether a cause of action is available under the Constitution for violations of prisoners’ due process and equal protection rights when the prisoners were abused in immigration custody and when the government. * Whether North Carolina can prohibit individuals who are registered sex offenders from “accessing” any social media websites. * In a Freedom of Information Act request filed on January 13, 2010, the ACLU asked the government to disclose the legal and factual basis for its use of predator drones to conduct "targeted killings" overseas. They do a lot of good work.
- problems 10y ago
  They definitely do, but I was speaking in particular to their more controversial actions. They've done many good defenses of politically left or fairly neutral things, but I can't think of any on the right side of the spectrum in recent memory and as someone with fairly moderate political views, that does concern me a bit.
  - coldpie 10y ago
    Except for guns, I can't think of a single issue where the right is more on the side of civil liberties than the left.
    - problems 10y ago
      There are also some things you could debate about religious freedom there too, but I'm generally in agreement. However I'm not just talking about that, I'm also talking about them defending civil rights for everyone, not just those on the left. They used to be very good about this, standing up for protesters on both sides for example, but now I'm not so sure.
anigbrowl 10y ago
You could do what I do and perform a search to check the validity of your opinion with evidence before posting. You'd be amazed how many of my own comments I delete unfinished because a little research causes me to reconsider my first reaction.
- grzm 10y ago
  Well said. Thank you, not only for doing the research, but for admitting that you don't always find clear support for your opinion. It takes courage and honesty. I strive to do the same, and hope that I continue to maintain that level of commitment to integrity you describe. Unashamedly plagiarizing another comment, I regret I have but one upvote to give.
int_19h 10y ago
Their recent (as in, last 5 years) cases include defending a Confederate veteran group, Washington Redskins, KKK, Chick-fil-A, and the Westboro Baptist Church. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/19/a-history-of-the-aclu-defending-confederate-veterans-the-kkk-and-rush-limbaugh/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/19/a-...

mikeyouse 10y ago

>. Do they still engage in that? If I recall correctly they haven't had cases like that in decades. From: https://www.aclu.org/defending-our-rights/court-battles https://www.aclu.org/defending-our-rights/court-battles Some recent cases; * The ACLU filed a motion in Michigan state court challenging the constitutionality of a subpoena issued to the website PubPeer demanding that it turn over the identities of anonymous commenters * The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass interception and searching of Americans’ international communications. * Whether a cause of action is available under the Constitution for violations of prisoners’ due process and equal protection rights when the prisoners were abused in immigration custody and when the government. * Whether North Carolina can prohibit individuals who are registered sex offenders from “accessing” any social media websites. * In a Freedom of Information Act request filed on January 13, 2010, the ACLU asked the government to disclose the legal and factual basis for its use of predator drones to conduct "targeted killings" overseas. They do a lot of good work.

problems 10y ago
They definitely do, but I was speaking in particular to their more controversial actions. They've done many good defenses of politically left or fairly neutral things, but I can't think of any on the right side of the spectrum in recent memory and as someone with fairly moderate political views, that does concern me a bit.
- coldpie 10y ago
  Except for guns, I can't think of a single issue where the right is more on the side of civil liberties than the left.
  - problems 10y ago
    There are also some things you could debate about religious freedom there too, but I'm generally in agreement. However I'm not just talking about that, I'm also talking about them defending civil rights for everyone, not just those on the left. They used to be very good about this, standing up for protesters on both sides for example, but now I'm not so sure.

anigbrowl 10y ago

You could do what I do and perform a search to check the validity of your opinion with evidence before posting. You'd be amazed how many of my own comments I delete unfinished because a little research causes me to reconsider my first reaction.

grzm 10y ago
Well said. Thank you, not only for doing the research, but for admitting that you don't always find clear support for your opinion. It takes courage and honesty. I strive to do the same, and hope that I continue to maintain that level of commitment to integrity you describe. Unashamedly plagiarizing another comment, I regret I have but one upvote to give.

int_19h 10y ago

Their recent (as in, last 5 years) cases include defending a Confederate veteran group, Washington Redskins, KKK, Chick-fil-A, and the Westboro Baptist Church. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/19/a-history-of-the-aclu-defending-confederate-veterans-the-kkk-and-rush-limbaugh/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/19/a-...