5 ms·

The ACLU has increasingly become exactly what he seeks to avoid. https://reason.com/2022/08/31/the-student-loan-debate-shows-how-the-aclu-has-lost-its-way/ htt

The ACLU has increasingly become exactly what he seeks to avoid. https://reason.com/2022/08/31/the-student-loan-debate-shows-how-the-aclu-has-lost-its-way/ https://reason.com/2022/08/31/the-student-loan-debate-shows-... I would support a truly civil-liberties-only ACLU, but not what they currently are.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
quantum_solanum 4y ago
[flagged]
- CWuestefeld 4y ago
  The word "absurd" doesn't show in the article, that's your characterization. What the referenced article is saying is that to the extent that these things are "civil rights" issues, everything is thus a civil rights issue, and thus a focus on civil rights is meaningless.
  - woodruffw 4y ago
    "If X is Y, then all Z are Y" is a kind of reduction to absurdity argument. The GP's characterization is correct, and nitpicking the fact that Reason doesn't actually use the word "absurd" doesn't meaningfully change the argumentative tack they use.
- weberer 4y ago
  You've seriously misread that paragraph. It's not saying those ideas are absurd, but that they are not civil liberties issues. This is spelled out in the very next sentence. >Such reasoning expands the ACLU's mission to include pretty much any domestic policy issue. I wish people wouldn't be so quick to rush to take potshots at political opponents. It lowers the quality of discussion for everyone and will eventually just turn this place into another Reddit.
butUhmErm 4y ago
rufus_foreman 4y ago
>> a truly civil-liberties-only ACLU Take a look at FIRE, https://www.thefire.org https://www.thefire.org.
vlod 4y ago
Thanks for posting this, I was not aware how far they've strayed off civil liberties. Have not investigated this, but pg [0] seems to thumbs down ACLU and thumbs up FIRE: [0] https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1533824076896260098 https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1533824076896260098
- hnbad 4y ago
  FIRE is primarily funded by conservative and libertarian foundations and pg (much like most VCs) is libertarian. I'm not saying this to dunk on them, but it's unsurprising that pg would tend towards FIRE over ACLU, which is funded by slightly more progressive libertarian foundations (unless you consider George Soros a leftist).

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

quantum_solanum 4y ago

[flagged]

CWuestefeld 4y ago
The word "absurd" doesn't show in the article, that's your characterization. What the referenced article is saying is that to the extent that these things are "civil rights" issues, everything is thus a civil rights issue, and thus a focus on civil rights is meaningless.
- woodruffw 4y ago
  "If X is Y, then all Z are Y" is a kind of reduction to absurdity argument. The GP's characterization is correct, and nitpicking the fact that Reason doesn't actually use the word "absurd" doesn't meaningfully change the argumentative tack they use.
weberer 4y ago
You've seriously misread that paragraph. It's not saying those ideas are absurd, but that they are not civil liberties issues. This is spelled out in the very next sentence. >Such reasoning expands the ACLU's mission to include pretty much any domestic policy issue. I wish people wouldn't be so quick to rush to take potshots at political opponents. It lowers the quality of discussion for everyone and will eventually just turn this place into another Reddit.

butUhmErm 4y ago

rufus_foreman 4y ago

>> a truly civil-liberties-only ACLU Take a look at FIRE, https://www.thefire.org https://www.thefire.org.

vlod 4y ago

Thanks for posting this, I was not aware how far they've strayed off civil liberties. Have not investigated this, but pg [0] seems to thumbs down ACLU and thumbs up FIRE: [0] https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1533824076896260098 https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1533824076896260098

hnbad 4y ago
FIRE is primarily funded by conservative and libertarian foundations and pg (much like most VCs) is libertarian. I'm not saying this to dunk on them, but it's unsurprising that pg would tend towards FIRE over ACLU, which is funded by slightly more progressive libertarian foundations (unless you consider George Soros a leftist).