ACLU Changes Its Website After Being Caught Editing and Distorting the 1st Amendment

Human Events Online ^ | Jan 24, 2005 | Chris Field

[jonatron]

On January 17, I posted a First Look column titled "The ACLU's Very Own Constitution." In it I commented upon an item that I had first been made aware of in a "Best of the Web" column by James Taranto of the Opinion Journal. The subject of my column was how the ACLU had distorted, edited, "censored" the 1st Amendment on its website in order to support its claim that the Framers considered the freedom of speech so important that they put it at the very tip-top of the Bill of Rights.

But now the ACLU has changed its website and completely erased the traces of the old, misleading site. However, we here at HUMAN EVENTS saved a copy of the original page (link is to a pdf copy of the original page).

The language at the top of the ACLU's "Free Speech" page at the time of my column read as follows:

"It is probably no accident that freedom of speech is the first freedom mentioned in the First Amendment: 'Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.' The Constitution's framers believed that freedom of inquiry and liberty of expression were the hallmarks of a democratic society."

As anyone who has read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is aware, the "first freedom mentioned in the First Amendment" is that of religion. In the ACLU's 1st Amendment quotation, the freedom of religion is erased, replaced with ellipses. The only reason that the ACLU finds that the "freedom of speech is the first freedom mentioned in the First Amendment" is because they cut out the 1st Amendment's two clauses regarding religion. Here's the 1st Amendment in its entirety:

"Congress shall make no law RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF; OR abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Since the original posting of "The ACLU's Very Own Constitution," the ACLU has changed their website. In place of the distortion of the 1st Amendment on the "Free Speech" page is the following, slightly, but significantly updated and altered text:

"It is no accident that freedom of speech is protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights: 'Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.' The Constitution’s framers believed that freedom of inquiry and liberty of expression were the hallmarks of a democratic society."

The ACLU still doesn't mention the freedom of religion in its quotation of the first part of the Bill of Rights, but at least the site isn't utterly wrong.

Call this one a win for the good guys -- the ACLU may still be the Leftist organization it has come to be known as, but at least it has been forced to stop this specific distortion of the Bill of Rights.

[jonatron]

for educational purposes

[BADROTOFINGER]

Posted yesterday...JFK

[FreedomCalls]

They are still not correct. What is the First Amendment today was "Amendment, the Third" in the original document as presented to Congress. The original first was never ratified. It dealt with limiting the number of total Congressmen. What was then the second is now the twenty-seventh as it finally finished the ratification process in 1992.

So we can conclude that the original founding fathers did not place any special significance to anything being in the first amendment simply because it was the first, since it wasn't the first, it was actually the third. Does that make sense?

[SedVictaCatoni]

The original first was never ratified. It dealt with limiting the number of total Congressmen.

A good thing, too - by my rough calculation, if we followed the general scheme in the First Amendment, we'd have about five thousand Representatives today.

[EagleUSA]

The American Communist Losers Union continues its effort to re-write our Constitution to suit its anti-American, communist agenda. When will we just put that group out of business and add its name to the Subversive Organization List ??? Isn't it time ???

[26lemoncharlie]

The ACLU still doesn't mention the freedom of religion in its quotation of the first part of the Bill of Rights, but at least the site isn't utterly wrong.

Call this one a win for the good guys -- the ACLU may still be the Leftist organization it has come to be known as, but at least it has been forced to stop this specific distortion of the Bill of Rights.

____________________________________


If you are referring to the Constitution of the United States, which states that our unalienable rights come from GOD! the ACLU is WRONG!! You must understand that the ACLU is NOT using the Constitution of the United States though. They are using the European Constitution, which has no reference to GOD! It states that the peoples rights come from the Government!! How Convienient of them to just change our Constitution!! Why not though? NO ONE HAS QUESTIONED THEM YET!!

The Hate Crimes Laws are nothing more than the implementation of the Values set forth in the European Socialist Manefesto. They undermine our Gurantee of Freedom of Speech by the Constitution. The Hate Crimes were put into law to do just that. We have the right to Hate just as we have the right to Love. The Constitution of the United States is slowly but surely being replaced with the Socialist Version of the European Constitution, read it for yourself:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1318061/posts?page=6#6
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1318038/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1318034/posts
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=view&id=954
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1254190/posts

[BJungNan]

You can see the original text at this link. Rewriting the First Amendment by the ACLU

Site has a link to the page archive they way it was before the ACLU got caught and changed their page.

[Southack]

You need to see this one.

[Celtman]

According to the Wayback Machine, the first (incorrect) version appeared by 10/15/2002 and was still there on 2/2/2004

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Will no one rid us of this treasonous, anti-Christian group? Will no politician find the guts to repeal that pesky clause in the Civil Rights Bill that allows lawyers to collect fees for their subterfuge?

[Grampa Dave]

Sounds like the changing websites of Moi Kerry last year whenever Free Republic or anothe site found something that was truthful.

[risk]

In the ACLU's 1st Amendment quotation, the freedom of religion is erased, replaced with ellipses.

On the left, we have outright rewriting of the text. On the right, we have certain people saying the unabridged text means in clear language that government officials are free to declare official preference for particular religious beliefs.

Both are revisionist, depending on the state; but most (if not all) American states have constitutions that place limits on express government support for religious beliefs. It does just so happen that Alabama's constitution prohibits state preference for any particular religion.

The biggest threat to American liberty today isn't just secular humanism. It's revisionism on all sides. The law is written in plain enough English if we would just read it. And it doesn't always license government to conduct its business according to our preferences. In fact, America's highest law is about stripping government of all but the most essential powers.

[Southack]

"Sounds like the changing websites of Moi Kerry last year whenever Free Republic or anothe site found something that was truthful."

Busting Senator Kerry for claiming Senator KerrEy's Senate Intel Vice-Chairmanship was a thing of FR beauty.

[LibertarianInExile]

That might be a good thing. Imagine how hard it would be to get them all to agree on logrolling for pork.

[piasa]

fyi

[clee1]

You say it, risk.

Too many Americans forget that our Founders were deeply distrustful of "government".

[risk]

Exactly, because governments consist of fallible men, who can do fallible things in the name of all that is right.

[wildbill]

Just sent a copy of the article to a friend who is VP of the Texas ACLU.

[AdamSelene235]

The Institute for Justice is a far better choice for those who wish to support pro-freedom court cases.