[Viva Le Dissention]

What, so you shouldn't support them because they have a bad viewpoint on one issue?

I'm a member of Gun Owners of America, and I'm a member of the ACLU. Sure, I'd like it if the ACLU were a little tougher on gun rights, but they're not--hey, neither is the NRA, while we're at it.

That aside, the ACLU does a nice job of keeping the government *somewhat* in check, and that's worthy of support, as far as I'm concerned.

[2banana]

The ACLU:

Never heard or read of the founding fathers
Believes partial birth abortions are a right enumerated in the constitution
Believes the constitution is a "living" document
Never saw a gun law it didn't like
Thinks religion is evil

They are the sue-the-bastards-with-taxfree-money arm of the democrat party.

[George W. Bush]

Sure, I'd like it if the ACLU were a little tougher on gun rights, but they're not--hey, neither is the NRA, while we're at it.

I was ACLU too many years ago before they became such a political arm of the Democrat party. Unfortunately, the ACLU will generally oppose anything the GOA is doing. So your GOA membership may offset the ACLU's anti-gun activities but your support of ACLU forwards the Left agenda on a far broader front.

Also, remember that being a member of some of these organizations is politically useful to them. Their political muscle is often determined by the number of members they can claim. So even if your membership to the ACLU is nominal, it's worth something politically just to have you on their rolls.

As far as ACLU internal politics go, I've considered before that a concerted conservative effort in rural states could allow gunlovers to completely take over entire state ACLU chapters and turn them pro-gun, anti-sodomy, anti-abortion. One would then have the imprimateur of ACLU but actually be a rightwing civil liberties organization. Naturally, a portion of the dues would still go to the national ACLU but you could file your own amicus briefs and use the ACLU name to make splashy press releases and spread pro-gun propaganda.

The kinds of states where you could accomplish this with, say, 2,000-10,000 rightwingers would be states like Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Utah, Idaho.

Of course, their lawyers might quit. But you could still use it as a propaganda arm and prevent a rightwing-dominated state ACLU from being an active arm and propaganda mill for the Left.

[ohioman]

The ACLU is as relevant as the League of Nations and will also find itself on the dustbins of history. We should hate this organization as much as we hate the Islamo-fascists.