Current Events > Do you think the ACLU is a bad organization?

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/aclus-longstanding-commitment-defending-speech-we-hate

Many condemned us for defending Nazis right to march in Skokie in the 1970s. Some, like former Attorney General Ed Meese, labeled us the criminals lobby for advocating for constitutional rights for those accused of crime.

We earned few friends when we represented Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen suspected of terrorist ties and killed in a drone strike by the Obama administration.

After we represented a white supremacist denied a permit by the city of Charlottesville, we were criticized for defending white supremacists. Such criticism comes with the territory, and does not dissuade us from defending the Bill of Rights, no matter how unpopular our clients may be.

We disagree sharply with those who engage in terrorism, criminal activity, homophobic or racist speech, or attempts to dissuade women from obtaining abortions. Yet we have defended the constitutional rights of terrorists, criminals, anti-gay and racist bigots, and right-to-life advocates.

The last paragraph I think goes over many people today's head.
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The people who don't like the ACLU on CE tend to not like them for the other stuff they defend, not for their white supremacist defending.
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Even the ACLU had to walk back their arguments about who they will and won't defend after Charlottesville, and changed their policy so they won't invariably end up helping with another mess like that again.
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A_Good_Boy posted...

Even the ACLU had to walk back their arguments about who they will and won't defend after Charlottesville, and changed their policy so they won't invariably end up helping with another mess like that again.

?

This article is from 2018 and unite the right was in 2017.

Also from the above article:

After the tragic events in Charlottesville, we reaffirmed our commitment to defending speech with which we disagree. The ACLU Board the only entity with the authority to change ACLU policy discussed Charlottesville, and no one on the staff or the board asked the board to change our policies.

Kaminer claims the guidelines change our policy. But the guidelines clearly state that they do not change ACLU policy, which is set by the Board. They reaffirm our view that free speech rights extend to all, even to the most repugnant speakers including white supremacists and pursuant to ACLU policy, we will continue our longstanding practice of representing such groups in appropriate circumstances to prevent unlawful government censorship of speech. Nothing in the guidelines supports Kaminers claim that free speech has become second among equals.

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Must have been from that claim they referenced then. Nvm.
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I have no idea who they are

I don't always agree with them, but I love them and love what they stand for and what they do.
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WinterFestival posted...

I have no idea who they are

A group of lawyers essentially who will sue for people's rights.

For example, if Trump dislikes some guy on youtube and badmouths him, and has the cia or w/e shut down his channel, the ACLU is one org that is likely to get involved to sue the government for infringing on the guy's freedom of speech.
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