The Pigeon on the ACLU

Read this first:

Hey, found your blog surfing my miliblog ring.  Nice site.  How would one go about being added to your blogroll?  I would gladly reciprocate with a link back to you.  Let me know if you are interested, thanks.  http://www.stoptheaclu.com

I must admit, I'm at a loss for a decision here. 

Generally speaking, I'll reciprocate any link (I've only turned down one request to join my blogroll, and I can't remember why); but here's my dilemma:  I mostly have nothing against the ACLU.  Indeed, their mission statement almost sounds like mine:

The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of these protections and guarantees:

-- Your First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly. Freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state.

-- Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.

-- Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.

-- Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.

Dude, I'm down with every single one of those points!

- I'm privately pro-life, but publicly pro-choice.  It's not the state's business to tell women what they can or cannot do with their bodies.

- Nothing good has ever come from mixing politics with religion.
 
- Freedom of religion means ANY religion:  I'm a Christian, but my wife is a pagan druid.

- Law abiding citizens shouldn't have to worry about the government rifling through their private affairs.

But what do I not like about the ACLU?

- US liberties should not extend to enemies of the state (i.e. if preventing another attack on the US meant me beating some Gitmo prisoner with a radiator hose to get him to talk, I'd be warming up my pitching arm).  If the ACLU supports combatants, that's not freedom of speech:  that's treason.

- US liberties also should not extend to illegal aliens.  If you're not a citizen, my tax dollars shouldn't be paying your bills!

- Free speech does not mean selling child pr0n is okay.

- Free speech also doesn't mean a criminal can cry "racism" and deserve a pity party.  In addition, there's a special place in hell for affirmative action--I don't care about someone's race or sex, I care that they're competent.

- For the sake of basic security, is it so bad having someone check my bag for explosives?  Beats dying at 30,000 feet.

In short, I'm a really nice guy when it comes to ordinary citizens living out their lives in pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  I'm not a nice guy when it comes to bombing enemies of the state into a fine, red mist, or people getting ahead based on sex, race or coat-tailing rather than pure merit.

Plus, if I DON'T add Stop the ACLU to my blogroll, wouldn't I be violating my own principles by censoring their position, especially since I do agree with some of their platform? 

I can't believe I'm wasting so much brain power on such a minor detail, but I've fought too long for freedom of speech and religion to gloss over said issues.

Comments

[Amal]

The ACLU in theory is fabulous, in practice, not so much. I draw the line at protecting people like that whole society for the love between men and boys (I don't know the exact name) or people who exploit children and call it art or freedom of speech and the ACLU seems to be taking on more and more of these cases where there are wayyyyyy too many shades of gray.

[Violence Worker]

To me, their mission statement is a lot like the old Soviet Constitution. It was a great read and lots of great stuff, but in practice, it wasn't much better then Soviet TP. It was weak, easily torn, didn't do half the job and disposable. As for me. I linked - proudly.

VW

[canuckistani]

What was once a good institution has now gone pathetically off the rails. It seems someone has hi-jacked the ACLU agenda for their own partisan uses rather than remaining neutral. It's driving the ACLU into the ground.

I won't be linking to the item however, it's too much of a farce.