Question: Why do repugs hate the ACLU?

[Gothic Sponge]

I don't listen to right-wing radio, so i'm not up on their talking points, but why hate the ACLU?

I read about OxyRush speaking out against them, but when he wanted to block his medical records from being seen, he didn't have a problem with the ACLU! Hypocrite!

[phantom power]

1. They believe the ACLU fights for rights for people who don't "deserve"

them. It's the "dirty harry" theory: that criminals get off scott free because we are too concerned with their "rights".

[Warpy]

2. They hate the ACLU because they hate the First Amendment

You know, the one that says we don't have to worship their god, echo their words, or watch what we publish that might contradict their fantasy world.

In fact, they hate the whole Bill of Rights, since it gives common people protection against the tyranny they want to preside over. The only one they support is the Second, and that one only until all the others are gone.

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. I've heard some say...

that they only represent cop killers and anti-American traitor types. Which is kind of bogus, sure they have represented less than desirable people over the years, but when they help out people like Rush I don't hear anyone bitching.

[drdigi420]

4. Its the CL part they cant stand

Republicans do not believe in Civil Liberties.

[AlCzervik]

5. They only hate them until

the aclu defends the oxy cowboy. I think they planted Bob Barr in there.

[truthspeaker]

6. They hate liberty

Simple as that.

They hate free speech because they don't want anyone criticizing their politicians or telling the truth about their policies.

They hate freedom of religion because they want everyone to be Christian (and maybe Jewish, but keep your on 'em).

They hate the freedom to peaceably assemble.

They hate a free press.

[democrat_patriot]

7. Rush loves the ACLU!

Repeat as necessary.

[Caution]

8. rather than a knee jerk response let's have a real discussion of this

My grandmother (a right wing nutjob if ever there was one) loathes the ACLU.

What I found when talking to her was that she is pretty much massively uninformed over what the ACLU stands for.

She points to three things:

School Prayer
the Judge Moore 10 commandments issue
God in the Pledge

Her problems stems from religion. She truly believes the ACLU is out to destroy Christianity. I've tried explaining that they are simply trying to uphold the 1st amendment but then she harps on the "waht about my right to free speech? I want to pray in school!"

She even thinks the motto is "In God We Trust" and that when she said "Under God" in the pledge that there was no problem.

Even after explaining to her that God was not in the pledge when she was in school and that the motto is "E Pluribus Unum" and that "In God We Trust" was only added to the currency in the 1950's she simply says "Well that isn't how i remember it"

What are the other hot button ACLU issues that right-wingers take issue with?

[napi21]

9. are the most recent accomplishments of the ACLU.

Defeated many of the Bush Administration’s most egregious attempts to deny liberty in the name of national security. Federal judges in New Jersey and Michigan rejected the government’s blanket policy of conducting secret deportation hearings in post-September 11 cases as a violation of the First Amendment. The ACLU brought both cases on behalf of news organizations and members of the public. We also led a massive media campaign which forced the Administration to dramatically scale back its proposed domestic spy program, Operation TIPS, which would have recruited postal and utility workers to spy on Americans in their homes.

Hailed four major victories in the ACLU’s ongoing campaign to abolish capital punishment in America. In the states, Illinois and then Maryland declared moratoriums on the death penalty. And in the courts, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that that executing people with mental retardation violates the Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual” punishment. The Court also ruled that a death penalty trial must be resolved by a jury rather than a judge. Finally, a U.S. District Judge declared that the federal death penalty is unconstitutional.

Defended in a U.S. Appeals Court the right of Colorado teens to have immediate access to an abortion without seeking parental consent. Parental consent laws put teens at grave risk, preventing them from getting critical health care even when they face serious medical conditions.

Successfully challenged the Louisiana Governor’s Program on Abstinence which was using federal funds intended for abstinence-only sex education programs to impermissibly advance religion. This landmark victory came on the heels of another ACLU victory over a Louisiana law authorizing “spoken prayer” at public school-sponsored events.

Spearheaded the overwhelming defeat of an effort by the Christian Coalition and others to overturn a Florida human rights ordinance that bans discrimination against gays and lesbians in housing, employment, lending and public.

Filed several lawsuits to fix the fundamental inequities in our electoral system that were revealed in the 2000 elections. Victories have come in South Carolina, Montana and Illinois, and we have also filed a major lawsuit that challenges California’s discriminatory voting system.

http://www.aclu.org/about/aboutlist.cfm?c=204

When you read them, it's obvious why they HATE the ACLU!

[info being]

10. They hate our freedoms. eom.