Thread: Is the ACLU good for America?

American Civil Liberties Union

an organization founded in 1920 to defend the civil rights of all U.S. citizens. Abbreviation: ACLU, A.C.L.U.


civil liberty
1. –noun Usually, civil liberties.
1. the freedom of a citizen to exercise customary rights, as of speech or assembly, without unwarranted or arbitrary interference by the government.


2. such a right as guaranteed by the laws of a country, as in the U.S. by the Bill of Rights.


civil rights

pl.n. The rights belonging to an individual by virtue of citizenship, especially the fundamental freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and by subsequent acts of Congress, including civil liberties, due process, equal protection of the laws, and freedom from discrimination.

adj. or civ·il-rights (sĭiv'ə?l-rīits')
1. Of or relating to such rights or privileges: civil rights legislation.
2. Of or relating to a political movement, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, devoted to securing equal opportunity and treatment for members of minority groups.


Civil Rights Act of 1964

1. A federal law that authorized federal action against segregation in public accommodations, public facilities, and employment. The law was passed during a period of great strength for the civil rights movement, and President Lyndon Johnson persuaded many reluctant members of Congress to support the law.

The original purpose of the ACLU have gotten lost somewhere since founded in 1920.


Is the ACLU good for America?

1. This site presents in a simple, nonpartisan pro-con format, responses to the core question "Is the ACLU good for America?" We have divided questions about the topic into the issues and sub-issues listed below. All individuals and organizations quoted on our site are ranked based upon our unique credibility scale. [Note: This website is independently run by ProCon.org and is not a project of the ACLU.]

PRO (YES)


The Center for Immigration Studies' (CIS) Director of Research, Steven A. Camarota, writes in his 10/23/05 article for The Arizona Republic entitled "Use Enforcement to Ease Situation" :

"That America has an illegal-immigration problem is not in question... Legalization mocks legal immigrants and will spur more illegal immigration... Legalization also does not solve most of the problems associated with illegal immigration. The poorest and least educated American workers would still face job competition from millions of legalized illegal aliens. Letting illegals stay only makes sense if you think the poor are overpaid...
Moreover, illegal aliens create significant costs for taxpayers mainly because they are unskilled, not because they are illegal. At least 60 percent lack a high school diploma. Such people pay relatively little in taxes regardless of legal status because they earn so little in the modern American economy. My research indicates that the net fiscal drain (taxes minus costs) would triple if we legalized illegals. Unskilled illegal aliens are costly, but unskilled legal immigrants cost even more because they can more easily access social programs."
(10/23/05), Center for Immigration Studies


The Federation for American Immigration Reform's (FAIR) President, Dan Stein, stated in a 10/07/04 press release:

"The ACLU and the open borders lobby have fought [immigration] common sense policy reforms for years. And even after these policy weaknesses have been exploited by terrorists with catastrophic results, these special interests are still fighting tooth and nail to preserve the loopholes in the law that make it easy for illegal aliens to enter and remain in the U.S. For them, open borders trump all other considerations, including the security of our nation. We all support reforms of our intelligence agencies, but 9/11 was much more than just a failure of intelligence.

Our immigration policies, which allowed the terrorists to enter the country in the first place, overstay their visas without consequence, acquire driver's licenses, Social Security cards and other vital identity documents, open bank accounts, rent safe houses, were as much a factor in the events of 9/11 as the failures of the CIA and the FBI. That's why the Commission's recommendations included immigration reforms. They are in the report for the ACLU and everyone else to see ....'"
(10/07/04), Federation for American Immigration Reform

Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, investigative journalists, write in their 09/20/04 special report on immigration for Time magazine entitled "Who Left the Door Open?":

"Beyond the terrorism risks, Washington's failure to control the nation's borders has a painful impact on workers at the bottom of the ladder and, increasingly, those further up the income scale. The system holds down the pay of American workers and rewards the illegals and the businesses that hire them. It breeds anger and resentment among citizens who can't understand why illegal aliens often receive government-funded health care, education benefits and subsidized housing.

In border communities, the masses of incoming illegals lay waste to the landscape and create costly burdens for agencies trying to keep public order. Moreover, the system makes a mockery of the U.S. tradition of encouraging legal immigration. Increasingly, there is little incentive to play by the rules. "
(09/20/04),Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CON (NO)

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU) states in an informational paper entitled "The Rights of Immigrants," posted on its web site accessed 05/25/05:

"Even though the Bill of Rights does not grant foreigners a right of entry into the United States, it does prohibit discrimination based on race and national origin against citizens and noncitizens alike....

U.S. borders are not 'out of control.' Of all the people who immigrate to the U.S. in a given year, combined with those who immigrated in earlier years, only a very small number are undocumented...
Moreover..., undocumented immigrants are legally excluded from virtually all government benefits, except those related to public health and safety.

'[I]mmigrants actually generate significantly more in taxes paid than they cost in services,' concluded the Urban Institute. This is because undocumented workers, despite their ineligibility for most federal benefits, frequently have Social Security and income taxes withheld from their paychecks. As a result, one commentator said, 'a senior citizen on Social Security who lives in rural Kentucky is indirectly being subsidized by an immigrant who washes dishes in a chic restaurant in Santa Monica.'"
(05/25/05), ACLU


Tamar Jacoby, Senior Fellow, manhattan Institute for Policy Research, stated in her 07/26/05 testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary:

"The native-born American work force is aging; it's shrinking. Today's young people aspire to work inside, with their minds not their muscles. And it's good news for us that there are immigrants eager to come to our country to do the unskilled work that we need done. What's more, this relatively small number of immigrant workers helps keep a much larger number of American workers employed. Many American businesses could not grow without immigrant workers. Others, including in agriculture and food processing, would find it difficult to remain in the United States...

So the problem with our immigration system isn't the immigrants. The problem is that our immigration quotas provide so few opportunities for most of them to enter the country legally... [T]here are only 5,000 visas available for unskilled foreigners seeking year-round work...

This is the heart of the current crisis. We need the labor; foreign workers want the jobs. But there are no legal channels—so inevitably people come illegally. And it is this mismatch—the mismatch between the size of the flow and our quotas—that creates most of the problems we associate with immigration."
(07/26/05), Tamar Jacoby,

This a trick question?

It's good if you're not an American, or a socialist, or communist. If you're an American, and believe in the values of America, you don't stand a chance, for they the ACLU are against you. Unless you support their agenda.

It's nothing more than another special interest group, like all the others, there are no provisions for them in the Constitution. At the Federal, and or State levels.

At one time it was a necessary entity, because of the views people here had. But like anything in that capacity, it grows to enormous proportions, and causes more harm than good, as it soon outlives it's usefulness. Like government in general, these orgaizations need to stay small, and not too wealthy, or they like an oversized sprauling octopus of a government can trample the Rights of all the people in the name of good intensions. And it must be remembered that intensions are the only things that are good. Reality always shows another side to the coin.

So, either We the People are all equal in our Rights, which would negate special interests, or we're not equal in our Rights.

The Anti-Christ Latino Union should be sued for false advertisement. There is nothing American about them!

This is the heart of the current crisis. We need the labor; foreign workers want the jobs. But there are no legal channels—so inevitably people come illegally. And it is this mismatch—the mismatch between the size of the flow and our quotas—that creates most of the problems we associate with immigration."
(07/26/05), Tamar Jacoby,

Patently false on it's face.

"There are no legal channels...." - uh-hum, then what the heck is a(n)
L1 visa, H2A visa, sometimes, H1b visa, etc. Why does USCIS even exist then (or a large segment of their official administration)?

Tamar is a liar - knowingly, or not.
No Tamar, unlike the globalists that you pander to, I believe there is no inherent right to a larger population to support private capitalist's growing profit margins. Instead, predictable and sustainable growth - or even maintenance of a flat population growth rate - is a much more beneficial (even responsible) state for the country and the rest of the world too.

Originally Posted by sippy

The Anti-Christ Latino Union should be sued for false advertisement. There is nothing American about them!

Where was the ACLU to defend the rights of the two Border Patrol Guards that are in jail for doing their jobs?
Where was the ACLU to defend Imus?
Their hypocrisy reeks.

The ACLU needs to change their name to the FCLU.....Foreign Civil Liberties Union. They do not represent Americans any more.

Originally Posted by Dagmar

Originally Posted by sippy

The Anti-Christ Latino Union should be sued for false advertisement. There is nothing American about them!

Where was the ACLU to defend the rights of the two Border Patrol Guards that are in jail for doing their jobs?
Where was the ACLU to defend Imus?
Their hypocrisy reeks.

DAG, they were busy defending the scum bag drug smuggler who got immunity (probably)

aclu = ANTI AMERICAN

I think they should change their name to: F.U.C&Liers(Foreign, Union, Communist, Liars.