ACLU - darn conservative organization at it again

[jonks]

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2011/feb/25/aclu-virginia-defends-floyd-co-high-school-christi-ar-867856/

That's right, those social conservative tyrant ACLU jerkoffs are once again stirring the pot by having the temerity to defend religious propaganda in schools. When will these people just stop?

In an e-mail sent Friday afternoon, the civil liberties group said it had e-mailed the principal of Floyd Co. High School (FHS), and urged him to allow students to post their personal views, including copies of the Ten Commandments, on the lockers.

The e-mail comes one day after WSLS first reported that members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at FHS claims school leaders took down the copies of the Ten Commandments on their lockers.

"Schools have the authority to ban all displays on school property," said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis, in a news release. "But if a school allows students to post some kinds of personal messages on their lockers, it must also allow other kinds of messages, including those that have religious content The removal of the Ten Commandments from student lockers at Floyd County High School appears to violate the First Amendment rights of students by discriminating against religious expression," added Willis in the release.

 

[Jaskalas]

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2011/feb/25/aclu-virginia-defends-floyd-co-high-school-christi-ar-867856/

That's right, those social conservative tyrant ACLU jerkoffs are once again stirring the pot by having the temerity to defend religious propaganda in schools. When will these people just stop?

I find myself mixed on the ACLU. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I do not. It means they must be doing something right.

 

[thraashman]

Sounds like they're properly upholding First Amendment rights. Go ACLU. The state can't take a stance on religion, but the students are perfectly legally allowed to voice their views in the same public forums anyone else is allowed to voice their views.

 

[PokerGuy]

A rare instance where the ACLU is in the right. If they're going to allow people to put things (messages) on lockers, then it's discriminatory to exclude religious text and allow all other text.

 

[werepossum]

I find myself mixed on the ACLU. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I do not. It means they must be doing something right.

Agreed. I fundamentally distrust them while accepting that they are not the devil I tend to see when I look in their direction, so I'm always glad to see something they do with which I can agree.

 

[CPA]

Sounds like they're properly upholding First Amendment rights. Go ACLU. The state can't take a stance on religion, but the students are perfectly legally allowed to voice their views in the same public forums anyone else is allowed to voice their views.

The problem is that the ACLU are the ones that muddied this whole thing up to begin with. You can, you can't, you can, you can't. No wonder why the schools don't know what's allowable and what's not.

 

[thegimp03]

So OP is against First Amendment rights?

 

[Phokus]

A rare instance where the ACLU is in the right. If they're going to allow people to put things (messages) on lockers, then it's discriminatory to exclude religious text and allow all other text.

They defended Jerry Falwell, the KKK, those westboro baptist church fucks and other shitty rightwing individuals/organizations. They're pretty even handed in who they'll defend.

Edit: I think they might've went to bat for Rush Limbaugh as well. I remember he was bragging about it.

 

[Phokus]

The problem is that the ACLU are the ones that muddied this whole thing up to begin with. You can, you can't, you can, you can't. No wonder why the schools don't know what's allowable and what's not.

I think the issue is whether school officials (who are basically government workers) display religious symbols/text vs. whether the individual student does.

 

[crashtestdummy]

I find myself mixed on the ACLU. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I do not. It means they must be doing something right.

That's the whole point of the ACLU. They are there to take unpopular positions, often because no one else is.

I don't like the Westboro Baptist Church, and if their God suddenly caused them all to spontaneously burst into flames, I'd be ok with that. That said, I'm glad someone defends their right to protest so that if I have have an opinion that is equally unpopular, but I'm convinced I am right, I am able to express it freely.

 

[wuliheron]

Free speech isn't free. It's paid for with sweat and blood and especially money. The kids should have to pay for the right to express themselves in school. To suggest anything else is unamerican!

 

[Kadarin]

As long as the religious messages are not sanctioned by the school, it should be ok IMO. This means that if someone wants to post Pagan stuff, that should be fine as well.

 

[JSt0rm]

This means that if someone wants to post Pagan stuff, that should be fine as well.

No you have gone too far. This is America. We worship the baby jesus and shit anything else is not american and should not be tolerated.

 

[Acanthus]

No you have gone too far. This is America. We worship the baby jesus and shit anything else is not american and should not be tolerated.

The baby jesus fought along side George Washington in WWII, so i heard.

 

[Vette73]

The problem is that the ACLU are the ones that muddied this whole thing up to begin with. You can, you can't, you can, you can't. No wonder why the schools don't know what's allowable and what's not.

No they did not. Its very simple the school, Gov, and Admins can not push any religion.

The only ones that make it hard are right wingers who want to push THEIR beliefs and get their panties in a twist when they can't.

 

[JSt0rm]

The baby jesus fought along side George Washington in WWII, so i heard.

It was really the great American McDonald and his trailers of hamburgers that allowed baby jeebus and Washington to fight in wwII

 

[wuliheron]

I don't care how cute he is or who he's related to, Baby Jebus will just have to pay for his right to advertise along with everyone else.

 

[sMiLeYz]

The ACLU like, ACORN was never the boogeyman conservatives made them out to be.

 

[JSt0rm]

The ACLU like, ACORN was never the boogeyman conservatives made them out to be.

You Lie!

Intelligent Design is the reason we made the atom bomb. Without that level of understanding our scientists would of never figured out how to kill millions of people. Viva la fancy

 

[jonks]

The problem is that the ACLU are the ones that muddied this whole thing up to begin with. You can, you can't, you can, you can't. No wonder why the schools don't know what's allowable and what's not.

I think it's pretty clear to most people what the ACLU's position is in any given case, it's on the side of the 1st amendment. Whether a group agrees or disagrees with their efforts in an individual case has more to do with which 1st amendment clause is at issue in the case.

I have little doubt conservative groups will stand side-by-side with the ACLU on this particular case since the potential plantiffs are those wishing to employ their rights as described in the free exercise clause of the 1st amend. However, the other half of the religion-related 1st amendment clause, the so-called establishment clause, is frequently applied to prevent what is perceived as govt endorsement of religion, and ordering a federal judge to remove a statue of the ten commandments he placed in his courthouse is a surefire way to raise the ire of christian conservative groups. This, despite the holy hell these same groups would raise if a muslim judge had the audacity to put a statue of mohammad reciting the koran in his courthouse. They would object to this claiming judeo christian law is fundamental to our legal system and therefore cannot offend the first amendment, thus displaying their complete ignorance of the first amendment.

Unlike interest groups, the ACLU doesn't flip back and forth on its interpretation of the first amendment based on who the plaintiff is.

 

[IGBT]

good. they should go after eco-theism dirt rollers next.

 

[extra]

Unlike interest groups, the ACLU doesn't flip back and forth on its interpretation of the first amendment based on who the plaintiff is.

This. Many of the times I hate who they are defending, but I'm still glad they are doing so.

 

[feralkid]

The baby jesus fought along side George Washington in WWII, so i heard.

Kicked ass in Normandy after the Etruscans bombed Pearl Hindenburg.

 

[feralkid]

good. they should go after eco-theism dirt rollers next.

They defend, not prosecute.

 

[Thump553]

The ACLU vigorously defends our Constitutional rights, and nearly all of the lawyers involved there do so on a voluntary basis. Frequently the cases they take on are distasteful and repugnant to the general public, so they frequently actually damage those attorneys ability to make money in their profession.

By my standards the ACLU is a sterling example of a conservative group-or at least what a conservative group should be. But then again, the liberal-conservative label is pretty much nonsense anyway.