If the ACLU is so terrible and un-American like many say then why is it allowed to exist?

Question

Over 600,000 people (Americans) are members.

Answer 1

Have you heard of N.A.M.B.L.A

it stands for north american man boy love association

this is who the ACLU protects

Answer 2

You have a right to hate America. Free speech.  

Answer 3

Assuming the ACLU is terrible and un-American, that doesn't provide a reason to deny their existence.  Remember we also have the KKK, and a host of other unsavory organizations...provided certain legal requirements are met, these organizations that remain within the legal framework are also allowed to exist.

I personally think the ACLU's concept of interpreting and executing law in it's "purest" form runs contrary to a democracy where the majority rules.  For instance, the ACLU can argue that religious symbols are offensive, yet an utter majority within a community will actually want to display (for example) a manger scene. Pure law is one thing, but ignoring community wishes, majority thinking, etc., flies in the face of the US version of democracy.  I wish there was far more actions like we see in California with voter propositions.  After all, that was the basis for our form of democracy with the founding fathers.

Answer 4

Money - they will pay law school debt.

The ACLU was founded by a communist. They say they do one thing while actively doing the opposite.

Answer 5

Never understood all of the hate for an organization whose SOLE PURPOSE is to uphold the tenets of the U.S. Constitution for individuals who do not have the funds to take a case as far as the Supreme Court.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg worked for ACLU for several years.

The organization uses no taxpayer money.  They support FULL freedom of speech ( hear that Minneapolis P.D.???) religious liberty outside of public spaces/ public funding....a strict separation of church and state.... they support the rights of defendants (maybe the only organization still fighting for the concept of  "innocent until proven guilty"), they oppose the death penalty because our justice system is not infallible, and support several other positions that so-called "conservatives" oppose adamantly...like the ending of the decades old and clearly failed "war on drugs" as an ineffectual boondoggle.  They maintain common sense interpretations of the U.S. Constitution.... and that has the "the Constitution should be interpreted  like we are all still living in 1782"-crowd all riled up most of the time.

The right is afraid of laws becoming gradually more liberal.... but anyone who has studied history knows that the right is simply opposing the natural progression of learning and generational transfer of power.

EDIT:  I almost forgot...they even represented the "thank God for 9/11" religious nuts who protested at soldier's funerals.  Everyone and I mean EVERYONE opposed these religious nut jobs and what they stood for.... and the ACLU (who takes an insane amount of flak from the religious right) stepped up to defend these people's right to exercise their religion as they saw fit and to exercise their free speech rights as they saw fit as well.... d**n those liberals... they even stand up for the people who hate them...

Answer 6

I used to hate the ACLU, because I used to think that it was acceptable to legislate based on personal ideas of morality.

It's NOT ok.

The ACLU protects and enforces the Constitution, and while I might not always agree on a personal level with who they protect and what they do, it is Constitutionally sound, and I'm glad they're there. I might need them to protect me one day.

Answer 7

The First Amendment grants full license to speak out, even for unsavory organizations, at least until Hate "Thought" Crime legislation silences them.

Answer 8

Even if the ACLU was terrible and un-American, that doesn't mean they don't have a right to exist.  But they're not.  In actuality, they protect the constitutional freedoms of every single American.  You can't get much more American than that. It's just that there's a segment of the population who believes freedom of speech, press and religion only apply to those whose ideas and religious beliefs are like theirs, that's why they say awful things about the ACLU.

"I personally think the ACLU's concept of interpreting and executing law in it's "purest" form runs contrary to a democracy where the majority rules. For instance, the ACLU can argue that religious symbols are offensive, yet an utter majority within a community will actually want to display (for example) a manger scene. Pure law is one thing, but ignoring community wishes, majority thinking, etc., flies in the face of the US version of democracy. I wish there was far more actions like we see in California with voter propositions. After all, that was the basis for our form of democracy with the founding fathers."

"...the ACLU's concept of interpreting and executing law in it's "purest" form" is called enforcing the Constitution.  We are not a pure democracy where majority rules without constraint. (Thank God!) We are a *constitutional republic*.  The constitutional rights of every single citizen to freedom of speech, religion, etc.  *are not subject to approval by the majority.*  The founders purposefully designed it that way, so that the majority couldn't trample the rights of a minority.  It's called "tyranny of the majority" and the Constitution was designed to protect minority rights against it.    

Answer 9

They at one time were of value. Now they are just a cartoon for political correct insanity for the most part. Shame.

But it's a free country; so exist on.