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ACLU Blog update
Say Uncle notes they're up to 700 comments, with those favorable to ACLU's position countable on one hand.
UPDATE: I'd second the suggestion that anyone looking for a place to send donations look at the NRA Civil Liberties Defense Fund. As a pre-emptive note, for folks who have complaints about NRA, remember this is a separate organization: it's governed by a small board of trustees, entirely pro-gun attorneys, and I'm told put hundreds of thousands, as in a major portion of its annual budget, into supporting the Heller case. If you click on the tabs at the top of its page you can see the type of litigation and scholarship they support.
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#753 awaiting moderation
Members and contributors to the ACLU, and I’ll bet quite a few ACLU Staffers are appalled by this stance. I suggest donors consider tax exempt contibutions to a Civil Rights Defense fund that helps average hard working people abused by overzealous bureaucrats. Staffers in the D.C. area may consider sending a resume. Here are some recent civil rights cases.
http://www.nradefensefund.org/litigation.aspx
I don't get your love affair with the NRA. They are never getting a damned cent of my money. I do not like the fact that the NRA is a de-facto republican organization, and the fact that they only take on gun causes that wont hurt their image. Maybe if they acted more like the ACLU and supported all of their constituency regardless, I could support them.
On the other hand the ACLU does do good work, and through their efforts injustices have been exposed, and countless bad laws have been taken off of the books.
So sometimes they take a bad position. I don't think that is enough to discredit them entirely as an organization.
I love my guns, and I love liberty. The ACLU is on of the only groups that I can think of that is doing good work. Even if it means a "bad guy" gets away with doing something illegal or repugnant, the letter of the law is the law, and the law should be upheld equally for all people.
Dear Pierre,
First ACLU posted me at #775
Second, lots of pro-gun people have a problem with the NRA.
I suggested people contribute to a foundation, NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund. The NRA cannot touch the money. I would appreciate your looking at the cases at the link
http://www.nradefensefund.org/litigation.aspx
and letting me know if they are worthy of consideration of support for their work. You may find that this is another group that is doing good work.
I look forward to your comments
Best regards
Jack
Pierre,
Do you have an example(s) where an anti-gun Repub was endorsed over a pro-gun Dem? I am curious to see the evidence that the NRA is a de-facto Repub organization. They are and should be a single issue organization. Do you agree that in recent history the Democrats have a much worse record than Republicans on this issue? Whether Republicans do more damage elsewhere is not for the NRA to decide. My State Senator is a Dem and has an A rating from the NRA. Not all Dems are bad on the issue; but the vast majority of politicians who are bad on the issue are Dems.
Well Jack i looked at your link and it does appear that the NRA defense fund does good work.
I just assumed it was one and the same with the NRA. It is good to know that this fund is separated from the lobbying arm of the NRA.
Nate....
I absolutely agree that democrats have done far more harm to gun rights than republicans (Not that there arent republicans that have hurt the cause). However, I think you may have made the assumption that I am a democrat!
I don't believe in parties, and neither did (most of) our founding fathers. When the press and public started lumping the politicians of the time as Federalist or Jeffersonian, Adams and many others were seriously pissed!
I hold views that would be described as both left and right. Does this make me either? Therefore my reference that the NRA is a de-facto republican organization is based on constant criticisms targeted to "the left". As far as I'm concerned you can replace the word left with democrat, as there are only 2 groups in political power, and we all know who the "right" is.
Also, now the NRA has toned down the rhetoric a bit, as there are more pro-gun democrats in office. But if you look at NRA materials from the 80's I'm sure you will find far more partisan talking points.
Pierre, the NRA is not a "de facto" Republican organization. While many NRA members are Republicans, there are still Democrats on the NRA Board of Directors. It is the Democrats' responsibility that for years they put gun control in the platform.
There are other worthy organizations who can use pro-gun AND pro-liberty donations. Institute for Justice and Cato, for instance, and Independence Institute. All 3 orgs had multiple connections to the various members of the Heller legal team.
I started giving to IJ after ACLU asked me to stop pestering them with 2nd Amendment questions a decade or so ago.
the ACLU is further evidence that politics is about money, therefore it shouldn't have a damn thing to do with the philosophy, the science nor the engineering of a government.