Cross-Posted from Stop the ACLU
We have two recent press releases from the ACLU.
1. Gut National Security! We all know about the ACLU's lawsuit against NSA, its FOIA request over it, and its constant urging of Congress for full disclosure of what should be classified information.
The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the House Judiciary Committee to adopt several resolutions that would formally request any and all documents relating to the illegal National Security Agency domestic spying program authorized by President Bush.
“The need for a comprehensive investigation into the NSA’s domestic surveillance is essential to find out exactly which laws were broken,” said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “
Notice that while they use the word "illegal", and insist that laws were broken, they don't even know exactly what laws were broken. WTF? I thought that in America that everyone was considered innocent until proven guilty, but all of the sudden per ACLU the government is guilty until proven innocent. The way the program is was explained, according to all lawyers that worked in this field, it is completely legal because it falls under the powers of the Executive branch. The President's job is to protect the Nation, wage war when appropriate, and in this case approve by Congress when they said, "use any appropriate force necessary." It is also the Executive branch's authority to collect international intelligence, and the president does not need Congress' approval. This comes under the "seperation of powers", despite the fact that Congress does not like this. This is a never ending battle between the Congress and the Executive branch. Congress thinks that everything has to be run past it. When Congress says that it is the Executive branch that is trying to grab power....think....it is Congress that is actually the one trying to grab power for themselves.
If this were the only government effort to protect Americans that the ACLU opposed, one could easily write it off as a misguided pursuit of an absolutist ideaology of liberty. However, the ACLU seems to have a problem with everything dealing with National Security. They oppose the Patritot Act, airline security measures, searches across the board, and much more.
But lets get down to the real agenda.
To the ACLU, CIA means "Controlling the Intelligence Agencies." That's the title they gave to Policy #117. But even that is an understatement of what this particular policy calls for. "Completely undermining the Intelligence Agencies" would be a more appropriate title. It starts out badly and then gets worse.
"Control of our government's intelligence agencies demands an end to tolerance of "national security" as grounds for the slightest departure from the constitutional boundaries which limit government conduct in other areas."
Of course, its been obvious for nearly 70 years that protecting America's national security is certainly not something the ACLU favors.
Here are some of the specific controls called for in Policy #117:
Limit the CIA, under the new name of the Foreign Intelligence Agency, to collecting and evaluatiing foreign intelligence information. Abolish all covert operations.
Limit the FBI to criminal investigations by elimimnating all COINTEL-PRO-type activity and all foreign and domestic intelligence investigations of groups or individuals unrelated to a specific criminal offense.
Prohibit entirely wiretaps, tapping of telecommunications and burglaries.
Restrict mail openings, mail covers, inspection of bank records, and inspection of telephone records by requiring a warrant issued on probable cause to believe a crime has been committed.
Prohibit all domestic intelligence and political information-gathering. Only investigations of crimes which have been, are being, or are about to be committed may be conducted.
Two former members of the ACLU, Richard and Susan Vigilante, conducted a thorough analysis of the ACLU spelled out by the Union's Center for National Security Studies.
They wrote:
The ACLU opposes, and has fought in either Congress or the courts, virtually all "covert action," most "clandestine intelligence" gathering (i.e. spying), and in one case aid to an important U.S. ally with a poor human rights record. The net effect of these efforts has been to hinder U.S. opposition to Communist expansion. The ACLU may, at some point, have undertaken some major initiative that advanced U.S. interests and hindered Communist expansion, but our research never turned one up and no ACLU leader ever mentioned one to us.
In other words, strip the intelligence agencies useless.
2. Enrage America's enemies. Anything that enrages America's enemies, the ACLU wants on the front pages of all the MSM's newspapers.
In response to newly released images of abuse at Abu Ghraib, the American Civil Liberties Union today renewed its call for an independent investigation into widespread and systemic abuse in U.S. detention centers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay.
Despite the fact that this is old news recylcled, the ACLU have pushed for more fuel to the hate America crowd's fire. I say, let's release the photos, so that those who rioted over simple 4 month old cartoons can completely destroy themselves. Either the ACLU has no concern over anti-American consequences to further release of an incident that took place over a year ago, or they are seeking anti-American rage to increase. Their position on this is at best irresponsible, and at worse prodding an already raging bull.
The ACLU has sued the Department of Defense for withholding photographs and videos depicting abuse at Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities. In September, a federal judge in New York ruled that the government must turn over the Abu Ghraib images, as well as other visual evidence of abuse, noting "the freedoms that we champion are as important to our success in Iraq and Afghanistan as the guns and missiles with which our troops are armed." The decision is currently on appeal by the government. The ACLU said it does not know whether the new photos aired by the Australian "Dateline" program are the same photos being withheld by the government.
Investigations and punishment for these abuses are something we definitely agree with the ACLU on. However, the release of more gruesome photos to the public, running on front pages of magazines and newspapers does not serve any good, other than to further the hate of our enemies. More than 25 people of both enlisted and commissioned rank were held accountable for criminal acts and other misconduct associated with prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. Several pictures appear to show U.S. soldier Charles Graner, who was jailed for 10 years for his leading role in the Abu Ghraib abuse. Many of these photos are even suspect of being hoaxes.
The Abu Ghraib abuses were discovered by U.S. troops and were being investigated before any of the photos were leaked to the press. None of this matters to the media and ACLU. Congress members have already seen the additional photos, and investigations and prosecutions have been launched. There is nothing positive about releasing these photos to the public, and no productive purpose other than fanning the flames of hate.
While there is major hypocrisy in the MSM response to the Abu Ghraib photos in comparison to the Danish cartoons, both are protected freedoms. While many called for solidarity with the Danish over freedom of expression, this was in response to the savage reactions of riots, and embassy burnings from Muslims. The release of more photos from Abu Ghraib to the general public serves no such purpose. They reveal nothing new or informative that we have not already seen. They have no significance other than anti-American propaganda purposes.
3. Defend America's enemies.
The list is endless on this one. They have defended traitors funding Hamas, the PLO, and confessed Al-Qaeda operatives.
They have refused contributions from some of their most loyal donors because of anti-terrorism specifics.
The ACLU, in every position it takes in National Security issues, proves time and again to be against American interests. When you combine all of these things, is there any wonder why so many Americans question who's side the ACLU is on?
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