ACLU accomplishments

[Larrison]

Originally Posted by Slim

Each time a case is won by the ACLU, any case no matter how trivial or frivalous, against a government body, all the fees and costs are paid by the government from tax dollars to the ACLU. It's a money making business for them. Tax dollars help to fund the ACLU.

I'll confirm that -- I went and looked up to see some of the curernt results of the San Diego ACLU/ Boy Scouts case, and since the ACLU position had been upheld in the first round of challenges, the ACLU was awarded over $900,000 in payments for their case. ($790,000 in legal fees plus $160,000 in court costs).

This is under the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act, which was originally set up to make sure civil rights attorneys would be paid, even if the people they were defending for could not pay them. The ACLU and others have extended this to all first amendment rights.

[Larrison]

Originally Posted by Gav

Sorry, I am a bit lost. What is wrong with the guy wearing a skirt?

What this appears to be was a protest over differing dress codes for boys and girls. Boys were prohibited from wearing short pants, whereas girls were not prohibited from wearing short skits. So this guy decided he'd wear a skirt to protest the "no shorts for boys" rule...

There was another similar case where a boy attending his Senior Prom at High School came dressed in full Scottish regalia -- Prince Charlie Jacket, Kilt, Sporran and everything. He was thrown out of the prom for "gender innapropriate outfit", and sued the school adminstration for ethnic discrimination. Don't remember what happened with that...

[Philistine]

Originally Posted by Larrison

{snip}
There was another similar case where a boy attending his Senior Prom at High School came dressed in full Scottish regalia -- Prince Charlie Jacket, Kilt, Sporran and everything. He was thrown out of the prom for "gender innapropriate outfit", and sued the school adminstration for ethnic discrimination. Don't remember what happened with that...

It doesn't look like he sued.

The school apologized.

Story

--Philistine

[Larrison]

Originally Posted by Philistine

It doesn't look like he sued.

The school apologized.

Story

--Philistine

I think I was actually recalling this this story..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/internatio...html?gusrc=rss

[Epee_Pox]

Too funny.

Turn on your sound.

http://www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

[D.O.A.R.]

Originally Posted by Epee_Pox

Too funny.

Turn on your sound.

http://www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

Having watched this, what list have we been added to?

[Reepicheap]

Originally Posted by YankeeRebel

It is interesting that so many people loathe an organization whose sole purpose is a zealous defense of the Bill of Rights.

Except that that is not their purpose anymore. The ACLU frequently argues AGAINST 2nd amendment rights, and is breathtakingly partisan.

[Philistine]

Originally Posted by Reepicheap

{snip}The ACLU frequently argues AGAINST 2nd amendment rights,

While I think it's fair to say the ACLU frequently ignores 2nd Amendment rights--I've never heard of a case where they have been involved in a case opposed to them.

and is breathtakingly partisan.

Partisan in what sense?

--Philistine

[Maeve_Mari]

Here's a good one:

Two lawsuits were filed Tuesday against the National Security Agency over its no-warrant wiretapping program, claiming the domestic eavesdropping is unconstitutional and that President Bush exceeded his authority by authorizing it.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/17/aclu.nsa/

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of several journalists, authors, scholars and organizations.

Separately, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed suit in the Southern District of New York on behalf of "clients who fit the criteria described by the attorney general for targeting" under the program.