We Need the ACLU Because we Can't Defend Ourselves

On the eve of the second inauguration of W., I received a call from the American Civil Liberties Union asking for a donation - yes the infamous and oft-reviled ACLU, of which I have been a card-carrying member since 1996. The reason I am a member, which I get the chance to explain whenever anyone learns of my membership is simple: like them or hate them, and there are many of the ACLU's positions I do not agree with, the mission of the ACLU is one that I believe all Americans agree with to some degree or another:

to preserve the protections and guarantees of our First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state; our rights to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin; our rights to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake; and our rights to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.

I have on my desk a copy of the Bill of Rights. It awes me. Until I had to study it for a professional license last year, I really hadn't thought about it much in years. I wish everyone would take the time to study and ponder it. I wish I had earlier.

In recent years, and with good reason - in defense of terrorism and to ensure our "domestic tranquility", one of the primary purposes of the Constitution - we have allowed various governmental agencies to infringe somewhat on our First and Fourth Amendment protections. It's really a balancing act, the fulcrum of which shifts from time to time to meet the existing situations. It may be reasonable in times of national emergencies to allow less personal freedom, but the critical issue is just how much is enough or appropriate.