Book Review by Chris Banescu
In The ACLU vs. America, authors Alan Sears and Craig Osten argue that despite its carefully cultivated image as a defender of individual “rights” and advocate for “the people,” the American Civil Liberties Union stands for intellectual elitism, hypocrisy, and a blatant disregard for democratic processes. The ACLU, write Sears and Osten, wants “one set of rules for itself” and the ability to dictate “other rules for everyone else.” These malevolent and destructive traits are not a new development in the history of the ACLU, but represent the dominant characteristics of its members. The book focuses on key cases and positions the ACLU has supported and promoted in order to drastically affect the American cultural landscape and impose the extreme views of its members on the rest of the country.
One of the great myths about the ACLU is that it “started out as a good, pro-America, pro-liberty organization that somehow got off the track.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. From its very foundation the mission of the ACLU was well defined by its founder, Roger Baldwin:
“I am for socialism, disarmament, and ultimately for abolishing the state itself as an instrument of violence and compulsion. I seek social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class… Communism is the goal.”
The ACLU vs. America book reveals countless instances where the ACLU has taken contradictory positions concerning fundamental rights and liberties. The common thread that emerges from these situations is a brazen hypocrisy and erratic twisting of legal standards in order to reshape American social structure to fit the militant, perverted, and atheistic philosophy of its radical members. Note Sears and Osten, the ACLU seeks a secularized America “with little or no public vestige left of religious faith and the traditional family.”
The ACLU uses its huge war chest … to wage an unrelenting war against any public expression of religious faith but in particular Christianity and Orthodox Judaism
On one hand, the ACLU vigorously defends the constitutional rights of child pornography distributors, despite the fact that the recorded acts represent serious, heinous, and vicious crimes against innocent children. Sears and Osten document the ACLU’s reasoning: “all such material, once created, is fully protected by the First Amendment. … No government should be allowed to limit the distribution of child pornography between ‘consenting adults.'” Worse still, the ACLU also supports the rights of perverse organizations like the North American Man/Boy Love Association to post “web pages that provide advice on how to seduce and rape young boys.” For those unfamiliar with this group, NAMBLA is known to teach “their members how to rape children and get away with it. They distribute child pornography and trade live children among members with the purpose of having sex with them.”
On the other hand, the same ACLU then uses “its huge war chest … to wage an unrelenting war against any public expression of religious faith but in particular Christianity and Orthodox Judaism.” It has the audacity to sue public officials to force them to remove Nativity scenes and Christmas trees from most public areas, remove crosses and plaques quoting Bible passages from national parks, censor any mention of God in any public discourse, and strong-arm school administrators with misleading and threatening letters demanding the censorship of Christmas carols from school activities and the word Christ from any student speeches. Remember, communism is the stated “goal.”
While its founder stated that the ACLU is a “private organization” that is “like a church” in which “you don’t take nonbelievers,” such privileges are not afforded to other organizations that dare to honor God and uphold traditional Judeo-Christian values, like the Boy Scouts of America. The ACLU has undertaken a relentless legal war against the Boy Scouts for daring to “not allow those who openly practice homosexual behavior to be Scoutmasters for teenage boys” and promoting a family friendly and God-honoring and respecting environment.
Under the guise of diversity and tolerance, the ACLU has been advancing a comprehensive process of indoctrinating and brainwashing school-aged children into accepting and embracing the homosexual agenda.
Under the guise of diversity and tolerance, the ACLU has been advancing a comprehensive process of indoctrinating and brainwashing school-aged children into accepting and embracing the homosexual agenda. While claiming that the Constitution “does not mention the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children,” the ACLU has blatantly ignored and overridden parental rights to direct and control the education and upbringing of their children. In California, the ACLU boldly undermined parental authority by requiring mandatory attendance of school children in “tolerance-building and diversity education programs” rife with homosexual propaganda and misinformation.
As Sears and Osten note, the ACLU “positions itself as the great defender of rights, [but] is against the right of parents not to allow their children to participate in assemblies and curricula that actively undermine and ridicule their religious beliefs.” Such violations of individual rights are perfectly acceptable according to ACLU’s twisted logic and hypocritical stance. As such, the traditional American values of faith, family, and morality are labeled by the ACLU as “extreme,” while the extreme positions and organizations it embraces are labeled as “tolerant” and “diverse.”
Finally, the ACLU’s “long history of advancing unrestricted access to abortion, right up to the moment of live birth,” its vigorous and uncompromising defense of partial-birth abortion with no limitations, and its latest enthusiastic embrace of euthanasia represent some of the most illogical, dangerous and deadly positions the organization has taken.
The ACLU’s strategy is simple: “challenge every statute restricting reproductive freedom,” attack all legislation that tries to restrict partial-birth abortions by trotting out the bogus “health of the mother” argument, and search out sympathetic judges to help bypass the will of the voters and strike down any regulations that attempt to limit this barbaric and murderous practice. And don’t forget to label anyone that dares to disagree as a “right-wing, religious fanatic.”
The ACLU supports a nation that sees all values as relative, with no moral absolutes.
Clearly, the ACLU has not learned from history. Its position on human life, write Alan Sears and Craig Osten, “is dangerous to all individuals, no matter what stage in life.” It has even prompted former ACLU members like Eleanor Smith, “who is confined to a wheelchair because of childhood polio,” to boldly state: “At this point I would rather have a right-wing Christian decide my fate than an ACLU member.”
The most dangerous and ominous aspects of the ACLU’s strategies, write Sears and Osten, is their support in creating a “nation that sees all values as relative, with no moral absolutes.” To achieve those ends this institution will say and do anything (often taking the exact opposite position on issues) in order to re-shape American society into its own vision. Patently offensive and discriminatory practices that violate the religious liberties and free speech right of individuals are tolerated, while the extreme and dangerous beliefs of a tiny minority are fully defended and promoted.
Sears and Osten correctly remind us of what we have already witnessed as a result of ACLU’s malice and prejudice: “Public school officials are afraid to say, “Merry Christmas,”… for fear of an ACLU lawsuit. Many people are afraid to talk openly and publicly about their sincerely held religious beliefs in their workplaces because of fear of legal action against them.” That sounds more like communism than democracy.
Luckily, there is hope and some much needed light at the end of this dark tunnel. The Alliance Defense Fund, an organization headed by Alan Sears, is dedicated to the “defense of religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and traditional values.” The ADF has been able to effectively challenge the ACLU and in many instances reverse the damage done by its radical and unconstitutional agenda. The ADF is committed and ready to help educate “pastors, along with school and public officials, on the legal misinformation spread by the ACLU and provide them with solid legal resources to stand up to the ACLU’s intimidation tactics.”
Thank goodness the good guys finally have an advocate.
