Comment by echelon
4 years ago
The ACLU is supposed to defend free speech. Period. Even if we hate it.
Now they pick and choose, and that's not right.
Do I like people with hatred towards their fellow humans? Absolutely not. But I don't think we should muzzle them. One day, that'll come back and bite the rest of us.
Likewise, the EFF needs to focus on the incredibly important missions of keeping software accessible and our privacy paramount. They're getting distracted too.
edit: mistakenly mentioned FSF instead of EFF. I'm clear about the distinction, it was just a mistake. Thanks for pointing it out, mig39.
What do you mean by pick and chose? ACLU always has to pick their cases.. they cannot afford to be the nations lawyers nor should they be.
They are explicitly picking and choosing which speech they believe should be free - and it's not just selecting cases, but actively militating against some speech.
EDIT: Not just speech, but also other basic rights they have stood for, such as legal representation and rights of the accused.
Can you please point to these cases?
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He means that, in 2021, they are coming out against free speech in multiple instances.
This article[1] being a standard talking point. I have been an ACLU member for years, but I do find their current direction to be somewhat worrying.
1: https://archive.md/tL7Rj
Several people have stated this but none have provided an example. Could you be so kind?
For a good recap, watch JRE #1595 with Ira Glasser.
Is there a text source available? I'm not interested in getting this kind of information from a video, even if it weren't a polarizing source.
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While they may now be more often on one side of the political divide, they have not completely stopped defending freedom of speech regardless of political message: https://lawandcrime.com/first-amendment/aclu-backs-n-j-woman...
Of course, this is just one case. But it at least shows they're not opposed to defending those they may otherwise disagree with.
Are you confusing the EFF and FSF?
Obligatory The Onion link: https://www.theonion.com/aclu-defends-nazis-right-to-burn-do...
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Don't be silly.
It really hasn't been that long since the red scare, where people made comments just like yours, but warning about the dangers of those dirty pinkos towards god-fearing, decent Americans. The first amendment protects us from authoritarians of any political stripe.
Can you clarify how changing who they are willing to defend is not a change in values?