I love/hate the ACLU

[StanUpshaw]

I don't know of any other organization where one minute I want to give them all my money and carve their initials into my chest; and the next minute I want to mail them a box of my poo.

Basically it comes down to the distinction between negative liberties and positive liberties.

The former is a time-tested philosophy of political, ethical and intellectual merit:
The negative concept of freedom ... is most commonly assumed in liberal defences of the constitutional liberties typical of liberal-democratic societies, such as freedom of movement, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, and in arguments against paternalist or moralist state intervention.

The latter is a magical concept...basically The Secret, but somewhat less coherent:
Charles Taylor explains that Negative Freedom is an "opportunity-concept": one possesses Negative Freedom if one is not enslaved by external forces, and has equal access to a society's resources (regardless of how one decides to spend their time). Positive Freedom, says Taylor, is an "exercise-concept": possessing it might mean that one is not internally constrained; one must be able to act according to their highest self - according to reason. Suppose a rich and powerful actor is also a drug addict. This actor may possess a great deal of Negative Liberty, but very little Positive Liberty according to Taylor. Recall that, by Taylor's definitions, Positive Freedom entails being in a mature state of decision making, free of internal restraints (e.g. weakness, fear, ignorance, etc).


The ACLU is stalwart in their protection of negative liberties, and for that I love them. For example:
ACLU digs into mobile location privacy with huge police records request (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/08/aclu-digs-into-mobile-location-privacy-with-huge-police-records-request.html)
http://i.imgur.com/wsniA.jpg :clap: Yay! Good ACLU!!!!



On the other hand, they go and do retarded shit like this:
Leveling field for limbless cheerleader (http://www.omaha.com/article/20110809/LIVEWELL03/708099912/1161)
http://i.imgur.com/O0Ayw.jpg :wallbash: Booo! Fuck your face.

[keithy_19]

On the other hand, they go and do retarded shit like this:
Leveling field for limbless cheerleader (http://www.omaha.com/article/20110809/LIVEWELL03/708099912/1161)
http://i.imgur.com/O0Ayw.jpg :wallbash: Booo! Fuck your face.

Well, she's limbless...

[StanUpshaw]

http://i.imgur.com/wsniA.jpg :clap:

In Chicago!

Woman who recorded cops acquitted of felony eavesdropping charges
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-25/news/ct-met-eavesdropping-trial-0825-20110825_1_eavesdropping-law-police-officers-law-enforcement

Tiawanda Moore quietly flipped on the recorder on her BlackBerry as she believed that two Chicago police internal affairs investigators were trying to talk her into dropping her sexual harassment complaint against a patrol officer.

But Moore was the one who ended up in trouble — criminally charged with violating an obscure state eavesdropping law that makes audio recording of police officers without their consent a felony offense.

On Wednesday, though, a Criminal Court jury quickly repudiated the prosecution's case, taking less than an hour to acquit Moore on both eavesdropping counts.


And Boston!

Court says state law used to ban recording of police officers in public is unconstitutional
http://www.universalhub.com/2011/court-says-state-law-banning-recording-police-offi

A Boston lawyer suing the city and police officers who arrested him for using his cell phone to record a drug arrest on the Common won a victory today when a federal appeals court said the officers could not claim "qualified immunity" because they were performing their job when they arrested him under a state law that bars audio recordings without the consent of both parties.

In its ruling, which lets Simon Glik continue his lawsuit, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston said the way Glik was arrested and his phone seized under a state wiretapping law violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights

[StanUpshaw]

http://i.imgur.com/wsniA.jpg :clap:

An Alabama town is offering low level crimals a choice - Jesus or jail (http://blog.al.com/live/2011/09/bay_minette_alternative_senten.html)

BAY MINETTE, Alabama — A new alternative sentencing program offering first-time, nonviolent offenders a choice of a year of church attendance or jail time and fines is drawing fire from the American Civil Liberties Union as well as national attention, officials said Friday.

"This policy is blatantly unconstitutional," said Olivia Turner, executive director for the ACLU of Alabama. "It violates one basic tenet of the Constitution, namely that government can’t force participation in religious activity."

But the local police chief who is heading up the program starting Tuesday called "Restore Our Community" says no one is being forced to participate.

"Operation ROC resulted from meetings with church leaders," Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland said. "It was agreed by all the pastors that at the core of the crime problem was the erosion of family values and morals. We have children raising children and parents not instilling values in young people."

Rowland said the idea was simple: get people who are not yet hardened criminals to become involved in positive programs — hundreds of free resources offered by some 104 churches in the region with 56 agreeing to help monitor first-time, nonviolent offenders. Under the program, pastors would report weekly to the chief and offenders in the program would bring a signed sheet to prove they attended church.

They would also have to answer some questions about the services, Rowland said. And the offenders who voluntarily choose church over jail get to pick the churches they attend. If they complete a year’s attendance, Rowland said, their criminal case would be dismissed.

Rowland said the goal is to produce "productive citizens."

Some critics say the program definitely crosses the line between church and state, with some minority religious groups shut out of participation because few mosques or synagogues exist in the area. And atheists would have no option, Rowland said, but to pick another alternative sentencing program.

Rowland said the Bay Minette ROC project is the only one of its kind in the country, but online searches show others have been tried. A similar program in London, Ky., drew headlines in 2004, and before that a judge in Lake Charles, La., was eventually suspended for ethics violations stemming from sentencing defendants to church, according to a Louisiana Supreme Court ruling in 1994.

"The biggest question or complaint we have had is about separation of church and state," Rowland said. "Those issues won’t come to the forefront because the offenders are not being forced to attend church, and what religion they choose is really up to them. We even have provisions for people who are from out of town to choose a place to worship in their own communities."

Rowland said he was doubtful, however, that an atheist would choose to participate in the ROC program, but would be able to choose community service or other options.

The ACLU is "considering options for response," Turner said.

"There isn’t a real choice here," she said. "This policy completely entangles government with religion, and is an abuse of power because it coerces people into religious exercise."

[sailor]

I wonder if they'd be ok with it if secular alternatives were allowed.

[Judge Smails]

I wonder if they'd be ok with it if secular alternatives were allowed.

.Rowland said he was doubtful, however, that an atheist would choose to participate in the ROC program, but would be able to choose community service or other options.

[KnoxHarrington]

Because we all know if you go to church you're a good person. No one who goes to church regularly ever commits crime, and definitely isn't a scumbag of any sort, and has totally upstanding morals. Like this guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Rader)...

http://www.altereddimensions.net/images/crime/BTKDennisRader.jpg

...who was the President of his church's congregation, and never missed a Sunday.

[sailor]

.

Yeah, was just thinking of the similarities to community service.

[Earlshog]

Because we all know if you go to church you're a good person. No one who goes to church regularly ever commits crime, and definitely isn't a scumbag of any sort, and has totally upstanding morals. Like this guy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Rader)...

http://www.altereddimensions.net/images/crime/BTKDennisRader.jpg

...who was the President of his church's congregation, and never missed a Sunday.


"He is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences at El Dorado Correctional Facility, with an earliest possible release date of February 26, 2180."


Liberal judges! Gonna let this sicko out when he is 236 to kill again...