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The ACLU

October 15, 2005 by Jack Steiner

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The ACLU is an organization whose existence seems to polarize people, you either love them or hate them. The middle ground is few and far between, which really is too bad because when you reach a point where life is black and white there are problems.

I am not a fan of every ACLU initiative, but I think that they serve a meaningful role and that there is a place and purpose for them. Society needs people to questions the leadership, to poke, prod and pick at the system and in general serve as another check/balance.

There is a group that feels very differently about the ACLU. They currently have a post up about an action that the ACLU has taken against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Tampa, Florida — If you’ve been to a Bucs game this season, you’ve seen and felt a difference — you get patted down before entering the stadium.

But on Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union and a Bucs season ticket holder are taking the owners of Raymond James Stadium to court.

Gordon Johnston, a Bucs season ticket holder calls the searches a violation of his Constitutional rights. He also says the searches are ineffective, since they are only from the waist up.

Johnston and the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Tampa Sports Authority. Johnston says he still will probably attend this weekend’s game at the Ray Jay.

Meantime, the Sports Authority plans on continuing the searches, and points out they are mandated by the NFL.”

I can understand and appreciate the concern here over the searches. We are at a point in time in which we have to make some decisions about civil liberties relative to actions taken for the public safety. But at the same time we need to temper our reactions on all sides and not just react.

The ACLU points out the following regarding the lawsuit:

“The ACLU said that long-established constitutional principles hold that individuals retain the right to move about on public streets and thoroughfares freely and without police intrusions and that, as a general matter, police officers may not search individuals on sidewalks and thoroughfares in the absence of individualized suspicion.”

I am always concerned about precedents. Once you slide down the rabbit hole it is hard to know where you will end up. Good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes.

Above and beyond that I spent a few minutes looking at some of the other issues this anti-ACLU group has taken and noticed that there are very few positions that I can agree with. I’ll have to blog later about their position on what they call the secularization of America. So sad to see that they are upset because some people want to follow the guidance and direction of the Constitution.

Tags: Organizations, News and politics

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