Free Republic

In a drastically dishonest piece prominently featured on their Facebook page, the ACLU is campaigning to have the West Springfield police stripped of their grenade launchers, which are strictly used for tear gas and smoke grenades. Their post, however, does not mention that mention that such things could be used, and heavily implies that the police plan to shoot civilians with grenades. Further, the ad features a picture of two XM25 Grenade Launchers, which the police do not actually have. Instead, the police have M79s. The picture leadingly asks, despite the answer being obvious: "West Springfield police have two grenade...

WASHINGTON -- The World War II Memorial in Washington may soon have a new prayer inscription added, disappointing secularists and rights groups who had opposed the measure based on opposition to religion displayed in public spaces. President Barack Obama signed a law Monday calling for the fountain memorial to display the text of a national prayer given by Franklin D. Roosevelt during the D-Day invasion of Europe in 1944, which unleashed fierce fighting and eventually led to the end of the war. "With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the...

From a news release: Indianapolis - The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of a woman who was pulled over and interrogated after her bumper sticker caught the attention of Indianapolis police officers, violating her First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights. On June 17, Pamela Konchinsky of Indianapolis was turning into the Merchants Garage on South Meridian Street in her silver Toyota minivan when two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers entered the garage immediately behind her. One of the officers told Konchinsky that she was being detained because of a bumper sticker taped to the...

The American Civil Liberties Union has released the results of its year-long study of police militarization. {SNIP}But we’ve already seen cases in which the mere factor that the resident of a home was a legal gun owner — in some cases by virtue of the fact that the owner had obtained some sort of state license — was used as an excuse to execute a full-on SWAT raid to serve a warrant for an otherwise nonviolent crime. Of the SWAT raids the ACLU studied in which police cited the possibility of finding a weapon in the home, they actually found...

Lt. Jerry Bledsoe as shown on video Second Amendment supporters continue to use the First Amendment to support their rights.   It was only a few weeks ago that a New York Times blogger, Patrick Blanchfield, linked to Gun Watch to bolster his compelling case that open carry of firearms is protected political speech under the First Amendment.  Here is a case where the ACLU in Missouri has obtained a settlement against a police officer and department for suppressing First Amendment rights that were used to support Second Amendment rights.  From the ACLU in MO: CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO—Police Officer Jerry...

A federal judge struck down Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriage on Friday, ruling it unconstitutional. It wasn’t clear whether U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb's 88-page ruling cleared the way for same-sex marriages to begin immediately. But the ruling makes Wisconsin the 27th state where same-sex couples can marry under law or where a judge has ruled they ought to be allowed to wed. […] The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in February on behalf of four gay couples, then later expanded to eight, challenging Wisconsin’s constitutional ban on gay marriage. Messages left with ACLU’s attorneys were not immediately...

A Southwest Virginia public school has violated the First Amendment according to the American Civil Liberties Union. On May 22nd the A.C.L.U. sent Superintendent of Lee County Schools Mark Carter a letter saying immediate action needed to be taken after the A.C.L.U. received "a disturbing report of multiple First Amendment violations at Thomas Walker High School". According to the letter sent by the A.C.L.U. it says based on the information they have received "school officials, including teachers and administrators, are actively promoting religious practices during school hours on school grounds as a part of official school activities". (snip) The A.C.L.U....

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey filed lawsuits today against seven school districts, accusing them of discriminating against immigrant families by requiring government-issued identification from parents trying to enroll their children. Federal law and state regulation prohibits children from registering for school based on their parent’s immigrant status. The rights organization contends that Old Bridge Township, North Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Galloway Township, Audubon, Gloucester Township and Somerdale Park require driver’s licenses or other forms of identification that can only be obtained by immigrants with legal status.

An atheist college professor is going after a Missouri high school principal who delivered a faith-themed graduation speech that referenced prayer and the nation’s history of celebrating a higher power. Principal (Image source: YouTube) Principal Kevin Lowery invoked God in his graduation ceremony speech. (Image source: YouTube) Principal Kevin Lowery of Lebanon High School, a public school in Lebanon, Missouri, can be seen in a YouTube clip reminding graduates of America’s religious history before holding a moment of silence. “In fact, I’d like to remind our graduates that our nation’s motto is, in fact, ‘In God We Trust.’ If you’re...

In the nearly two weeks since South Tucson’s city council approved a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union over how its police department carries out SB 1070, officials from surrounding jurisdictions have pored over the terms of the deal. The agreement, which overhauled the department's immigration policy, has galvanized some Tucson-area elected officials to pursue procedures they believe better guard against prolonged detentions and racial profiling — two key concerns raised by critics of the law. “Now we have a case study, and we can compare notes,” said Regina Romero, a Tucson city councilwoman who has opposed the law...

The attorney general of Florida says in court documents that recognizing same sex marriages performed in other states would disrupt existing marriage laws and “impose significant public harm.” Eight gay couples and the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state in federal court in March. The lawsuit argues Florida is discriminating against the couples by not recognizing same-sex marriages performed in states where they are legal. Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Republican who was named in the lawsuit along with fellow GOP Gov. Rick Scott and other state officials, earlier this month filed a lengthy response that asks a federal...

... The lawsuit filed Thursday says Customs and Border Protection hasn't responded to a request that the ACLU made in February to release the report under the Freedom of Information Act. The agency rejected the Police Executive Research Forum's recommendation that agents be prohibited from using deadly force against rock-throwers and assailants in vehicles. The LA Times obtained a copy of the report, which criticized the agency for a "lack of diligence" in investigating cases of deadly force.

he ACLU says it expects a federal judge will issue his decision Tuesday in its challenge to Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage, The civil liberties group, which is representing plaintiffs in the closely-watched case, said in a press release that it plans to hold rallies in major cities across the state, including Philadelphia, regardless of the outcome. The ACLU sued Gov. Corbett and his administration last July on behalf of 23 plaintiffs over the state's 1996 ban, which prohibits same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania and does not recognize such marriages performed elsewhere.

SNIP To lead the Republican majority staff, Gowdy selected Philip Kiko, a key aide to Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., when the latter served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and more recently a registered lobbyist for the Smith-Free Group, a K Street lobbying firm with a diverse roster of clients. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, swiftly welcomed Gowdy’s choice, calling Kiko “a man of unquestioned integrity with a record of distinguished service” in and out of Congress... SNIP However, emails obtained by Fox News show that some conservatives are unhappy with Kiko’s appointment, chiefly because of his recent lobbying...

Longtime Michigan Congressman John Conyers joined a federal lawsuit Thursday taking aim at the requirement that petition collectors be registered voters, as part of a larger challenge to an order removing his name from the primary ballot in August. Conyers, who was first elected to the House in 1964 and represents a district including Detroit and several suburbs, joined the suit two days after Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett determined he didn’t have enough signatures to appear on the Aug. 5 Democratic primary ballot. She found Conyers was more than 400 signatures short of 1,000 needed. The suit was filed...

Nonetheless, the satanists are building this thing, and I was offered an early peek at the work in progress by Temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves. Greaves told me he has received numerous threats from people who want to attack the sculpture, but that he “wouldn’t expect these outraged and nearly insensible reactionaries to actually know how to assault a bronze monument without severely hurting themselves in the process.” Still, he’s not taking any chances. The Temple is building a mold of the sculpture so they can pop these things out like evil, terribly expensive action figures whenever they need a new...

On Tuesday Bill Clinton was able to help perpetuate Democrat voter fraud through a ruling from Federal Judge Lynn Adelman. Adelman, who has been a Democrat State Senator, was lauded by the American Civil Liberties Union for his ruling which is based on tortured logic. In making his decision Adelman indicated that he didn’t see a Democrat voter fraud problem in Wisconsin so there was no need for a law against it. By taking this position this sleazy fake jurist ruled that Wisconsin could not act proactively to prevent a crime that, in his view, only happens elsewhere if at...

It's sad to see what's been happening with our government in recent years. Slowly, but surely, our rights and freedoms are being taken away. We thought our Constitution would protect us. After all, it was written to shield Americans from the abuses of government. But believe it or not, there are places in this country where the Constitution doesn't apply.

Thousands of immigrants seeking protection in the United States have spent months in detention waiting for the government to determine whether they may have legitimate cases, even though regulations say they should receive a determination within 10 days, according to a class action lawsuit filed Thursday by the ACLU and other groups. The lawsuit accuses the government of violating the law and says tens of millions of taxpayer dollars have been needlessly spent on detention. Claire Nicholson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said she could not comment on pending litigation. The case, which was filed in the...

SOUTH HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Two Long Island high school students have been suspended for allegedly bringing a Confederate flag to school. Brother Gary Cregan, principal of St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington, said the two seniors walked in with a Confederate flag draped around their shoulders during an after-hours sporting event at the school. As CBS 2′s Kathryn Brown reported, there is outrage and disgust on Long Island. “The African-American students who immediately saw it really exercised heroic restraint and fortunately a teacher immediately confiscated the flag and took the students out of the gym,” Cregan said. The...