Congressman Wants to Stop ACLU Profit from First Amendment Cases

Opinion Times ^ | 6/7/05 | Jim Pfaff

[HallowThisGround]

Congressman John Hostettler, R-IN, wants to remove the financial incentive organizations like the ACLU have to attack religious expression in the public square.

CitizenLink--Representative John Hostettler, R-Ind., has teamed with the American Legion to prevent the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others like them, from strong arming defendants.

The Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 (PERA) would prohibit attorneys' fees from being collected in cases against the establishment of religion clause. . . .

The legislation comes at a time when the ACLU is challenging the mention of "Jesus" in the Indiana legislature, the cross on the California state seal and prayer at graduation ceremonies across America. Regularly such cases never make it to court because of concern over the cost of attorney fees.

Kneejerk reactions to this sort of proposal will clearly point out that the "rights of victims to due process" will be infringed if they cannot obtain a competent attorney through fees which come through court judgments. But to the contrary, the ACLU with its 400,000 members, for example, brings in $44 million in donations to its organization.

If this law passes, it could also bring to the forefront the most onerous aspect of the current status of First Amendment law. It's what I call the "Malicious Ignorance Clause"; too much emphasis on "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion" and complete denial of the words "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

This is not the first time Cong. Hostettler has introduced this bill. In 2003, it died in committee. The difference this time: he has the support of 2.7 million members of the American Legion.

[HallowThisGround]

Bravo!

[cripplecreek]

Now that the ACLU is calling for teachers to go to jail for leading prayers I think they're overplaying their hand.

I talked to my Moveon liberal uncle this morning and he calls it scary.

[Just A Nobody]

It is a start. When you deny a 10 year old from bringing his Bible to school, you have crossed every line!

[ravingnutter]

Here are a few groups that are fighting back against the ACLU:

Alliance Defense Fund

Note: Has more links to other groups under "Allies".

Center for Reclaiming America's Christian Liberties Task Force

Stop the ACLU Coalition

[ViLaLuz]

This thread has a collection of articles about the Public Expression of Religion Act 2005, and links to Stop the ACLU:

Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 (FREEPERS stop taxpayer funding of ACLU)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1413875/posts

This thread also posts responses to disinformation being spread against the act by those who oppose it.

[rightfielder]

If congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion means "true separation of law and religion" as the atheists falsely believe, then wouldn't that mean that the Declaration of Independance would be null and void, based on the fact the the words "Created equal" and "endowed by their Creator" are religious terms?
This would mean the the two documents our country was founded on (The Declaration of Independance and the Constitution) stand in contradition to each other...
Thank God our Founding Fathers were wiser than that!