ACLU Defends Iraq Suspected Terrorist Detainees

PostItNews.com ^ | December 14, 2004 | media@aclu.org

[postitnews.com]

Editor's Note: 'I checked five or six of the FOIA released documents and found nothing worth reading. Let me know if you find any documents worth reading. I do not endorse the ACLU in any way. This is a FYI Post.' ACLU FOIA site

 

 

NEW YORK - U.S. Navy documents released today by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that abuse and even torture of detainees by U.S. Marines in Iraq was widespread. One Navy criminal investigator sent an e-mail in June 2004 describing his Iraq caseload "exploding" with "high visibility cases."

 

"Day after day, new stories of torture are coming to light, and we need to know how these abuses were allowed to happen," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "This kind of widespread abuse could not have taken place without a leadership failure of the highest order."

 

The release of these documents follows a federal court order that directed the Defense Department and other government agencies to comply with a year-old request under the Freedom of Information Act filed by the ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans for Peace...Read More

 

 

[marmar]

Time to stop funding the ACLU with tax payer money. They hate America and are the enemy within.....just like the UN. Time to get rid of them also.......

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

Why am I not surprised. No wonder Mark Levin calls them the American Criminal Liberties Union.

[Jay777]

You can join the fight against the ACLU and their ilk by becoming involved with and supporting the following organizations:

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) - http://www.alliancedefensefund.org

Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) - http://www.thomasmore.org

American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) - http://www.aclj.org

The Rutherford Institute - http://www.rutherford.org/

Stop the ACLU Coalition - http://www.stoptheaclu.org

Here are a few examples of how two of those organizations are fighting back:

ADF Contacts Over 3,600 School Districts Over Attempts To Censor Christmas

ADF: 700 lawyers ready to fight ACLU lawsuits

ADF: Pentagons' Warning About Boyscouts Is Absurd

Thomas More Law Center: Town of Palm Beach Pays $50,000 In Attorney Fees Apologizes To Women In Nativity Lawsuit

Additional information:

The ACLU must be destroyed: Joseph Farah supports Boy Scouts, urges Americans to fight back

Citizens mobilized to stop ACLU (seeks to consign group to 'ash heap of history')

ACLU fulfilling communist agenda

Revealing FACTS on the ACLU from its own writings

See how YOUR Senator or Representative ranks with the ACLU

You can join the fight against the ACLU and their ilk by becoming involved with and supporting the following organizations:

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) - http://www.alliancedefensefund.org

Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) - http://www.thomasmore.org

American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) - http://www.aclj.org

The Rutherford Institute - http://www.rutherford.org/

Stop the ACLU Coalition - http://www.stoptheaclu.org

Here are a few examples of how two of those organizations are fighting back:

ADF Contacts Over 3,600 School Districts Over Attempts To Censor Christmas

ADF: 700 lawyers ready to fight ACLU lawsuits

ADF: Pentagons' Warning About Boyscouts Is Absurd

Thomas More Law Center: Town of Palm Beach Pays $50,000 In Attorney Fees Apologizes To Women In Nativity Lawsuit

Additional information:

The ACLU must be destroyed: Joseph Farah supports Boy Scouts, urges Americans to fight back

Citizens mobilized to stop ACLU (seeks to consign group to 'ash heap of history')

ACLU fulfilling communist agenda

Revealing FACTS on the ACLU from its own writings

See how YOUR Senator or Representative ranks with the ACLU

[EdReform]

Fight the ACLU Bump!

[Jay777]

I'm all over it now! Hope I didn't steal your job. All we need is a little help from our friends. :)

[EdReform]

Thanks for getting this info out! Please feel free to edit as you see fit (reformat, add links and/or graphics, etc.).

:o)

[rockabyebaby]

"ACLU Defends Iraq Suspected Terrorist Detainees"

I'm stunned, I tell ya, I'm stunned (NOT)! What purpose does the ACLU serve other than being an anti American and just plain all around stupid, the ACLU ALWAYS comes up on the wrong side of issues.

[Logical me]

Until our Courts stop deciding for the ACLU, we don't have much of a chance to get rid of them. But, the ACLU is nothing more than a political corrupt organization and they should not be receiving taxpayers money. The main problem is corrupt liberal judges have handed the ACLU a freebie, and it's time to kick some judges out.

[Alouette]

"Day after day, new stories of torture are coming to light, and we need to know how these abuses were allowed to happen," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero.

Gag him with a pair of ladies' underpants.

[JIM O]

I have heard people mention that the taxpayers fund the ACLU. Are you sure of that and if so any idea why and how much?

[Grampa Dave]

[Grampa Dave]

The ACLU gets tax payer money and a lot of money when it supposedly wins lawsuits.

A lot of its money comes from the non profits. However they will not be taking any more Ford Foundation money:

Re: ACLU says 'No, thanks' to Ford foundation re no money to be used for terrorism.





http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1289670/posts

ACLU says 'No, thanks'
Chattanooga Times Free Press ^ | Oct. 30, 2004 | Unknown


Posted on 11/27/2004 10:57:55 PM PST by w6ai5q37b


The Ford and Rockefeller foundations hand out millions of dollars each year to a variety of organizations. We may or may not agree with the activities of a given group that gets some portion of that money, but both foundations have properly drawn a line against their money supporting terrorism or other violence.

The Ford Foundation says funding recipients must agree not to engage in activity that "promotes violence, terrorism, bigotry, or the destruction of any state." News reports say this rule was put in place because some Ford money previously had wound up in the hands of radicals who bitterly oppose the state of Israel.

The Rockefeller Foundation says recipients may not "directly or indirectly engage in, promote, or support other organizations or individuals who engage in or promote terrorist activity."

It is hard to see how anyone would argue seriously that those guidelines are unreasonable. No American organization ought to want to support hateful, violent causes, let alone seek money from foundations to do so.

But amazingly, the American Civil Liberties Union has deemed the rules too restrictive and therefore has turned down more than $1 million in grants from the Ford and Rockefeller foundations.

The ACLU complains that the "vague grant language" might "have a chilling effect on civil liberties." An ACLU board member said the rules sounded too much like the anti-terrorist Patriot Act and seemed "to have arisen out of this kind of climate of fear and intimidation or something that the administration is pushing," The New York Sun reports.

We don't see the foundations' rules as an attempt to crush civil liberties. But the guidelines might have a "chilling effect" on terrorists. We hope so.

[marmar]

Here is another post "Get ACLU off taxpayer dole"

[Grampa Dave]

http://www.aclusc.org/

Breaking News


ACLU Declines Ford and Rockefeller Grants Due to Restrictive Funding Agreement; Principled Decision to Put Civil Liberties First
NEW YORK, NY - This administration and its war on terror have created a climate of fear that extends far beyond national security concerns and threatens the civil liberties of all Americans. Make no mistake about it – too many of the policies inspired by the Patriot Act fail to make us any safer. Indeed, we have lost much already, and we have much more to lose.

The natioal board of the ACLU made the decision to turn down $1.15 million in future funding from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations rather than accept restrictive funding agreements that adversely affect the civil liberties of the ACLU and other grantees. ... It is a sad day when two of this country's most beloved and respected foundations feel they are operating in such a climate of fear and intimidation that they are compelled to require thousands of recipients to accept vague grant language which could have a chilling effect on civil liberties. ... Ironically, the funding from each organization would have strengthened our ability to fight the most dangerous elements of the USA PATRIOT Act and the government's “war on terror

[Grampa Dave]

http://tobaccofreedom.org/issues/documents/aclu/

SECRET DOCUMENTS REVEAL A.C.L.U. TOBACCO INDUSTRY TIES
Secret memos detailing how the American Civil Liberties Union works as a hired gun for the Tobacco Industry will be revealed at a press conference on Wednesday, November 13th, 10 a.m, at 132 West 43rd Street (bet. 6th & Broadway), outside the A.C.L.U.

For the first time, the memos expose an intentional A.C.L.U. cover-up of a quid pro quo - direct work for funding - relationship with Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds, the world's two largest tobacco manufacturers. The confidential documents detail how the A.C.L.U., the 76-year-old sacred cow of American liberalism and defender of the Bill of Rights, has received over $1 million dollars in combined funding from the two tobacco giants in exchange for aggressive advocacy on their behalf.

The A.C.L.U.'s work for cigarette company donations is in direct conflict with its status as a tax-exempt, non-profit institution. Investigative journalist and former A.C.L.U. employee, John Fahs, author of the Berkley Publishing Group's new book, CIGARETTE CONFIDENTIAL: THE UNFILTERED TRUTH ABOUT THE ULTIMATE AMERICAN ADDICTION, will distribute the internal A.C.L.U. documents at the press conference.

Joe Cherner, President of SmokeFree Educational Services, will describe his experience with the A.C.L.U.'s refusal to support non-smokers rights. In 1993 major news headlines reported the A.C.L.U.'s acceptance of cigarette money but the agency denied any link between funding and their defense of tobacco industry issues. These secret memos not only reveal a clear conflict of interest but also demonstrate a concerted cover-up and campaign of disinformation after the acceptance of cigarette money had been brought to light.
NY Coalition for a Smoke-Free City


Statement of Melvin L. Wulf
I was legal director of the national ACLU from 1962 to 1977. I have practiced law in New York since that time. This is the first critical word I've had to say publicly about the Union, to whose principles I am still deeply attached I do so now because the information in "Cigarette Confidential" about the receipt of large amounts of money by the Union from the tobacco industry threatens the basic integrity of the ACLU. The justification that the money is used to support workplace rights is a sham.

There is no constitutional right of smokers to pollute the atmosphere and threaten the health of others. The revelations in the book support the conclusion that the ACLU's mission is being corrupted by the attraction of easy money from an industry whose ethical values are themselves notoriously corrupt and which is responsible for the death annually of 350,000 to 400,000 persons in the US alone. I am saddened by the fact that the ACLU allows itself to be used in this manner. The ACLU board of directors has an obligation to take stern steps to protect the Union from further corruption of its values.

---

REMARKS AT ACLU/TOBACCO TIES PRESS CONFERENCE


THEN (Before Tobacco Money)
* The ACLU did not oppose banning cigarette advertising on TV and radio.

* The ACLU did not oppose warning labels on cigarette packages or print ads.

* The ACLU did not oppose prohibiting cigarette sales to minors.

* The ACLU did not oppose smokefree workplace laws.

* The ACLU did not oppose nicotine being regulated as a drug.

* The ACLU did not oppose counter-advertising.

* The ACLU did not oppose tombstone advertising.

NOW (After Tobacco Money)
* The ACLU opposes FDA rules to regulate nicotine as a drug and place restrictions on cigarette ads aimed at minors.

* The ACLU opposes legislation to prohibit or restrict tobacco advertising and promotion.

* The ACLU opposes legislation for new, larger warning labels. The ACLU opposes legislation that would strip the tax deductibility of tobacco advertising. The ACLU opposes Congressman Waxman's smokefree public places bill. The ACLU ignored employee pleas and a petition for a smokefree workplace.

* The ACLU does not believe that tobacco advertising entices young people to smoke.

* The ACLU does not oppose life insurance companies discriminating against smokers by charging them more for life insurance (three tobacco companies own life insurance subsidiaries that charge smokers more for life insurance).

* The ACLU opposes campaign finance reform that would limit soft money donations (tobacco companies rank among the largest soft money donators).

* The ACLU turned a blind eye to attempts by cigarette makers to silence whistle blowers, such as Jeffrey Wigand. (Nadine Strossen claims the ACLU doesn't have the resources).

* The ACLU- NY Affiliate opposed New York City legislation to require counter-advertising on all City property where tobacco is advertised, even though the ACLU previously called for such legislation.

---

WHAT WE FIND MOST OFFENSIVE
1. The ACLU has taken over $1,000,000 in donations from the tobacco cartel, while at the same time, allying itself with the tobacco industry on capitol hill.

2. Lew Maltby deceitfully writes to ACLU's supporters that "no single donor contributes a significant portion of our income." Maltby fails to mention that his smokers' rights department receives 90% of its funding from the tobacco cartel.

3. The ACLU refuses to tell its members that it solicits and accepts tobacco money. In a memo to Ira Glasser, Jim Shields (of the ACLU's North Carolina affiliate) shows the secrecy of tobacco money: "My microfiche shows a September 1991 $1,000 RJR donation to ACLU-NJ foundation. I imagine RJR forgot to ask for anonymity."

4. In a handwritten fax to Ira Glasser, Jim Shields displays the necessity of tobacco money: "My affiliate will end up $30K in the red this year if we do not receive the RJR support."

5. The ACLU refuses to open to the public or reporters portions of its 1994 board of directors meeting pertaining to tobacco issues.

6. The ACLU's positions and rhetoric is almost identical to the tobacco cartel's. One memo to Ira Glasser cites the need for "effective slogans" and "pithy phrases." As code words for smokers' rights, both groups use "workplace privacy" and "lifestyle choices."

7. For 3 years, the ACLU has refused to answer our questions about their positions on a number of tobacco related issues.

8. Lew Maltby flew to Copenhagen on the tobacco industry's behalf to attend a smokers' rights convention.

9. Lew Maltby flew to Winston Salem on a corporate jet to meet with five RJR executives for a formal strategy session about coordinating ACLU/RJR efforts. After his trip, Maltby writes Glasser, "The discussions were very candid. I explained my belief that smokers' rights is a losing issue and must be broadened into a general campaign to protect people's privacy... "

10. Lew Maltby lobbied ACLU affiliates on commercial freedom of speech issues which was out of his workplace task-force jurisdiction. In a memo to Glasser, Maltby writes, "Josh Slavit of Philip Morris recently called me to discuss the possibility of increasing the ACLU's involvement with defending commercial speech... PM would be willing to provide funding for such a program. This would be in addition to our ongoing funding for workplace privacy. They provided the funding for our Mississippi affiliate's recent conference on free speech."

11. Lew Maltby appealed to his North Carolina affiliate to ask a North Carolina state senator to write a letter to Philip Morris praising the ACLU for it work on behalf of smokers' rights. Maltby felt that such a letter would be influential in securing additional funding.

12. Lew Maltby constantly meets with tobacco representatives to coordinate State efforts for passing smokers' rights legislation.

13. Invoices for conferences, newspaper ads, radio ads, and fulfillment of ad responses are constantly forwarded by the ACLU to Philip Morris

14. The ACLU ignored our repeated attempt to ascertain its position on Henry Waxman's smokefree workplace bill. In a memo to Ira Glasser, Maltby states, " I put in a call to PM's Washington office... (I didn't want to raise our profile by calling Waxman's office)."

15. The ACLU claims that no one influences its agenda, but tobacco companies frequently controlled the agendas at brainstorming meetings with Lew Maltby.

16. The ACLU held strategy seminars for local affiliates and allies on smokers' rights issues and submitted vouchers to Philip Morris for reimbursement.

17. The ACLU allowed Philip Morris to produce a solicitation brochure for Philip Morris' mailing list. The brochure, entitled "Should the people who run your office tell you how to run your life," never mentioned Philip Morris' name and used the ACLU's return address for contributions and literature. In a memo to Ira Glasser, Lew Maltby writes in favor of the campaign, "Philip Morris provides no general contributions to the ACLU. .. This is a golden opportunity to raise badly needed funds. We should capitalize on it."

18. The ACLU's relationship with the tobacco cartel is too cozy. The ACLU has rolled out the red carpet for the tobacco industry and has given it first class treatment.

19. The ACLU has tried to get as much money as possible from the tobacco cartel and even considered compromising its ideas to get more money.

20. The ACLU's board of directors includes lawyers from firms representing tobacco companies in wrongful death suits, publicity, and other tobacco related matters. Clearly, this is a conflict of interests.

21. On several occasions, Glasser suggests using the ACLU's relationship with Board Member David Waxse to open doors at Philip Morris. Waxse works for Philip Morris' main legal firm in wrongful death suits, and, according to Glasser, has great relationships with Chuck Wahl and Steve Parrish (Philip Morris' in house legal chiefs).

22. The ACLU claims that none of its tobacco money is for issues directly related to tobacco company interests, while memos show funds specifically earmarked by Philip Morris for seminars on smokers' rights.

23. Glasser claims that the ACLU "never seeks or accepts fees for its services." Internal memos show that the ACLU sought and accepted tobacco money for specific tobacco related projects. It even submitted invoices and expense vouchers to the tobacco giants.

24. Glasser and Maltby constantly made misleading statements to the press and its members about the ACLU's close relationship to the tobacco cartel.

25. RJR agreed to fund an ACLU public opinion research project for $450,000. Ira Glasser claims that the research has no connection to tobacco-related issue, but American Talk Issues (the company hired to do the research) backed out because "this simultaneous advocacy of smokers' rights and the acceptance of RJR's grant will have very unfortunate public relations ramifications. At the very least, it puts a cloud over ACLU's status as an objective crusader for individual human rights, rather than just another lance for hire."

26. Philip Morris scheduled Lew Maltby to meet with a Japanese journalist interested in the issue of smoking in America. Philip Morris set the agenda and a secretary wrote to Maltby, "I would like to know if you have any favorites (restaurants) before booking a reservation."

CONCLUSION
The ACLU has been caught with its hands in the cookie jar. It appears that the ACLU has changed a number of its positions on tobacco related issues since the acceptance of tobacco money. Lew Maltby and Ira Glasser frequently discuss ways for the ACLU to get more tobacco money. Maltby has become so addicted to tobacco money that he even contemplates further bending of ACLU positions to accommodate the tobacco cartel. In a memo to Sandy Sedacca (ACLU Fundraising Dept.), Maltby writes that Philip Morris wants a report from him describing ACLU "accomplishments... " "in terms of smoking restrictions." Maltby adds, "I will have a rough draft completed by the end of the week." Later in the memo, Maltby asks, "To what extent are we prepared to expand our definition of the issue? PM would clearly love to have us take a position that people should be able to smoke at work and in public buildings.

. . If we were to do so, it would have a significant impact on their (funding) decision..." Rather than ask what is the proper decision, Maltby writes, "The crucial question, however, is whether the benefits of taking an expanded position are worth the costs. We have taken a great deal of heat over our present position. The reaction to an expanded position would be far worse." Lew Malt by's department would be out of business if not for tobacco cartel funds. As Maltby, himself, writes in a thank you letter to Philip Morris, "As you know, this is not the type of glamorous issue that attracts major donors... " If the ACLU wants to continue fighting for the tobacco cartel, it should immediately cease the acceptance of tobacco money.



SOURCE:
FOR RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13,1996
MEDIA ADVISORY CONTACT: Cynthia Malmuth: (212) 744-7476
Tina Mosetis: (516) 487-5866
Joe Cherner: (212) 912-0960
SMOKEFREE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, INC.
375 South End Avenue, Suite 32F New York, NY 10280
Phone (212) 912-0960
Fax: (212) 488-8911

© Copyright InfoImagination, Scott Goold, director

[Grampa Dave]

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/faqs/allfaqs.php

Where does the ACLU get its funding?
The American Civil Liberties Union boasts of almost 400,000 dues-paying members, more than 2,000 volunteer attorneys, and 60 staff attorneys. Its various components claim a $45 million budget, and a $41 million endowment fund. This endowment fund includes a $7 million grant from the Ford Foundation (in 1999).
The ACLU and its allies use their war chests to lobby and bring legal actions against the public religious expression of Christians and orthodox Jews, the acknowledgement of our national heritage, for the demands of the homosexual legal agenda, and to expand abortion. The ACLU boasts that, with the exception of the Justice Department, it has been involved in more cases before the Supreme Court than any other individual or organization. 1

Other foundations that contribute to the ACLU include the David and Lucille Packard Foundation (Hewlett-Packard), the George Gund Foundation (George Gund is the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers), and the New World Foundation (Ted Turner).

1 "ACLU Supreme Court Summary: Justices 'Skeptical of Federal Authority,'" ACLU web site: http://archive.aclu.org/news/n062797b.html

[Convert from ECUSA]

"Gag him with a pair of ladies' underpants."

ROFL!!!! Careful, he might like that!

The ACLU is about as useful as a sunporch on a submarine.

[Sun]

On one hand, the ACLU vigorously defends the constitutional rights of child pornography distributors, despite the fact that the recorded acts represent serious, heinous, and vicious crimes against innocent children. Sears and Osten document the ACLU's reasoning: "all such material, once created, is fully protected by the First Amendment…. No government should be allowed to limit the distribution of child pornography between 'consenting adults.'" Worse still, the ACLU also supports the rights of perverse organizations like the North American Man/Boy Love Association to post "web pages that provide advice on how to seduce and rape young boys." For those unfamiliar, NAMBLA is known to teach "their members how to rape children and get away with it. They distribute child pornography and trade live children among members with the purpose of having sex with them."

On the other hand, the same ACLU then uses "its huge war chest … to wage an unrelenting war against any public expression of religious faith but in particular Christianity and Orthodox Judaism." It has the audacity to sue public officials to force them to remove Nativity scenes and Christmas trees from most public areas, remove crosses and plaques quoting Bible passages from national parks, censor any mention of God in any public discourse, and strong-arm school administrators with misleading and threatening letters demanding the censorship of Christmas carols from school activities and the word Christ from any student speeches. Remember, communism is the stated “goal.”

snippet
Find this story at: http://www.townhall.com/opinion/books_entertainment/reviews/ChrisBanescu/158876.html