Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

A.C.L.U. May Block Criticism by Its Board
NY Times ^ | 24-May-06 | STEPHANIE STROM

Posted on 05/24/2006 7:39:08 AM PDT by Jay777

The American Civil Liberties Union is weighing new standards that would discourage its board members from publicly criticizing the organization’s policies and internal administration.

“Where an individual director disagrees with a board position on matters of civil liberties policy, the director should refrain from publicly highlighting the fact of such disagreement,” the committee that compiled the standards wrote in its proposals.

“Directors should remember that there is always a material prospect that public airing of the disagreement will affect the A.C.L.U. adversely in terms of public support and fund-raising,” the proposals state.

Given the organization’s longtime commitment to defending free speech, some former board members were shocked by the proposals. Nat Hentoff, a writer and former A.C.L.U. board member, was incredulous. “You sure that didn’t come out of Dick Cheney’s office?” he asked.

“For the national board to consider promulgating a gag order on its members — I can’t think of anything more contrary to the reason the A.C.L.U. exists,” Mr. Hentoff added.

The proposals say that “a director may publicly disagree with an A.C.L.U. policy position, but may not criticize the A.C.L.U. board or staff.” But Wendy Kaminer, a board member and a public critic of some decisions made by the organization’s leadership, said that was a distinction without a difference.

“If you disagree with a policy position,” she said, “you are implicitly criticizing the judgment of whoever adopted the position, board or staff.”

Anthony D. Romero, the A.C.L.U.’s executive director, said that he had not yet read the proposals and that it would be premature to discuss them before the board reviews them at its June meeting.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 1stamendment; aclu; amazednytprintedit; antiamericanism; despots; doublestandard; firstamendment; freespeech; hypocrisy; lookinthemirror; notsofreeataclu; traitors; unamerican
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-47 next last
To: WinteryDays
I agree with their right to do so 110%.

Agreed. The problem is, this same organization does not agree with anybody else's right to do so. Their patently hypocritical position on free speech for their own members is representative of their compulsively craven hypocrisy on every other issue and only serves to undermine further the reputation of an organization which, truthfully, probably served a very noble purpose forty years ago.

That said, I think other people on this thread are off the mark on Nat Hentoff. He is probably the modern-day ACLU's most fervent critic, and it is likely he and a few of the other 'vintage' members, who regularly balk at the fascistic, bigoted organization the ACLU has transmogrified into in its current incarnation under current leadership, who are being targeted by this absurd directive.

21 posted on 05/24/2006 8:13:24 AM PDT by leilani
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: WinteryDays

What too many people tend to forget is.. even tho they may not support or agree with the ACLU, it is a private organization, not a government one.

As such they are free to be idiots and to insist that nobody in their organization publicly criticizes them from BEING idiots.

I support them on this as well, even tho I despise the ground they stand on.


22 posted on 05/24/2006 8:15:25 AM PDT by Leatherneck_MT (An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Psycho_Bunny

There's always been a big PC aspect to the left. They love to be word Nazis. Like the word "rape." I actually read something written by a feminist which said "if a man lies to woman by telling her he loves her to have sex, that was rape if he doesn't really love her." What she learns days after the event can change making love to getting raped, if it disappoints her expectations.

I cannot see the Democrat party getting it together by November, mainly because the far left is much too influential. They own the language the party uses, and they own most of the senators.


23 posted on 05/24/2006 8:26:35 AM PDT by David Allen (the presumption of innocence - what a concept!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Leatherneck_MT

ACLU fighting for NAMBLA to have their free speech rights while they curtail their own people from speaking freely about themselves really says alot about the ACLU today.

ACLU needs to practice what they preach.


24 posted on 05/24/2006 8:29:23 AM PDT by BlueStateDepression
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: BlueStateDepression

"Fredo, never go against the Family."


25 posted on 05/24/2006 8:34:39 AM PDT by massgopguy (massgopguy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: dead

Hentoff is an endangered species--the intellectually honest liberal.

}:-)4


26 posted on 05/24/2006 8:35:49 AM PDT by Moose4 (Please don't call me "white trash." I prefer "Caucasian recyclable.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Jay777

You vill remain silent, SILENT.


27 posted on 05/24/2006 8:53:13 AM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jay777
“If you disagree with a policy position,” she said, “you are implicitly criticizing the judgment of whoever adopted the position, board or staff.”

Then is there any reason to have a board? This is what they do with the boards of NGOs. The board only exists to rubberstamp the actions of the staff. You see this in education all the time.
28 posted on 05/24/2006 8:57:18 AM PDT by George W. Bush
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Freeport
Kinda say's it all. So much for free speach.

I think these critics should sue the ACLU. Since the ACLU is so well-known as a defender of free speech, I think the ACLU would represent them. ;-)

29 posted on 05/24/2006 9:12:41 AM PDT by Zero Sum (Marxism is the opiate of the masses.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: BlueStateDepression

I agree that they do need to practice what they preach. But they are a private organization, not a government one.

I can no more insist that they allow their members to criticize them in public than I can insist the boy scouts change their recruiting policies.


30 posted on 05/24/2006 9:16:05 AM PDT by Leatherneck_MT (An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Jay777

Will they send dissenting board members to Tolerance Camp?


31 posted on 05/24/2006 9:17:39 AM PDT by Redcloak (Speak softly and wear a loud shirt.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Leatherneck_MT

I understand your position and I actually agree with it. However when you support their right to do this you could also demand that they practice what they preach. Absent that opposition demand they will simply see you as supporting them.

Kinda like giving them a free pass. Just a thought.


32 posted on 05/24/2006 9:23:08 AM PDT by BlueStateDepression
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Leatherneck_MT
I can no more insist that they allow their members to criticize them in public than I can insist the boy scouts change their recruiting policies.

Although we cannot legally force them to allow their members to criticize them in public (indeed, they may run their organization as they see fit), we can nonetheless use our freedom of speech to call them on their double standard.

33 posted on 05/24/2006 9:24:51 AM PDT by Zero Sum (Marxism is the opiate of the masses.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: WinteryDays

TROLL ^


34 posted on 05/24/2006 9:38:52 AM PDT by Winston Smith
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Zero Sum

Thanks, you said was I was trying to say in a much better way.


35 posted on 05/24/2006 9:40:02 AM PDT by BlueStateDepression
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: BlueStateDepression

Oh I would demand that they practice what they preach. Please don't get me wrong on that.

But at the same time I'm caught in a conundrum and have to support their constitutional right to free speech and free association.


36 posted on 05/24/2006 9:42:07 AM PDT by Leatherneck_MT (An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Zero Sum

"we can nonetheless use our freedom of speech to call them on their double standard."

Amen to that!


37 posted on 05/24/2006 9:43:00 AM PDT by Leatherneck_MT (An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Leatherneck_MT

Quite Ironic isn't it? You find yourself submitting,properly, to your own principles in defense of the ACLU when it comes to those rights and the very subject you support them on is their denial of that very thing when it applies to someone else.

You know, noone can make this crap up! It seems almost engineered in a way to sucker folks that do not really know what the ACLU is actually up to into gaining donations from folks that support free speech and free association rights.

NAH the ACLU would never do such a thing....he he.


38 posted on 05/24/2006 9:46:28 AM PDT by BlueStateDepression
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: Jay777

It is a safe bet, this proposal came from the number 1 blatant Homosexual/Marxist Lunatic, the A.C.L.U.’s executive director, Anthony D. Romero.


39 posted on 05/24/2006 11:00:15 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (There's a dwindling market for Marxist homosexual lunatic wet dreams posing as journalism)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Jay777
From the article:

"Mr. Meyers lost his bid for re-election to the board last year, but Ms. Kaminer has continued to speak out. Last month, she was quoted in The New York Sun as criticizing the group's endorsement of legislation to regulate advertising done by counseling centers run by anti-abortion groups. The bill would prohibit such centers from running advertisements suggesting that they provide abortion services when they actually try to persuade women to continue their pregnancies.

Ms. Kaminer and another board member, John C. Brittain, charged that the proposal threatened free speech. "I find it quite appalling that the A.C.L.U. is actively supporting this," Ms. Kaminer told The Sun.

Abortion trumps Free Speech with these hypocrites.

40 posted on 05/24/2006 11:34:01 AM PDT by DocRock
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-47 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson