Free Republic

Human Rights First, a group of lawyers working with the ACLU on behalf of prisoners in the global War on Terror, gives the term “ambulance chaser” a bad name. Its website features a place where people can click and contact a lawyer “if you or your family member was subjected to abuse in Iraq or Afghanistan…” It’s not clear how the stories of abuse are documented but we do know that one client is identified as simply “Ali H.” and doesn’t use his full name because he “fears for his safety.” Their stories, which are shocking if true, are all...

The American Civil Liberties Union has long trumpeted itself as the protector of America's freedoms. But in a bizarre tactical decision, it has decided to abdicate that self-appointed role in exchange for membership in the shrill chorus of Bush administration opponents. The decision to file suit against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in connection with the alleged abuse of foreign detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan places the ACLU outside of its stated mission. It also places the group firmly in opposition to an organization -- the US military -- that is actually working for what the ACLU purports to be...