The ACLU: Lying for Justice

Somehow I got on an ACLU mailing list and their latest pitch for money came today. Here’s something I didn’t know: “Attorney General John Ashcroft is waging a relentless campaign to undermine our freedom.” Whew. Are they still pissed because Tim Robbins wasn’t invited to the “Bull Durham” celebration at the Baseball Hall of Fame?

This paragraph smacks of unsubstantiated scare-mongering:

“Thousands of Americans who have done nothing more than attend a particular church service or peace rally have come under surveillance. Others have been placed on “no-fly” lists with no explanation from the government. College students and retirees have been interrogated by Secret Service or FBI agents because of anonymous tips about their anti-Bush statements or the posters on their walls.”

Notice the unprovable qualifiers in that graf such as “nothing more” – does the ACLU have some omniscient power to know that “thousands” of people are beyond suspicion? Do they have moles at the FBI bearing witness to these anonymous tips? Doubtful. And the whole “no fly” list story is an urban legend.

The ACLU is playing the whole JFK-conspiracy card: no matter how bad you think it is, it’s even worse and everybody in the government is in on it. Send cash!