The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920, in response to the Woodrow Wilson administration’s jailing/and or deporting those who dared to speak out against World War I. Its focus was protecting freedom of speech, and in periods not amenable to such focus have defended striking workers, blacks, American Indians, Jehovah Witnesses, and even Nazis.
But that was then. Now the ACLU has violated its history and gone partisan; in place of defending everyone’s right to protest, they have cherry-picked who should be afforded the most effort, and are selecting the issues that should be protested.
According to the AP, the ACLU has now entered the realm of training anti-Trump protesters not in the Constitution, but in how to have “organized, public resistance to those opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump.”
Extending these “training session” nation-wide, the first session, held at the University of Miami, was, according to ACLU executive director Anthony Romero focused not only on protesters knowing their rights but on what issues they should focus on. The issues “selected” by the ACLU are decidedly partisan: immigration, LGBT, reproductive rights.
The ACLU is even helpfully trying to increase the numbers of anti-Trump protests with an online grassroots website called PeoplePower.org. The purpose of the website is to link protesters across the nation, and coordinate where to meet and protest.
To their credit, the ACLU has made no bones about their partisanship and their encouragement of what is in effect their “shock troops” against their hated Trump.
To their “army,” they have declared, “We’ll do the work in the courts. You do the work in the streets.”
But given their original charter, who will defend those who will no doubt, given the history of the anti-Trump protests, be beaten and pepper-sprayed and even have their cars lit on fire for exercising their rights of free speech for Trump?
Once defending those set upon by the mob, the ACLU is now directing and protecting the mob.
