Who Elected the ACLU?

[Soldier4Christ]

 Who Elected the ACLU?

Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County School Board decided to remove a series of books because of a book entitled A Visit to Cuba which they found to be inaccurate and containing several omissions.  In the Board’s view, the book portrays life in Cuba inaccurately and downplays the devastating effects that the totalitarian regime under Castro has had upon the people of Cuba.  School Board Member Frank Bolanos summed up the Board’s concerns when he said that the book “does not teach our children the truth about Cuba.”  To address this problem, the Board simply ordered that the books be replaced with a more accurate set of books that are more comprehensive and representative of actual life in Cuba.  This determination by the School Board makes sense.  It also poses no constitutional crisis—that is until the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) got involved.

 

The local school board is supposed to be the microcosm of the democratic process.  Parents exercise their right to direct the upbringing and education of their children by electing school board members and entrusting them with their children’s education.  When, as here, a public school board makes a decision that it believes will enhance students’ education, courts should be mindful that, as the Supreme Court of the United States has said, “Judicial interposition in the operation of the public school system of the Nation raises problems requiring care and restraint.”  In other words, great lengths should be assigned to the educational decision made by the school board in a case such as this. 

 

The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that “the education of the Nation’s youth is primarily the responsibility of parents, teachers, and state and local school officials, and not of federal judges.”  Again, the Supreme Court has said that school boards are given broad discretion in their day-to-day operations because they play a vital role “in the preparation of individuals for participation as citizens, and in the preservation of the values on which our society rests.”

 

Despite their claims as civil libertarians, the ACLU actually brought a lawsuit here demanding that the school board maintain in its library a series of books which the board itself had determined to be inaccurate and not worthy of placement in the library.  Unfortunately, a U.S. District Court judge agreed with the ACLU and actually overrode the school board’s determination; and the court order required that the books be placed back within the library.  That case is now on appeal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the American Center for Law & Justice filed a brief in that case today.

 

In our brief, we asserted that the ACLU’s position and the district court’s decision were incorrect.  The district court failed to give sufficient weight to the well-established principle that public school boards have broad discretion in carrying out their educational functions.  As I said, the day-to-day operations of our nation’s schools are primarily the responsibility of state and local governments because they are best equipped to prepare students to become informed citizens.  The idea that the ACLU could demand that a book be placed in the library that a school board finds offensive should raise concern with all Americans.   The school board’s decision in this case to replace the book series that included A Visit to Cuba with better, more accurate books was based on its determination that four to eight-year-old readers would be given the false impression that life in Cuba is just like life in the United States.  The board’s concern was the accuracy of the facts and the need to prepare students to be well-informed citizens—not the suppression of ideas, as the ACLU alleges.

 

We believe that local school boards, as representatives of the parents and the general public, enjoy broad discretion in matters relating to education.  The school board was elected by the people of Miami-Dade County.  The federal judge in this case was not, nor was the American Civil Liberties Union.

 

The notion that the ACLU is now a super school board roving the country at will and undermining the will of the people of a given locale is wrong.  The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has an opportunity to restore the proper balance to public education.  After all, these are our kids, and no one has elected the ACLU as a member of the school board.

 

[Shammu]

Last week the ACLU held its 2006 membership conference. Over 1,500 dingbats from across the U.S. gathered to listen to the ACLU alarmist exaggerations and lies. The event was televised on CSPAN and there were some interesting moments such as when Justice Scalia slam, dunked Nadine Strossen in a debate about the bill of rights. One of the more humorous highlights of the ACLU’s conference this week was when Bush signed the Military Tribunal Bill into law. The ACLU came up with one of its most clever and cute full page ads to date in which they claimed to be “the most conservative organization in America.”

To highlight concerns with the act, the ACLU took out a full page advertisement in today’s Washington Post, calling itself “the most conservative organization in America.” Since its founding, the ACLU has fought to conserve the system of checks and balances and defend the Bill of Rights.

I guess this claim is technically true. They do more work to “conserve” political correctness, protections for terrorists and traitors, and judicial activism than any other organization out there. I guess it all just depends on what one is trying to conserve. One thing the ACLU is not trying conserve is a Conservative majority in Congress. As a matter of fact they are actively working against this. One of the most honest moments of the ACLU conference was when Caroline Fredrickson came out in reference to a pending NSA surveillance bill and rooted for the Democrats.

The eavesdropping bills’ fate in the short, post-election session that is set to begin next month hinges on whether Republicans lose their leadership in either chamber, ACLU Washington Office Director Caroline Fredrickson said in an interview. “If Democrats take control, they won’t let a bad spying bill get jammed through,” she said.