God Loving Patriots and the ACLU

So I got this e-mail:

What a good idea!

Let's all do this!

Have some fun and do something really worthwhile too!

Fun with the ACLU

Wanna have some fun this CHRISTMAS?

Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD!

Come see what I wrote back.

Here's the rest of the message:

Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.
Here's the Address, just don't be rude or crude.

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions.. So spend 39 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a Holiday Tree. . . . It's a Christmas Tree even in the fields!!

And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to communicate with the ACLU! They really DESERVE us!!

So here's my response.

Do you know anything about the ACLU that wasn't fed to you through Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh?  The ACLU is about defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights - you know, those things that the Bush administration is wiping their collective ass with?  

The ACLU believes that all people are created equal, even those who are frowned upon by society for their differences.  Please go to their website and read about what they really are before you condemn them.

http://www.aclu.org/...

Please don't be fooled by the politics of hate and fear that has been foisted upon America by political extremists.  The government and the media use inflamed rhetoric to make us mad, and threats of terrorism to make us afraid,  and when we're all angry and scared they turn us against each other with wedge issues like gay marriage and immigration and imaginary attacks on Christmas.  Of course they want to destroy the ACLU.  They hate civil liberties.  The rights of the citizens interfere with their quest for power.  

Please, please, don't let the politicians and TV and radio talking heads use your religion against you.  They exploit your love of God by telling you lies about liberals, making you believe that the ACLU is out to destroy your religion and kill Christmas.  Think about it.  They couldn't, even if they wanted to.  It's between you and God; no man can take away from you what God has put in your soul.  

Ironically, if someone were to infringe on your right to worship as you wish, the ACLU would be there to defend it. As for killing Christmas, even the Grinch couldn't do that.    Corporations and consumers wouldn't stand for it.

Remember, Jesus said you should love God with all your heart, and love your neighbors as yourselves.  Hating the ACLU or anybody else isn't very neighborly, and demonizing anyone who isn't like you is hardly loving them as yourselves.  

White, Black, Yellow, Red, Brown, Male, Female, Young, Old, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, whatever race or religion we may be, gay, straight, lesbian, celibate, whatever;  we all come into this world the same way.  We are all human, and that makes us all children of God, created in his image, created equal.  It is his job to judge us each individually, not our job to judge one another.  Our job, as Jesus said, is to love God and love one another.

So, no, I won't be sending the ACLU a Christmas card.  But I will be sending them a donation.  

I hope that all you God-loving, patriotic people will do the same.

May God's blessing be with you,
JWAL

By the way, the Christmas Tree tradition originated in ancient Egypt, before Jesus was even born,

http://www.christmas-tree.com/...

and came to America by way of Germany; so, who cares what they call it?

Pass this on to your e-mail list.  They really deserve it.

•  Excellent. n/t

  by Caldonia on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 06:42:49 PM PDT

  •  Muchas Gracias

    I'm sure my friends sometimes regret the emails they send to me  :)

    by Jesus was a Liberal on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 06:46:38 PM PDT

    •  Or maybe...

      you just need new friends. :)

      by Caldonia on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 06:48:55 PM PDT

      •  co-workers, mostly

        My closer friends are not too political,  Sadly, several of them who I convinced to register and vote for the first time in 2004 were soured by their initial experience with democracy.  We live in Ohio, and my friends believe the elections are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican party.  Kerry's quick concession didn't help.  One guy said that the politicians were all on the same side and elections were just a game they played to make us think we have a say in it.  All my talk about not giving up hasn't changed his mind.

        You can only push so far with close friends, the others, ah, you can tell them to blow it out their ass, you know?

        by Jesus was a Liberal on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 06:57:23 PM PDT

•  rebuttal to this crap

  courtesy of Anthony Romero himself:

  Your religion is deeply important to you. Surely you want to protect the sanctity of your religion from any possible meddling by politicians. You want to be free to worship as you choose without the government interfering and favoring some denominations over others. THAT'S why we have separation of church and state. If you are devoted to your religious beliefs, you should care about that fundamental Constitutional principle, too.

  by saucy monkey on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 06:42:58 PM PDT

•  What gets me is how they swallow the O'Reilly lie

  ...that "liberals hate Christmas." Like they think it would BOTHER the ACLU. If it were not a waste of money, it would make sense for the ACLU to send back a Christmas card to everyone they receive a card from.

  Maybe even a little Christmas story:

  It was just before Christmas that Ted, his wife Jenny, and their daughter Chrissy moved into a new neighborhood. Ted was delighted, because the realtor told him he would not have to worry about the ACLU or other liberals bothering them about their moral values.

  In fact their school board had long ago put religious symbols in all the classrooms, and the town hall had some too, and every school day, and court session, and city council meeting started with a prayer and a few words about the proper way to be faithul to God.

  And the mayor makes sure that all city employees are devoutly religious, even with religious bumper stickers on the patrol cars.

  "With everything going on today, the ACLU has a lot of other things to worry about before they get around to us," the realtor explained with a smile.

  And Ted was so happy.

  Until he took his daughter to her first day of school and noticed, no Christmas trees, no manger scenes, no crosses.

  "What's up?" he called his realtor. "I thought you said this was a religious community. I don't see any Christian symbols at all."

  "Oh, it is religious," the realtor answered. "But nobody said it was Christian."

  by daulton on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 07:05:50 PM PDT

•  Nicely done. Here is a list of

  cases involving Christians that the ACLU has taken up (with some personal commentary).  It was compiled by someone here at DKos, I believe.  I'm terribly sorry I can't attribute it to whomever put the work in.  If you're reading, please out yourself.

  Thank God for the ACLU

  I think the following list is interesting, as it indicates that the ACLU has perhaps frequently acted as an instrument of the Lord.  Send this out to anyone whom you think needs to know that Christians, too, make liberal use of the ACLU's services.  (Pun intended!)

  **********************************

  ACLU Defends Church's Right to Run "Anti-Santa" Ads in Boston Subways (1/8/2002)

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  BOSTON--The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and a local attorney today filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for removing subway advertisements promoting the views of a local church and refusing to sell additional advertising space to the church.

  One of the controversial ads, paid for by The Church of the Good News, said that early Christians did not celebrate Christmas or "believe in lies about Santa Claus, flying reindeer, elves and drunken parties." A second ad, which was rejected by the transit authority and never posted, said, "There is only one true religion. All the rest are false."

  "The transit authority has lost at least three other cases involving its refusal to display various ads because of their content or viewpoint," said John Reinstein, Legal Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. "We are confident that the court will preserve the principles of religious liberty and free speech and rule in favor of our client."

  The church, represented by the ACLU and Boston civil rights attorney Harvey Schwartz, seeks an injunction ordering the transit authority to sell them advertising space and prohibiting officials from using a vague advertising policy to filter out ad campaigns it finds objectionable.

  ********

  ACLU's Defense of Religious Liberty (3/2/2005)

  The right of each and every American to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The Constitution's framers understood very well that religious liberty can flourish only if the government leaves religion alone.
  The American Civil Liberties Union has a long history of working to ensure that religious liberty is protected...

  Recent ACLU involvement in religious liberty cases include:

  September 20, 2005: ACLU of New Jersey joins lawsuit supporting second-grader's right to sing "Awesome God" at a talent show.

  August 4, 2005: ACLU helps free a New Mexico street preacher from prison.

  February 2005: ACLU of Pennsylvania successfully defends the right of an African American Evangelical church to occupy a church building purchased in a predominantly white parish.

  December 22, 2004: ACLU of New Jersey successfully defends right of religious expression by jurors.

  November 20, 2004: ACLU of Nevada supports free speech rights of evangelists to preach on the sidewalks of the strip in Las Vegas.

  November 9, 2004: ACLU of Nevada defends a Mormon student who was suspended after wearing a T-shirt with a religious message to school.

  August 11, 2004: ACLU of Nebraska defends church facing eviction by the city of Lincoln.

  July 10, 2004: Indiana Civil Liberties Union defends the rights of a Baptist minister to preach his message on public streets.

  June 9, 2004: ACLU of Nebraska files a lawsuit on behalf of a Muslim woman barred from a public pool because she refused to wear a swimsuit.  (Okay, that one could go in a couple of directions...)

  June 3, 2004: Under pressure from the ACLU of Virginia, officials agree not to prohibit baptisms on public property in Falmouth Waterside Park in Stafford County.

  May 11, 2004: After ACLU of Michigan intervened on behalf of a Christian Valedictorian, a public high school agrees to stop censoring religious yearbook entries.

  March 25, 2004: ACLU of Washington defends an Evangelical minister's right to preach on sidewalks.

  February 21, 2003: ACLU of Massachusetts defends students punished for distributing candy canes with religious messages.
  July 11, 2002: ACLU supports right of Iowa students to distribute Christian literature at school.

  April 17, 2002: In a victory for the Rev. Jerry Falwell and the ACLU of Virginia, a federal judge strikes down a provision of the Virginia Constitution that bans religious organizations from incorporating.

  ********************************

  ACLU Defends Florida Families Fighting Removal Of Religious Symbols from Cemetery (3/22/1999)

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE?Monday, March 22, 1999

  WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- In the first case to be filed under Florida's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida goes to trial today on behalf of seven families seeking to prevent the removal and destruction of religious symbols placed at the gravesites of their loved ones.

  At issue is the City of Boca Raton's threat to remove various vertical memorials, including Christian crosses, Stars of David and other religious symbols, from cemetery plots at the Boca Raton Community Cemetery. The ACLU will argue that under the new law, passed in 1998, removal of religious items from grave sites would constitute a substantial burden on religion.

  The lawsuit, Warner, et al. v. The City of Boca Raton, was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union's Palm Beach Chapter on January 12, 1998, on behalf of seven families who are members of the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faiths.

  "This may be the first case anywhere in the United States defending religious freedom and expression at a public cemetery," said ACLU attorney James K. Green of West Palm Beach.

  According to the families, the religious monuments have been placed at the grave sites with the permission of cemetery officials since 1984. Some families have also covered the grave sites with floral ground cover or erected barriers around the grave site to signify their religious faith and to prevent desecration by people walking on the graves.
  ...
  "There are few rights that are more precious than honoring a loved one at a grave site in accordance with the dictates of one's religion," said ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon.

  "Florida's religion freedom act creates expanded protection for people of faith," he added. "It does not permit restrictions simply because the religious expression is cluttered, messy, or does not meet with someone's sense of good taste. Restrictions like these reflect religious intolerance and insensitivity."link

  *******************************
  ACLU of Pennsylvania Supports Congregation's Fight for Religious Freedom (1/7/2002)

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  PHILADELPHIA--Citing the "constitutional promise of religious freedom," the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today announced its support for members of Congregation Kol Ami in their fight to use a former Catholic convent as a synagogue.

  At a news conference today in Abington, a town of 56,000 just outside Philadelphia, the ACLU joined other civic and religious organizations in calling on the Abington Township Board of Commissioners to end its two-year opposition to the Congregation's proposed use of the convent.

  "Sadly, the dispute in Abington is not all that unusual here in America," said Larry Frankel, Executive Director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "During the last ten years, there have been numerous incidents of zoning laws being used in a discriminatory manner that burdens the free exercise of religion."

  In response to those incidents, Congress unanimously passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Person Act in June of 2000. Frankel explained that "the law protects the constitutional promise of religious freedom and the fundamental right to worship free from unfair and unnecessary governmental interference."

  The ACLU strongly supported passage of the land use law because many religious communities had been subjected to arbitrary and discriminatory zoning decisions. The ACLU joined with many other organizations in urging Congress to address the substantial burdens local land use agencies were imposing on religious institutions.

  "The problems facing Congregation Kol Ami are exactly the problems addressed by Congress," said Frankel. "We think that the Abington Township Commissioners should follow the lead of Congress and honor the principles of religious freedom and the right of Congregation Kol Ami to worship."

  **********************************
  ACLU Defends Religious Freedom Of West Virginia Minister (7/20/1999)

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE?Tuesday, July 20, 1999

  CHARLESTON, WV -- The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia yesterday asked a federal judge to issue a summary ruling in favor of a minister who declines, for religious reasons, to have his photograph taken for a drivers' license.

  The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of Rev. Benjamin David Daniel Cyrus of Garrardstown in December in federal court in Charleston after the state refused to issue him a drivers' license without a photograph.

  Rev. Cyrus, a minister in The Church of the Firstborn at New Jerusalem, objects to picture taking as a matter of faith. His religious beliefs prohibit the use of "graven images."

  The ACLU contends the state failed to show why Rev. Cyrus should not be granted an exception to the photograph requirement. In other states, as well as in other West Virginia situations, citizens have not been required to have their picture on their operators' licenses.

  **************************************

  Dr. Jeremy Gunn, Expert on Religious Freedom, To Lead New ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief (7/14/2005)

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today announced that Dr. Jeremy Gunn has joined its national staff as Director of the ACLU's new Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

  The program was founded earlier this year to help promote the American Constitutional value of freedom of religious opinion. "I could not be more pleased to have Jeremy joining our team at the ACLU," said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. "His globally recognized work on religious freedom, his expertise on the establishment clause and his deep commitment to civil liberties will further the ACLU's vital mission -- to protect the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution."

  Dr. Gunn comes to the ACLU from Emory Law School in Atlanta where for the past five years he has been a Senior Fellow for Religion and Human Rights and a Senior Associate at the Washington-based Institute for Global Engagement. He is a member of the Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion and Belief of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, working on behalf of evangelical Christians and other religious minorities.

  Before his work in Atlanta, Dr. Gunn was Director of Research at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. He has also served as a Senior Advisor for the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom at the Department of State and as a Senior Fellow at the U.S. Institute for Peace. Dr. Gunn spent four years at the JFK Assassination Records Review Board as General Counsel and Executive Director.

  "Religious freedom is an essential element of our democracy -- indeed it is the very reason America is the most religiously diverse nation in the world," said Dr. Gunn. "The two critical components of religion are the free exercise and the establishment clauses in the First Amendment of the Constitution and neither should be overlooked. The ACLU has been at the forefront in defending our religious freedom, and I look forward to engaging in the ongoing debate about the need for government neutrality in matters of religious opinion."

  Dr. Gunn received his Ph.D. in Religion and Society from Harvard University in 1991, and he holds a J.D. from Boston University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1987. He earned his M.A. in Humanities at the University of Chicago and his B.A. in International Relations and Humanities at Brigham Young University, where he received high honors with distinction.

  Perhaps those who would denegrate this group should actually be thanking God for the ACLU.

  by CJB on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 07:10:16 PM PDT

  •  Well, that was longer than hell, wasn't it? n/t

    by CJB on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 07:10:50 PM PDT

    •  Thanks for this!

      It will make a great counter to whatever FauxCrap™ comes in reply!

      by Jesus was a Liberal on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 07:14:01 PM PDT

•  It's not a Christmas tree even in the field.

  It's a fucking fir.  How much money have these nit wits sent to Communist China for cheesie holiday decorations and flags?  China then loans the US back some of the money until our Government has to barrow money to pay the interest on the money we owe China et al.  "FA LA LA LA LA, LA LA LA."

  by Friend of the court on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 07:28:06 PM PDT

•  Jesus was a Liberal, this one is for you

  Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

  Were Jesus walking the earth today he would definitely be a card-carrying ACLU member.  They come closer to acting on Jesus' words than many self-proclaimed christians.  Other comments detailed this much, much better than I can-this means you CJB.

  Good catch, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

  And Jesus teachings are, of course, one of the foundations of liberal thought.

  by ForFreedom on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 07:29:08 PM PDT

•  If Lush Dimbulb hates it:

  It's gotta be good for me.
  No kool aid for me thank you.

  by manwithnoname on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 08:19:18 PM PDT

•  Limbo

  Should have mentioned in your email that even ole druggie lumpo limbo took help from the ACLU when trying to keep his Dr. shopping under wraps from the DA

  by smirkslapper on Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 08:28:29 PM PDT

•  Got the same email...

  So I looked the topic up on snopes.com (debunks urban myths), and sent a link to the rebuttal to all the people listed in the email header.  I included the last paragraph from that web page:

  Above all, perhaps, one might consider whether engaging in deliberate deception and attempting to sabotage an organization's operations over a difference in belief isn't the antithesis of what Christmas (and Christianity itself) is supposed to be about.

  The original senders response?

  I still don't think it is a bad dea.........

  I had thought about posting this as a diary, simply to ask what the hell we can do with folks who refuse to confront their own hypocrisy and ignorance.  I drown in the middle of a big red splotch!

  by Unknown Quantity on Sun Sep 03, 2006 at 10:16:48 AM PDT