I've seen these acronyms floating around lately so I thought I'd share that I am a member of both the NRA and the ACLU.

Why? That's a good question, because I do not agree with everything that both of these organizations do, or say, or how they go about thier business, (both have really ticked me off) but I think that they both do the same fundamental thing, at least in my mind, and that is to radically defend my rights and fight for them in the broadest sense of these rights.

I know that I may have opened a can of worms because both of these organizations are very good at raising peoples tempers and feelings, so please keep the discourse respectful.

Thom

yeah, the only part i tend to disagree with is the ACLU fighting for rights. it seems that in some cases i've interpreted their actions as stifling rights. somehow, people have gotten the idea that they have a right to a life without hearing certain words or seeing certain events/activities. this, in turn, results in the effort to remove the rights of some folks to say or do certain things. things get kinda hazy in that arena, but most stories i read involve the ACLU being on the side that i would not support.

just an observation i've made.

Thom

Not a fan of either organization, nor am I a member of either one! I think both are extreme...JMO!

Charlie

I think that in a free and open society both organizations have a place. I certainly don't agree with some of the things either organization does. This doesn't mean that I think that either organization don't do some good.

I don't subscribe to either, but being I am slightly right of center in ideology, I would be more inclined to be an NRA member.

The ACLU could move me closer to the center if they would take up a real noble cause, like reversing all these smoking bans.

I agree that these organizations use some extreme measures. Maybe that is what atracts me to them.

Is it unconstitutional to own an automatic gun? I don't think an automatic gun is nessecary, but the NRA fights for that right.

Is it unconstitutional to burn the flag? I would never do it, but the ACLU fights for that right.

Maybe I'm near being near sighted about these organizations, but I believe the more rights we have as a people the better off we all are.

I used to be an NRA member, but they have done a few things that turned me off, so I quit. They arent trying to make 'automatics' legal though. They are trying to keep many 'assault weapons' from being banned that are semi-automatics.

I think there is 2 major differences between the two. 1. The Nra lobbies to suprot their beliefs. They educate kids hunters on gun safty. The ACLU Sues people. If they win even 1$ in a "human rights" suit the government (or the looser if it's a corp.) pays them back for their legal fees. THey came to Duluth MN recently. Advertsed for someone who was offend by the 10 com. statue at the court house and then sued to get it removed. 2. THe NRA is what it is. The NRA says what it is. THe ACLU does niether. They are only interested in sone civil liberties not in others. Oh sure, they filed a amecus(Spelling)or friend of the court brief for Rush Limbaugh or a Nazi group etc. Cost 200$ But they'll spend millions defending Nambla right to publish kiddie porn and how to books on child rape. THe NRA does not advacate for person A bombs or that only red staters should get guns. My .02 Bill

rugrunner -- just to rebut your .02, and a little devil's advocacy.

1.) The ACLU lobbies extensively and has many programs in place for education about your rights. The NRA does indeed sue people.

2.) The ACLU is a defender of all the civil rights provided to us under the constitution. While the NRA is only focused on one.

Thom 1. You may be right. If i show you a daycare center built by Hamas does that make Kindercare. THe bulk of what they do is what I said they do.

2. They only really fight for the ones they want to. Only on one side of the isle.

you sound like you favor one over the other to me. Was the original question honest? Now it's .04 cents Bill

Thom

Just curious... who has the NRA sued?

rugrunner -- The original question? Are you asking if I'm really a member of both? You bet.

If you google 'NRA lawsuits' what comes up is that the NRA is trying to prevent lawsuits against gun owners/users, but not much else. At least on the 1st google page...

Thom no what i meant was in the original post it sounded to me like you were up in the air on both. Your last post seemed much more one sided. My I read one or the other(or both)wrong.I love o good debate and like to keep it friendly(although sometimes i cross over to the dark side too much). Bill

Rugrunner,

If you are going to disagree with something that either of these groups do, please state true and accurate facts.....don't make up stuff to please you, or go upon heresay.

You said that the ACLU defends NAMBLA's right to publish kiddie porn and "how to" books on child rape.....first of all, neither of those two things you mention are "rights," and finally the ACLU did nothing of the sort as you mention.

Get your facts straight.....you are simply spreading misinformation. This is the type of ignorance of this group that causes others to not like them.

Please explain to me where you get this information that they did what you say above.

http://www.operationlookout.org/lookoutmag/aclu_to_defend_nambla.htm 

thats the first one that poed up on google. It's the first of 11500 hits for aclu and nambla. I also beleive i saw a piece on it on the o'riely factor. That might not be The Nation or Mikey moore .com but It works for me. Bill ps agian liberal that would rather pick apart the minutia rather then attack the piont. The point was they spnd all their $ and time fighting for left wing causes and write the court a letter when a non leftist is getting stepped on.

Rugrunner,

The only thing that article says is "the group's attorneys will try to block any attempt by the Curleys to get NAMBLA's membership lists, or other materials identifying members." It says nothing about NAMBLA publishing Kiddie Porn or "how to" books on child rape.

I disagree with NAMBLA and find this group of men appalling. However, they have a constitutionally protected right to have a webpage (they no longer have one by the way) that tells of their beliefs. I've seen their former webpage (don't dig into that too deeply..ha ha, I was doing research for a book), and it had nothing illegal on it. It questioned the laws of statuatory rape, which I find sickening, but the site didn't suggest that people break them. It suggested they fight the laws and try to change them.

The ACLU made attempts to protect the identity of the men who ran this page due to the attempts of the lawyers that were trying to circumvent privacy laws and obtain their identity. Right or wrong, they had a right to privacy and when the law is going to be broken to peek into this privacy, we all suffer the consequences.

In a similar case, the ACLU also defended the writer of the book "Black Death," and the publishers of "The Anarchists Cookbook." a few years back.

The reason that it "seems" that the ACLU is always defending the left, and not the right, is because it's the cases of the "left" that hit the newstand. Defending the rights of flag-burners is always good gossip amongst ACLU haters, but defending the rights of a pastor in VA to pray in public is not good gossip stuff so it doesn't get mentioned.

Did the ACLU actually defend the rights of a CHRISTIAN pastor in Virginia to pray in public? Somehow I don't see the ACLU defending anything Christian anywhere in America. Buddist? Defense. Muslim? Defense. Hari Krishna? Defense. Satanic Cult? Defense. All these groups seem to have protected rights when it comes to their religious beliefs and its done in the name of protecting their culture. Christians don't seem to get that same protection from the ACLU or anybody else. The reason? Don't ask me, I just call it like I see it.

The NRA is a big organization. Like other big organizations it has some lunatics at the fringe. It has a lot of people in the middle of the road, too. Are they going to change anything? No, not as long as middle America sees gun restrictions as a way to avoid responsibility for teaching their kids right from wrong.

Camper,

Some headlines:

Following Threat of ACLU of Virginia Lawsuit, Officials to Agree Not to Ban Baptisms in Public Parks

http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLiberty.cfm?ID=15897&c=141 

ACLU of New Jersey Successfully Defends Right of Religious Expression by Jurors

NEWARK, NJ-- The State Supreme Court ruled today that a prosecutor violated the New Jersey Constitution when he removed two jurors from a jury pool, one for wearing Muslim religious clothing and another for having engaged in missionary activity........(note: the missionary was a Southern Baptist).....http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLiberty.cfm?ID=17237&c=29

I recenty saw an interview with two members of the board of directors of the ACLU that disagree. They said the ACLU has become a left wing group. If you look where they spend their time and money it's not on right wingers. To fight to defend a persons right to pray in public(I think we have always had fredom OF religion)compares with defending child rapists? I've seen intervues of their vics. No one has been damaged by public prayer. Go out and ask the man on the street what he would do to someone that raped his son. Then ask him what he would do to a minister that prayed in public in from of his son. Agian You love to pick at the minutiae, but ignore the meat.If that doesn't work attack the source. After that give up or go personal. You might fool some with you rhetoric but not me. I've been there, done that for too many years to fall so easy. Bill