When you hear the word “America,” the word “liberty” naturally comes to mind. This nation was founded upon the principle of freedom—that an individual citizen should be master of his or her own fate. Unfortunately, there are a number of threats to our liberty today.
When you hear the word “America,” the word “liberty” naturally comes to mind. This nation was founded upon the principle of freedom—that an individual citizen should be master of his or her own fate. We should be free to pursue the career of our choice, free to practice our faith, and free to establish homes and families.
Unfortunately, there are a number of threats to our liberty today. Big government, with its burdensome taxes and extensive regulations, threatens the liberty of small business owners. Corrupt judges threaten the religious liberty of schoolchildren who want to pray in public schools. Violent crime forces the elderly to be virtual prisoners in their own homes—an assault on their liberty. And the list goes on and on.
As a result of all this, you might think there’s a tremendous need in this nation for something called the American Civil Liberties Union. After all, it seems as if our liberty is under constant attack—from the very government we finance with our tax dollars. We need organizations in the public square that are willing to safeguard our freedom.
However, the ACLU is terribly misnamed. Instead of defending our liberties, this radical organization threatens our freedom in courtrooms around the country. The ACLU will not defend the rights of the unborn child, opting instead to sacrifice babies on the altar of something called “choice.” The ACLU is, in fact, one of the most vocal proponents of all forms of abortion.
If a public high school student wants to hold a prayer meeting at school, the ACLU is the first in line trying to sabotage the project. In the vocabulary of the ACLU, there is no such thing as religious liberty. Instead, the organization routinely fights for freedom FROM religion—not freedom to exercise religion.
If a mayor wants to place a Christmas display on the grounds of City Hall, the ACLU is at the ready to put a stop to it. If a judge wants to post the Ten Commandments in the courthouse, the ACLU is prepared to fight the idea—all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
When the ACLU is not being downright dangerous, it is engaging in silliness. Take, for instance, the recent case of a high school boy who wanted to wear shorts in violation of his school’s dress code. As teenagers often do, the boy decided to rebel. His form of protest? Wearing a skirt to class.
Sound strange? Not to the ACLU. In a bizarre turn of events, the organization decided to get involved in the controversy. Recently, it was announced that the ACLU had reached an agreement with school officials allowing 17-year-old Michael Coviello to wear skirts to school.
What about the rights of Coviello’s classmates to attend school without the distraction of a skirt-wearing boy? What about the rights of taxpayers to have schools that are orderly and abide by some kind of standards in dress and behavior? The ACLU was only concerned with the supposed right of a teenage boy to engage in cross-dressing.
In a statement, Coviello said, “I’m happy to be able to wear skirts again to bring attention to the fact that the ban on shorts doesn’t make sense.”
But what really doesn’t make sense is that an organization that tries to portray itself as reputable would engage in this kind of foolishness.
The only word that adequately describes the ACLU is “extremist.” It is not extreme in the defense of liberty—it is extreme in imposing bizarre attitudes and policies on the rest of us.
Nathan Tabor regularly appears on radio and is writing a book for Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nathan received his BA in psychology from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and his MA in public policy from Regent University.
In 2004, Nathan ran for Congress (NC5) in an eight-way primary. He raised over $850,000 and received over 7,500 votes in the most expensive primary in American history. Nathan's supporters included Dick Armey, Ed Meese, Steve Moore, Art Laffer, Pat Robertson, Bob Jones III, Congressman Robert Aderholt, Congressman Trent Franks, Congressman Jim Ryun, Beverly and Tim LaHaye, Mike Farris and many others. Dr. Jerry Falwell dubbed him the "young Jesse Helms."
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