ACLU supports NRA lawsuit!

[berettaprofessor]

https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/new-york-state-cant-be-allowed-stifle-nras-political-speech

Somehow, the ACLU put aside its support for “reasonable” restrictions on guns long enough to support the NRA lawsuit against the attempt by Governor Cuomo and New York State to restrict the ability of the NRA to deal with insurers and banks. Essentially the ACLU sees Cuomos actions as infringing 1st Amendment rights. Admittedly they are only supporting the NRA right to be heard, but it’s a start.

I may have to reconsider my opinion of the ACLU brass.

 

[Sistema1927]

You would think that the ACLU and the NRA, both being civil rights organizations, would work hand in hand. Unfortunately this is seldom the case.

It is a good thing that they are in the right corner, at least for this issue.

 

[George Dickel]

The ACLU is only getting involved because this tactic could be used to gore an ox they favor. The ACLU is not your friend.

 

[ontarget]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend......
Seems to fit here.

 

[roscoe]

You can say whatever you want about the ACLU, but they are principled. They defend people they disagree with (even loathe) all the time.

 

[RETG]

The ACLU has jumped in on a few anti-gun type lawsuits in the past such as the idea to stop people on SS from obtaining guns if they just had someone else handle their financial info, and against Nevada years ago. And what NY is trying to do to the NRA could easily be expanded to organizations such as AARP....

 

[old lady new shooter]

You can say whatever you want about the ACLU, but they are principled. They defend people they disagree with (even loathe) all the time.

They USED to. Not any more, they are full-on SJW's.

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

I usually think of the ACLU as the American Criminal Lover’s Union...but what are SJW’s?

Sam

 

[MachIVshooter]

what are SJW’s?

Sam

Social justice warrior

 

[theotherwaldo]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend......
Seems to fit here.

No.

Maxim 29. The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more. No less.

-from The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.

 

[Hasaf]

-from The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.

I had to look that one up.

I remember reading in the biography of the founder of the American Nazi Party. Please don't try to speculate to hard on why I read it, I really don't remember. I read it back when I was a security guard in my early twenties. I suspect that I picked it up cheap or something. I was reading a lot of biographies at the time, they were thick and very cheap at the used book store.

As a comment, the guy was a lifelong loser, He seemed to have great skill for grasping defeat from the jaws of certain victory. Back to the point, I recall, in the book, he was in jail and the ACLU showed up and provided him defense. Yes, going to that extreme to support principal, even when some like that is the case in point, shows a great level of commitment (comeon, nazis, hiss. . . boo . . . that one is easy).

A quick thank you to the OP for putting in the link.

Straight from the article:

If the NRA’s charges are true, the state’s actions would clearly violate the First Amendment. Public officials are, of course, free to criticize groups with which they disagree. But they cannot use their regulatory authority to penalize advocacy groups by threatening companies that do business with those groups. And here the state has admitted, in its own words, that it focused on the NRA and other groups not because of any illegal conduct, but because they engage in “gun promotion” — in other words, because they advocate a lawful activity.

from here, emphasis mine.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

No.

Maxim 29. The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more. No less.

-from The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.

My favorite is maxim 37...

 

[GEM]

Let us discuss their actions on the issue reported.
Opinions on other ‘sjw’ Issues aren’t relevant
Hint!

 

[Deus Machina]

No.

Maxim 29. The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more. No less.

-from The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.

I've often suggested that be amended to "the enemy of my enemy is useful" but that hasn't been picked up yet.
I'd just be happy if I could get my hands on some of Andreyasn's epaulets or anything that emits an Ommminous Hummm.

Back to the topic, I haven't seen much that would make me label the ACLU as unprincipled. Unfortunately they often advocate someone that got themselves into the position to become the precedent, but technically by law in word or spirit they're correct.

 

[natman]

The national ACLU's position on the Second Amendment is hypocritical, especially post-Heller. If this were a strictly Second Amendment issue, they wouldn't lift a finger. However, they are absolutely relentless in defending any other part of the constitution, and since this is a First Amendment / abuse of power case, they'll be all over it.

 

[vito]

I'm not even confident that the ACLU as a whole still supports the 1st Amendment (I believe that they absolutely do NOT support the 2nd Amendment whatsoever). Some free speech cases as public universities have not gotten their support. Religious freedom cases, especially if they conflict with the so-called rights of the LBGQT community, do not get their support. The ACLU is clearly not what it was a few decades ago.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

The ACLU is only getting involved because this tactic could be used to gore an ox they favor. The ACLU is not your friend.

I got a good chuckle out of this. You can bet they have a ulterior motive that will benefit them for some reason, possibly in the lending or banking laws down the road.

 

[sota]

the ACLU rightly recognizes that this "weapon" could be turned on them and their pet projects, if the political winds blow the wrong way. frankly it's pretty impressive they caught on to that so quickly. they (the ACLU) are still a "terrorist" organization in my view, though.

 

[JeffG]

Groups like the ACLU fail to realize that the 2nd A is equally applicable across all races and background of legal gun owners in the USA. It's inconvenient (to them) that the inner city criminal is predominantly not white. Disarming everybody is the broad-brush solution that they want...

 

[WestKentucky]

I have always thought it odd that the ACLU supports vehemently the fringe members of society but as a whole dismisses the masses. This is again (sad to say) true in that the NRA is now a collective group of folks who are pro-gun to a point to reach into their wallets. This puts the NRA into the category of fringe groups. Note that they are speaking up for the group, not for the individuals.

I suspect they are looking for funding from NRA donors.

 

[old lady new shooter]

I usually think of the ACLU as the American Criminal Lover’s Union...but what are SJW’s?

Sam

"Social Justice Warriors".

 

[roscoe]

I have always thought it odd that the ACLU supports vehemently the fringe members of society but as a whole dismisses the masses.

That is pretty much the point of the 1st Amendment. If we all agree on what to think, say, and do, there is no 'fringe'. The edges of society is what requires protecting. Nowadays it is Nazis and pornographers; in the old days it was science teachers, 'reds', birth control education, Henry Miller, and interned Japanese citizens; whatever some powerful element of society at that time had decided was too far outside the mainstream and needed to be constrained in some way.

 

[roscoe]

the ACLU rightly recognizes that this "weapon" could be turned on them and their pet projects, if the political winds blow the wrong way. frankly it's pretty impressive they caught on to that so quickly. they (the ACLU) are still a "terrorist" organization in my view, though.

Yes, branding everything with the 'terrorist' label. A weak rhetorical technique for criticizing someone with whom you disagree, without actually using argumentation or data.

 

[WestKentucky]

That is pretty much the point of the 1st Amendment. If we all agree on what to think, say, and do, there is no 'fringe'. The edges of society is what requires protecting. Nowadays it is Nazis and pornographers; in the old days it was science teachers, 'reds', birth control education, Henry Miller, and interned Japanese citizens; whatever some powerful element of society at that time had decided was too far outside the mainstream.

True, but even now it is hard for certain groups of people to be given fair treatment, and those folks whose views fall within the normal societal realm are still forgotten. Maybe they just don’t get press coverage anymore...I dunno, but it’s been a long time since I saw an American citizen wearing traditional Muslim clothing be treated as an equal. I understand that there is a stereotype, but that doesn’t make it right. Put a dark completed guy into Muslim clothing and send him to the gun counter at Walmart and tell me he gets treated the same as a “normal” person, even if he truly fits every other bit of societal norm.

 

[nettlle]

ACLU fades in and out. They seem to have no clear path. Certainly they have no one's back except their own.