Civil Liberties News Roundup

White House Calls ACLU a "Special Interest" Group-WND

The White House spokesman Scott McClellan: "The ACLU – this is one of the special interest groups that Democrats in the Senate are trying to appease because they want to weaken and undermine the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act is vital to saving lives. … It has also met an important commitment to protect people's civil liberties."

Is the ACLU a special interest? Certainly. I couldn't find any Democrat rebuttals defending the ACLU on this one. They show their support with their votes in Congress.

Chaplain on Hunger Strike Against Navy Policy-WND

Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt says he will not eat until the president takes action to allow him and other chaplains the freedom to pray and preach without diluting God to a one-size-fits all deity.It's been two weeks since he participated in a protest outside the White House, asking President Bush to sign an executive order allowing military clergy to pray according to their own faith traditions.

"They taught mandatory lectures there to all chaplains, that you cannot pray to your God, you have to pray to the civic god," Klingenschmitt explained. "The Muslim chaplain can't pray to Allah, a Jewish chaplain can't pray to Adonai, a Roman Catholic can't pray in the name of the Trinity, and I couldn't pray in Jesus' name in public. They only let us do that in private. If it's in public, they tell us to just pray to God and say, 'Amen.'"

WH spokesman Scott McClellan referred questions to the Defense Department.

ACLU Sues Over Student's Right Not to Stand for Pledge - Fla. Sun-Sentinel

A Boynton Beach, FL. teenager has engaged the ACLU to sue his school, after being "ridiculed and punished" for not standing to the pledge of allegiance.

"This lawsuit is not about the Pledge of Allegiance," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. "It is about his right to choose not to stand to recite the Pledge of Allegiance."

It seems more like a lack of discipline in the schools, and students going to any lengths to avoid doing what they're told. The same applies to this next one...

Rep. Tom Tancredo Asks ACLU to Support Student's Right Not to Stand for Mexican National Anthem

Congressman Tom Tancredo (R), citing the ACLU's stated opposition to the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, asked the ACLU to defend a student who refused to stand for the Mexican national anthem at a cultural awareness program. The Mexican anthem contains the lines, "For in heaven your eternal destiny, has been written by the hand of God."

Rep. Tancredo's press release is linked in this item's title, suggesting that he wasn't expecting any help for his constituent from the ACLU. Again, I think both the kids should have stood, if the faculty told them to.

ACLU Giving Cameras to Film Police - STL Today

The local ACLU chapter is giving video cameras out to residents of the city's north side, attempting to document civil rights abuses.

Sgt.Kevin Ahlbrand, president of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, said: "We don't expect any negative reports to come out of videotaping. Our members are under the assumption that in today's society, they should assume that any time they're in public, they may be being videotaped."

Perhaps the ACLU could ask the local people to film the criminals, instead of the cops? --Stipulating that there are many more criminals than criminal cops to film, of course. The ACLU doesn't appear to subscribe to that belief.

Hat tip to STOP THE ACLU

Crossposted at LEAVWORLD