Stop taxpayer funding of the ACLU in Establishment Clause cases

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1. Carol Johnson

   August 1st, 2006 at 10:01 pm

   1

   Great on the Mount Soledad monument. I swear there are people out there that suing is a way of life with them. One would only hope that they would get the message and GET A LIFE!!

   Cynthia McKinney sure seems to be sue happy these days…as in her threatend lawsuit against the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Want to read something really funny? Here is Cynthia McKinney’s closing statement at her debate with one of her opponents (Johnson) in the runoff (via Powerline):

   Thank you very much. An ordinance which was found unconstitutional written by an attorney. Dr. King reminded us that the measure of a man is where he stands in challenging controversy. I stand. Alongside our troops and our veterans, working families, and Mr. Clark, who could get no help from Mr. Johnson when his land was swallowed up by a landfill. Eisenhower reminds us that every dollar spent on war is a theft from the people. And I have brought more than $350 million. Send me back to Washington, so I can speak truth to power. [sic, sic, sic, and sic]

   Is that incoherent or what? This woman is so bizaare!

   Carol

2. From the Mind of Splittfinger : Stop the ACLU - Utahpatriots Team powers, ACTIVATE!

   August 2nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm

   2

   [...] Stop the ACLU – Utahpatriots Team powers, ACTIVATE! OK that was cheesy, but this is very important.  I couldn’t agree with this more.  I DO NOT want to continue paying the ACLU for working against this country: http://stoptheaclu.com/archives/2006/08/01/senate-hearings-on-public-expression-of-religion-act-set-for-wednessday/ Senate Hearings on Public Expression of Religion Act Set For Wednessday by Jay on 08-01-06 @ 6:34 pm Filed under ACLU, Church And State, War On Terror, 1st Amendment, Boyscouts, History, News When the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments, veterans memorials, and other symbols of American history and heritage guess who pays them? You do! However, there is current legislation going before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, as well as a companion bill going before the House that is designed to put a stop to this. Former ACLU attorney, Rees Lloyd, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing, is stepping up to the plate.Record Gazette: Rees Lloyd, Banning-based attorney and Commander of American Legion District 21 (Riverside County), has been selected to testify on behalf of The American Legion before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution in support of passage of Senate Bill 3696, Veterans Memorials, Boy Scouts, Public Seals and Other Public Expressions of Religion Act of 2006 (‚ÄúPERA). S 3696 (PERA), sponsored by Sen. Brownback (R-Kan), a companion bill to H.R. 2979 (PERA), sponsored by Rep. Hostetter (R-Ind.), would amend all relevant federal laws to eliminate the authority of judges to award taxpayer-paid attorney fees to the ACLU, or anyone else, in lawsuits under the Establishment of Religion Clause of the First Amendment against veterans memorials, the Boy Scouts, or the public display of the Ten Commandments of other symbols of America‚Äôs history with a religious aspect. The following is from an email sent out by Mr. Rees Lloyd: While most Americans remain unaware of it, the ACLU has been reaping millions of dollars in taxpayer-paid profits in lawsuits against veterans memorials, the Boy Scouts, or against the public display of the Ten Commandments or other symbol of our American heritage with a religious aspect. For but three examples, the ACLU received some $950,000 in attorney fees in a settlement with the City of San Diego in the ACLU‚Äôs lawsuit to drive the Boy Scouts out of Balboa Park. In the famous Judge Roy Moore Ten Commandments Case, the ACLU, and cohort so-called ‚Äúpublic interest‚Äù law firms, received $500,000. In the recent ‚ÄúIntelligent Design‚Äù case against the Dover school board, the ACLU received $2,000,000 in attorneys by order of a judge ‚Äî although the law firm which represented the ACLU informed the court and public that it had acted pro bono and waived any attorney fees. Thus, it was pure profit to the ACLU. Further, the ACLU has used the threat of imposition of taxpayer-paid attorney fees to extort local elected bodies, city or county councils, school boards, into surrender to the ACLU‚Äôs demands to secularly cleanse the public sphere of any evidence of our American religious heritage. Moreover, the threat of imposition of orders to pay ACLU‚Äôs attorney fees in such cases has caused third parties, like The American Legion and other non-profit organizations, to suffer a chilling effect on their First Amendment rights to participate in such lawsuits to protect veterans‚Äô memorials. S. 3696 (PERA), and H.R. 2679 (PERA), would put an end to that abuse of benevolently intended laws by the ACLU, or anyone else following the ACLU‚Äôs precedents, for instance, Islamist terrorists or their sympathizers in our midst. This reform of the law should be supported by all Americans across all party, ideological, philosophical, or religious lines. Simply put, the ACLU‚Äôs profiteering at taxpayer-expense by exploitation of benevolently intended civil rights laws intended to benefit poor people is a disgrace. The ACLU have turned the intention of this Act, just like they do the Constitution, on its head. A huge portion of Establishment Clause cases are settled outside of court because of threatening and intimidation from the ACLU. Most of these small schools and towns can not afford to defend themselves from the well funded ACLU and give in to their demands and threatening letters. They know they can not afford to lose. If they do they will be paying for the ACLU‚Äôs attorney fees which in many cases reach the millions. Despite all of this some people are trying to claim, like the ACLU, that this law would prevent people who were actually injured by an arm of the state forcing religious views on people such as a school forcing children to pray from being able to afford to defend themselves. Rees Lloyd dismisses this claim in a selected excerpt from a preview I recieved of his speech this Wednessday: PERA is narrowly drawn to impact only on Establishment Clause cases, and no other civil rights claims. Arguments have been raised that this, somehow, creates an Equal Protection violation. It is respectfully suggested that this is an argument without merit; the law makes distinctions in myriadinstances, including as to what kind of civil wrongs can result in attorney fee transfers by court orders. Further, Establishment Clause cases are the only claims of which I am aware that are allowed to proceed without any showing that the plaintiff has suffered any economic, physical, or mental damage, or been deprived of the exercise of any right, but is merely offended at the sight of a symbol which has a religious aspect. In all other categories of claims of which I am aware, mere ‚Äútaking offense‚Äù is not even cognizable for a claim or cause or action. Thus, the distinction made in PERA is a rational one, and preserves attorney fee transfers in cases in which an actual economic, physical, or mental injury, or deprivation of right, other than mere offense, is suffered. Concisely stated: The American Legion believes that passage of the S. 3696, PERA, is essential for the protection of civil rights for all Americans and not limited to special interests, and for the preservation of the purpose and integrity of the attorney fee provisions of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S. Code Section 1988, the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), and all other Federal statutes which were benevolently intended to benefit the poor and advance civil rights, but are now resulting in the opposite; are resulting in unintended financial enrichment; and are trammeling and throttling the exercise of First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, to petition for redress of grievances to the judicial and legislative branches. PERA is aimed at cases involving the ‚Äúoffended observer‚Äù with ‚Äúeggshell sensitivities‚Äù not cases where actual injury has occured. This should probably be made more clear if the legislation is to pass. Not only does the ACLU use this provision to fund their agenda of secular cleansing and threaten small schools and towns, they also use it as a tool of punishment for those that resist their agenda. They have accumulated literally millions of taxpayer funded attorney fees when in fact they have no actual attorney fees. Rees will also reveal this truth in Wednessday‚Äôs speech: As a former ACLU attorney, I know to a certainty that the ACLU‚Äôs litigation is carried out by staff attorneys, or by pro bono attorneys who are in fact precluded from receiving fees under the ACLU‚Äôs own policies. Notwithstanding, the ACLU regularly seeks, and receives, attorney fees in Establishment Clause cases at market rate, usually $350 an hour in California. Although the courts know that ACLU clients in fact incur no attorney fee obligation, and that ACLU incurs no fee obligation to volunteer cooperating attorneys, as far as is known, no judge has simply said ‚Äúno‚Äù to ACLU attorney fee requests, even though there is no evidence that any attorney fees were incurred. Thus, benevolently intended fee provisions are b
   eing used as a bludgeon against public entities to surrender to ACLU‚Äôs demands, and being used to obtain profits in the millions. Take a look at this long list where the ACLU were payed by you for the secularization of our nation. Are you happy to be paying for this? The passing of this legislation can put a stop to it. If someone moves into town and decides he doesn‚Äôt like the memorial cross on the hill, he can sue, but his lawyers won‚Äôt get rich if they win. This is what the ACLU has done ‚Äî they work ‚Äúpro bono,‚Äù but not really. Their clients are not normally indigent, have not suffered any injury and don‚Äôt pay any attorneys fees anyway in these cases! It‚Äôs all pure gravy for the ACLU and does nothing to advance liberty. Besides, if the ACLU is doing this for some higher principle, attorneys‚Äô fees should be nothing but a peripheral afterthought. They use the threat of huge legal fees to intimidate defenseless towns, not to vindicate rights. Stop The ACLU stands with the American Legion in supporting the passage of the ‚ÄúPublic Expression of Religion Act‚Äù. Lets put things back on a fair playing field and stop paying for the ACLU‚Äôs agenda. Do your part! The ACLU supports many radical causes, and while they may have every right to do so, it should not be at the expense of taxpayers that do not support such causes. Please contact your Congress critter, and representative, and tell them to support PERA. Find your Representative here. Find your Senator here. Sign Our Petition To Stop Taxpayer Funding of the ACLUreverse_vampyr linked with Should your taxes fund the ACLU?Ogre’s Politics & Views linked with Crush Corporate Welfare!The Jawa Report linked with Who Pays the ACLU’s Lawyers?The Scratching Post linked with San Diego Says ThanksKender’s Musings linked with Stopping The ACLUA Lady’s Ruminations linked with Important Post at Stop the ACLU!purpleavenger linked with PERA could throttle ACLU extortionist vampiresDPGI v.2 linked with Lend support to ending the tax-exempt-ACLU profiting from its lawsuitsConservative Thinking linked with Stop Paying For The Secular Cleansing Of AmericaThe Uncooperative Blogger linked with Hit The ACLU Where It Hurts: The Pocket BookJo’s Cafe linked with Stop the ACLU Funding by TaxpayersA Rose By Any Other Name linked with Something You Should KnowAce of Spades HQ linked with Congress Holds Hearings On ACLU Collecting Lawyer’s Fees In Establishment-Clause CasesBIG DOG’S WEBLOG linked with Everyone Needs To Call Their Elected Officials!Church and State linked with Remove the ACLU Mosquito from our VeinsCrystal Clear linked with Senate Hearings on Public Expression of Religion Act Set For WednesdayGo Pundit Go linked with Help Stop The ACLU From Earning Your Tax DollarsDon Surber linked with The ACLU does not need welfare [Comments_(33)] [Printable_Version] [Permalink] [Trackback_URI] –> [Trackback URI] right click+copy shortcut   33 Responses Trackback by Don Surber on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:03 pm The ACLU does not need welfare Considering the ACLU already is tax-exempt, that should be enough government aid. Pingback by Go Pundit Go ¬ª Blog Archive ¬ª Help Stop The ACLU From Earning Your Tax Dollars on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:04 pm [‚Ķ] Please contact your Congressional Representatives immediately and urge them to pass PERA. From Rees LLoyd, via Stop The ACLU: While most Americans remain unaware of it, the ACLU has been reaping millions of dollars in taxpayer-paid profits in lawsuits against veterans memorials, the Boy Scouts, or against the public display of the Ten Commandments or other symbol of our American heritage with a religious aspect. [‚Ķ] Trackback by Go Pundit Go on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:04 pm Help Stop The ACLU From Earning Your Tax Dollars Please contact your Congressional Representatives immediately and urge them to pass PERA. From Rees LLoyd, via Stop The ACLU:While most Americans remain unaware of it, the ACLU has been reaping millions of dollars in taxpayer-paid profits in lawsuits ‚Ķ Pingback by The Real Ugly American.com ¬ª Blog Archive ¬ª Stop the ACLU from receiving millions $ in tax payer subsidies on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:23 pm [‚Ķ] From Stop the ACLU: [‚Ķ] Pingback by Chaespot on Lawyers ¬ª Blog Archives ¬ª The Legal Industry – Senate Hearings on Public Expression of Religion Act Set For ‚Ķ on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:33 pm [‚Ķ] Stop the ACLU, PA - 49 minutes ago‚Ķ by order of a judge although the law firm which represented the ACLU informed the court and public that it had acted pro bono and waived any attorney fees. ‚Ķ Click Here [‚Ķ] Trackback by Crystal Clear on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:41 pm Senate Hearings on Public Expression of Religion Act Set For Wednesday Jay of Stop The ACLU Trackback by Church and State on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:48 pm Remove the ACLU Mosquito from our Veins Jay Stephenson at Stop The ACLU has done some extensive research on this very critical issue. Everyone, if you believe like any good patriotic American should and don‚Äôt have the time to read the entire post, take my word on it, and just go ahead and c‚Ķ Trackback by BIG DOG’S WEBLOG on August 1st, 2006 @ 7:57 pm Everyone Needs To Call Their Elected Officials! Every time some issue regarding religion is challenged in court by the ACLU taxpayer dollars are at risk. If the ACLU wins they are paid with US taxpayer money. This neat little scheme allows the ACLU to shop around for cases to bring to court and fo‚Ķ Trackback by Ace of Spades HQ on August 1st, 2006 @ 8:45 pm Congress Holds Hearings On ACLU Collecting Lawyer‚Äôs Fees In Establishment-Clause Cases Stop the ACLU has more on this. As a purely pragmatic matter, I kind of would like the ACLU to have to fund itself through donations, rather than simply collecting up its own salaries from the various counties and municipalities‚Ķ Trackback by A Rose By Any Other Name on August 1st, 2006 @ 9:14 pm Something You Should Know When the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments, veterans memorials, and other symbols of American history and heritage guess who pays them? You do! However, there is current legislation going before the Sen‚Ķ Trackback by Jo’s Cafe on August 1st, 2006 @ 9:23 pm Stop the ACLU Funding by Taxpayers ‚Ķ Pingback by Xtreme Right Wing. Scratching the Rash of Liberalism! on August 1st, 2006 @ 9:33 pm [‚Ķ] ACLU‚Äôs agenda being funded from your pocket. Act today! [Comments_(0)] [ [Permalink] [ Trackback_URI ][ Main] [‚Ķ] Trackback by The Uncooperative Blogger on August 1st, 2006 @ 9:38 pm Hit The ACLU Where It Hurts: The Pocket Book When the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments, veterans memorials, and other symbols of American history and heritage guess who pays them? You do! However, there is current legislation going before the Sen‚Ķ Trackback by Conservative Thinking on August 1st, 2006 @ 9:43 pm Stop Paying For The Secular Cleansing Of America When the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments, veterans memorials, and other symbols of American history and heritage guess who pays them? You do! However, there is current legislation going before‚Ķ Pingback by Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler ¬ª Blog Archive ¬ª It‚Äôs Time to Stop the ACLU! on August 1st, 2006 @ 9:46 pm [‚Ķ] LC & IB Jay at Stop the ACLU has the details. [‚Ķ] Trackback by DPGI v.2 on August 1st, 2006 @ 10:02 pm Lend support to ending the tax-exempt-ACLU profiting from its lawsuits This is worth the time spent reading it:Stop The ACLU: Senate Hearings on Public Expression of Religion Act Set For WednesdayWhen the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments, veterans memorials, and other s‚Ķ Trackback by purpleavenger on August 1st, 2006 @ 10:07 pm PERA could throttle ACLU extortionist vampires It used to be that the ACLU had a good reputation. Alas, those days are as go
   ne as gasoline at $.25/gallon and the oh so politically incorrect, extravagantly tailfinned, 1961 Cadillac Coupe you might have pumped that $.25/gallon ‚Äúhi test‚Äù into. The 6‚Ķ Trackback by A Lady’s Ruminations on August 1st, 2006 @ 10:13 pm Important Post at Stop the ACLU! Really important post over at Stop the ACLU titled Senate Hearings on Public Expression of Religion Act Set For Wednesday. Please go read it. The ACLU wants to secularize America.Basically, When the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the ‚Ķ Pingback by Macsmind – Conservative Commentary and Common Sense ¬ª Blog Archive ¬ª Stop taxpayer funding of the ACLU in Establishment Clause cases on August 1st, 2006 @ 10:24 pm [‚Ķ] John at Stop the ACLU has the info. ‚ÄúWhen the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments, veterans memorials, and other symbols of American history and heritage guess who pays them? You do! However, there is current legislation going before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, as well as a companion bill going before the House that is designed to put a stop to this.‚Äù [‚Ķ] Trackback by Kender’s Musings on August 1st, 2006 @ 10:30 pm Stopping The ACLU A double dose from Stop The ACLU! First on the agenda‚Ķ.do your part and encourage your senators to pass legislation to put an end to taxpayer funding of the ACLU‚Äôs anti-Christian agenda! Comment by kerwin_brown on August 1st, 2006 @ 11:56 pm The Act is fine except for one major detail. The Federal Bill of Rights does not legally apply to the states so there should be no need for this Act. This is a problem with Federal controled education that neglects to teach children history that shows the Federal Bill of Rights was passed into law to limit the whole federal government including the court system. This and the Seventeenth Amendment remove state control from the Federal government and our liberty has been taken because of it. Comment by Jay on August 2nd, 2006 @ 12:00 am The key word is ‚Äúshould be‚Äù. The problem is actually courts using ‚Äúprecedent‚Äù of faulty rulings to ‚Äúcreate law‚Äù that in actuality is unconstitutional. If the Federal government can‚Äôt reign that in we are at a greater danger of losing liberty than we already have been subjected to. Trackback by The Scratching Post on August 2nd, 2006 @ 12:06 am San Diego Says Thanks From my back balcony I can see Mt. Soledad. I can‚Äôt see the cross, but I know it‚Äôs there. It‚Äôs been there for a long time and until an obsessed local atheist went bananas in court Trackback by The Jawa Report on August 2nd, 2006 @ 12:24 am Who Pays the ACLU‚Äôs Lawyers? Why, you do, of course. Every time the ACLU files a suit, by current law, their lawyers are paid from your taxes. Senate hearings to change that begin today. From Jay at Stop the ACLU:When the ACLU wins a case‚Ķ Pingback by bRight & Early ¬ª on August 2nd, 2006 @ 7:00 am [‚Ķ] Stop The ACLU (Jay) Senate Hearings on Public Expression of Religion Act Set For Wednessday ‚Äî ‚ÄúWhen the ACLU wins a case against the Boy Scouts, the public display of the Ten Commandments, veterans memorials, and other symbols of American history and heritage guess who pays them? You do! However, there is current legislation going before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, as well as a companion bill going before the House that is designed to put a stop to this.‚Äù Hezbollah, Israel, The Left(DIGG Button Below) Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [‚Ķ] Comment by Glib Fortuna on August 2nd, 2006 @ 8:15 am KB‚Äì Most of these lawsuits are brought in federal courts on federal constitutional claims, usually 1st and 14th Amendment. Thus, the employing the ‚Äústates issue‚Äù argument doesn‚Äôt account for the reality of what the bill is addressing. States may decide for themselves whether successful state claims are eligible for recoup of legal fees or other awards whether this bill passes or not. Additonally, under the Constitution, the legislature may limit the court‚Äôs jurisdiction. Alas, it has not decided to exercise its authority and has, as a result of political spinelessness, allowed the court to become a superbranch which has usurped power from both other branches, giving us what we have today ‚Äî the idea that the court ‚Äúhas the final word.‚Äù Pingback by Webloggin – Blog Archive ¬ª Everyone Needs To Call Their Elected Officials! on August 2nd, 2006 @ 8:19 am [‚Ķ] Simply put, the ACLU‚Äôs profiteering at taxpayer-expense by exploitation of benevolently intended civil rights laws intended to benefit poor people is a disgrace. Stop The ACLU [‚Ķ] Trackback by Ogre’s Politics & Views on August 2nd, 2006 @ 9:26 am Crush Corporate Welfare! Stop corporate welfare now! Today! Stop millions of taxpayer dollars from being spent by a private corporation. Comment by kerwin_brown on August 2nd, 2006 @ 9:58 am GF, I agree our legislation branch is spineless but some of that spinelessness has resulted in it gaining more power from taking it away from the states. Federal justices only serve during good behavior and breaking your constitutional oath by misinterpreting the Constitution is not good behavior. If you read the Fourteenth Amendment then you will see it only gives Congress the power to enforce it. The Federal Courts can not legally step in until Congress makes a law. The Fourteenth Amendment is better understood if you remember it‚Äôs purpose was to overturn the Dred Scott Decision and give some teeth to the Civil Right Acts being passed at the time. Pingback by Expose the Left ¬ª Stop Paying For The ACLU‚Äôs Agenda on August 2nd, 2006 @ 10:34 am [‚Ķ] Please read all about this legislation at Stop The ACLU. Contact your Senators and let them know you support it! By: Jay at 11:33 am in General News | | Permalink [‚Ķ] Pingback by Josiah Project ¬ª Governmental Jurisdiction – Tax Collection and Distribution on August 2nd, 2006 @ 12:59 pm [‚Ķ] Not only is this taking place in a passive manner as in abortion.  Perhaps to call the sin of abortion passive sounds foolish.  But, I speak of the funding of abortion as passive not the act itself.  This is in contradistinction to the funding of an organization that actively attacks Christian beliefs, such as the ACLU.  This is what is taking place when the ACLU sues a governmental entity on the grounds of separation of church and state, as reported today on stoptheaclu.com. [‚Ķ] Comment by Glib Fortuna on August 2nd, 2006 @ 1:06 pm KB‚Äì I feel the same frustration and share your view that the court has become a superbranch of government. I also understand how the 14th Amendment has been distorted as much as any amendment aside from the 1st. However, the cases we are talking about are brought to FEDERAL courts based on FEDERAL claims. Whether the court has overreached or not (it has), we need to deal with the ‚Äúis‚Äù rather than the ‚Äúought.‚Äù That is why PERA is needed. Trackback by reverse_vampyr on August 2nd, 2006 @ 1:13 pm Should your taxes fund the ACLU? You already know how the ACLU uses our legal system to twist American society into the kind of secular socialist utopia that makes their little peckers hard, but did you know they‚Äôre using YOUR tax dollars to do it? Try finding that in the Constituti‚Ķ Published Wednesday, August 02, 2006 12:55 PM by Splittfinger [...]