The Importance Of The ACLU

I am not an expert on the American Civil Liberties Union.

All I can offer to you is my personal perspectives on why the ACLU is absolutely vital to yours, and my, personal safety and security.

Freedom of Speech and the guarantees of certain Civil Liberties are the keystones of the country that our forefathers built.

Please note that I said keystones not corner stones.

A corner stone is a key element of a foundation. They are a part whose removal would likely cause a large part of a structure to collapse.

But a cornerstone can also be a part that still stands after a structure has collapsed or been completely remodeled.

It's a corner, not a key.

A keystone is an integral part of that which makes a structure the uniquely individually structure that it is.

In our case, without the keystones of Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, protection from unwarranted search, seizure, surveillance or detention, without these keystones America ceases to be the United States of America; the most unique and powerful country in the world.

To the extent we stray from these keystone ideals we move exponentially from being the United States of America, toward things like the United Fascist States of America or the United Socialist States of America or The United States of America, Inc. (R)

We are, supposedly, THE land of individual freedom and individual right. We are the people who are supposed to be guaranteed by our government the right AND liberty to think what we want, feel what we want, say what we want, believe as we want, worship as we want and do what we want; so long as what we "do" does not directly (or indirectly through negligence), cause life debilitating harm to others.

We are the land that said government could not enter our homes without a warrant sworn under just cause and subjected to judicial review and approval.

Most Americans accept that this law will be stretched when dire circumstances are supported by significant material evidence and several eye witnesses; as long as it is to the purpose of effectively safeguarding the populous.

One of the things that gives comfort to the psyche of the populous over the stretching of this law is that heavy handed, wrong, or inappropriate action can always be prosecuted and severely punished.

And this is where the ACLU comes in.

The ACLU is but one of the maintenance teams working on behalf of all of us to ensure that the keystones of our country's ideological founding are never ignored, painted over, allowed to disintegrate, or removed by force.

Without the keystones which the ACLU helps protect, our country would be no different on the stages of the world than any other name your brand government. We would just be another one of those theocratic, communist, industrialist, petty dictatorship, parliamentary ruled land.

Right now, We are not. We are something special, powerful and unique.

We are The United States of America. There is not another country in the world like us; and there has never been another country like us.

We need to maintain our unique pride and place.

And the ACLU helps do that.



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29 January 2008

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Bill's Spirit is an Artist, Writer, Poet, Philosopher currently wordsmithing from a humble digital forge in small town Ohio.

The works of the man behind Bill's Spirit have been published in small alternative and amateur presses since 1986. Before that, they just filled notebooks, decorated walls and gathered dust in piles and boxes.

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My thanks to Gather connection Danielle S., and her eldest son, for inspiring this writing.

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