Is the ACLU Trying to Undermine the U.S. Military?

Is the American Civil Liberties Union trying to undermine the U.S. military? That's the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo".

As you know, I believe the ACLU has become a partisan progressive organization no longer interested in expression of liberties. Rather, it wants to advance a political agenda. As always, I could be wrong, but the evidence weighs in my direction.

Now the ACLU has filed a number of information requests, designed to spotlight atrocities by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. What this has to do with civil liberties— I don't know. But I do believe the military should be held accountable for what it does, so I have no problem with the request.

The latest expositions released today from the ACLU involve pictures some American soldiers took, pointing weapons at detainees and the beating of an Iraqi accused of rape. Those are the highlights of a thousand-page report.

The ACLU has been after military scandals since October of 2003, about the time the Abu Ghraib (search) situation hit. Once again, accountability is necessary but witch hunts are not.

"Talking Points" firmly believes the ACLU wants to undermine the military effort in the war on terror. The ACLU opposes the Patriot Act (search), Guantanamo detentions without lawyers, military tribunals, coercive interrogation, the war in Iraq, and pretty much all aggressive action against terror.

Now I'd really like to know exactly how the ACLU would wage war against terrorists or if it even would. Unfortunately, the ACLU does not answer those kinds of questions, being too busy criticizing any and all action taken into terror war.

With more than 300,000 U.S. troops in the field right now, there are going to be problems, but the fact that the abuses have been so few in a war so brutal is a tribute to the American military. But the ACLU doesn't see it that way.

One of its lawyers, Jamal Jaffar (search), says, "We already think that abuse was pervasive, but maybe there is a whole layer of abuse that we haven't seen yet."

So I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, is the ACLU helping in the war on terror? It's a simple question because I'm a simple man. And if that organization is not helping the USA in this life and death struggle, how are we Americans supposed to view the ACLU? And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

One of the bad things about being a controversial guy like me is that some people can't handle opposing points of view. Last night, we interviewed a professor at Eastern Washington University about why the faculty senate there wants to pay Ward Churchill (search) to speak. Freedom of speech was her answer.

But one professor at that college doesn't think that freedom applies to me.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DOUG ORZ, PH.D., PROFESSOR, EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Terrorism is being incited by FOX News. They go on the air every single day, and they say something has to be done about this, somebody should really go out and do something about this. I mean, Bill O'Reilly should be arrested and put in jail for inciting terrorism."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And, of course, we asked that pinhead to come on the show, and he wouldn't. I should be put in jail? Now would you visit if I — if that happened? Would you visit? It could be ridiculous.