27 Comments
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Lisa N.'s avatar

FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, cited in the article is a reputable organization dedicated to individual freedoms. I highly recommend supporting it if you formerly supported the ACLU. https://www.thefire.org

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Jeff F's avatar

I encourage anyone looking for an ACLU alternative to consider supporting the NCLA (New Civil Liberties Alliance).

They're the ones willing to take on (mainstream) politically unpopular cases in efforts to defend civil liberties. A friend from law school works there and I support their efforts to challenge the status quo administrative state and legal precedents that have served only to diminish civil liberties over time.

It has been wild to see the ACLU fall from grace and metastasize into a de facto arm of the technocratic administrative state to defend preferred political interests in the name of civil liberties. But so it goes in our increasingly partisan world.

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HiggsBosonSlut's avatar

Just started reading part of Poulson's original article from a year ago. Tl;dr version 53 yr "0.1 percenter" arrested for beating up his 25 yr old girlfriend, only public records used. When you look at the image this guy presents on X ("entrepreneur, board member, 12x Ironman") he couldn't just stop at embarrassment and now tries to pull this Hail Mary of an argument. Streisand effect, indeed. I know lawyers engage in this sort of mental masturbation, but this is truly laughable.

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J. Matthews's avatar

Which article is it?

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Judith Cohen's avatar

I cancelled my ACLU membership after they came out SUPPORTING vaccine mandates

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John's avatar

That was the moment I realized that the left had been entirely captured. I, too, terminated all communications from the ACLU and stopped contributing to it. That was also the moment I canceled my subscriptions to the Times and the Chronicle and changed my voter registration. I just couldn’t take it anymore.

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Some Guy's avatar

That argument, that something negatively affects trans people and communities of color, seems to be the most popular justification lately for violating constitutional rights. It's been all over the California gun laws since Newsom took over. It was also used to justify a statewide ban of mugshots, which has benefitted people who do crimes under fake and stolen identities.

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Scuba Cat's avatar

It's infuriating. I don't believe for a minute that these people give a rat's ass about trans people and communities of color. In fact, they are setting trans people and communities of color up to get the blowback for all these rotten policies that only serve the oligarchs and their toadies in the professional managerial class.

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Teresa Maupin's avatar

It's a David/Goliath situation -- and thank goodness small independent journalists like Jack and Lee have the fortitude and honor to persist! Thank you!

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Stella’s pop's avatar

ACLU has never based its interests upon “civil liberties”. It is an overtly leftists political tool to dedicated to destroying the Constitution by exploiting (or creating) weaknesses in the law. Where were they post-J6? Where were they as the J6 committee operated outside of their legislative authority?

Where were they during the plandemic: lockdowns, forced jabs, state enforced employment terminations…?

Where were they in the institution of “woke” into the schools?

Where are they in protecting the rights of pro-life protests?

Where are they in the lawfare cases against ALL Trump associated supporters and staff?

Where are they in defending cosplay men imposing their will on women?

ACLU is garbage.

The members of the ACLU belong to a malign self-licking ice cream cone of an enforcer team dedicated to torching the country.

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Tardigrade's avatar

The ACLU ain't what it used to be.

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badnabor's avatar

I feel obliged to ask, are there any "progressive", established institutions that are like they used to be? AARP continuously advocates for leftist policy, using some of the most insane, twisted logic; all the while diverting attention from the fact that they are really an insurance company, that greatly benefited from "Obamacare", The Southern Poverty Law Center used to focus on civil rights, now they too champion censorship and have jumped on the "equitable outcomes" bandwagon. Countless universities, once heralded as bastions of open discussion, began cancelling speakers with differing views. Even the NFL has bowed to the "Woke" virus repeatedly. Oh well, I guess at least the media has stayed true to itself when reporting on the NRA. We're still a bunch of fascist, mouth-breathing gun nuts that want to arm and kill innocents, LOL.

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Scuba Cat's avatar

The ACLU didn't used to be garbage. Look up Ira Glasser. The ACLU was coopted by establishment interests. Sure, the organization has been crap for more than a decade, but it has been around for a lot longer than that.

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Stella’s pop's avatar

Establishment interests?! I am intrigued by your response. Because I’m guessing your definition of establishment is very different than mine.

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John's avatar

Missouri v. Biden.

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Alex Scherer's avatar

Another text book exemple of the Streisand effect.

The question is what led an ACLU lawyer to turn her coat on the 1st amendment. ACLU in general appears to be a totally different organisation than the one under the great Ira Glaser.

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J. Matthews's avatar

What happened was money.

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GS's avatar

Entitled, wealthy people think the rules ( and law) don't apply to them. Another authoritarian who can't handle free speech.

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Robert Shannon's avatar

So this Blackman character doesn't want, what he considers, embarrassing information made public, but it is outed legally? If he had just ignored it, wouldn't it have died on its own? Isn't he, through lawsuits, continuing to expose it more and more? Some people just don't know when to quit and make lives miserable for others.

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One After 909's avatar

There might have been an Election in November but these people are still out there, well funded, and remain fully and completely insane.

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Boris Petrov's avatar

Thank you !!

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Michael Kupperburg's avatar

Perhaps Poulson should consider a suit citing interference with his work and reputation?

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J. Matthews's avatar

The higher courts look askance on efforts to protect the identity of most persons involved in litigation of any kind. This will indeed have a Streisand effect the longer it's pursued.

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Mike L's avatar

Is there an analysis of the difference/similarities of the two cases?

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Boris Petrov's avatar

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