Care what the ACLU says?

The ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office has announced the organization’s 2007 picks for the “10 worst threats to our civil liberties.” Among the offenses on the list were: “Stripping the hate crimes amendment from the Department of Defense authorization bill” (No. 10); “Letting Judge Michael Mukasey off the hook” for not saying that waterboarding is torture (No. 8); “Not repealing the Real ID Act” (No. 6); “Not giving due process to immigrants and denying life-saving health care in immigration detention facilities” (No. 4). The ACLU’s No. 1 offense against civil liberties in 2007? “Not putting an end to warrantless NSA spying.” The ACLU also criticized the White House for its handling of the Alberto Gonzales mess, for the incomplete terror watch list, for not shutting down Guantanamo Bay and for not restoring habeas corpus.

On the flip side, the ACLU provides 10 reasons “not to lose complete faith in our government.” Topping the list were efforts by the U.S. Sentencing Commission to correct sentencing disparities as those guidelines relate to crack cocaine and powder cocaine. What it didn’t mention is that the decision could free thousands of prisoners currently serving time. Other ACLU nods go toward the senators who object to President Bush’s wiretapping program and the Real ID program. The ACLU also commended a blow to the Patriot Act and applauded the American people for voting change into Congress (we can only assume that means by voting Democrats into the majority).

To call 2007 “The Year We Didn’t Get Our Freedom Back” is a gross exaggeration, of course. That phrasing, however, gave an accurate picture of the true intentions of the radical left: to risk the safety of American citizens in order to be “politically correct.” With the notable exception of Mr. Gonzales — the former attorney general, whom we criticized for allowing Congress to trample the prerogative of the president to hire and fire as he sees fit, this page disagreed with the ACLU’s designations across the board. Essentially, the stance of the ACLU is that the U.S. government ought to give special treatment to terrorists and illegal aliens.

Most reasonable Americans understand that programs like National Security Agency’s wiretapping and the REAL ID Act are meant to protect us by screening suspected terrorists and making it difficult for criminals to move among us undetected. Apparently, the ACLU would prefer to welcome lawbreakers with open arms.