charon... as for the second? the aclu would love nothing more than a total ban on civilian gun ownership. I have found that any organization that wants to destroy the second has an agenda to increase the power of government in a socialist/communinst way. I think it is the most telling thing about the aclu.
I can’t disagree with the first part. However I see it more as an ingrained East Coast intellectual/academic bias where the liberal squeaks out from behind the libertarian. Really hard to deny, and as with Orwell's Animal Farm -- some Amendments are “more equal” than others at ACLU. Disturbing, and you really have to write off the ACLU where the 2nd is concerned.
Having said that, they do an awful lot of work relative to the 4th Amendment that certainly stands in the way of big government and government intrusion. From opposing those random “safety” checks on roads to “no-knock” and most things in between. I also think that, overall as an organization, they are not supporting an economic liberal agenda (outside their charter) regardless of any individual beliefs on the issue.
FWIW, I’ve found more than a few strong 2nd Amendment supporters who agree 100 percent with Government trampling the 4th. The whole, “If you’ve got nothing to hide, help the cops and feds thing.” Not the NRA as an organization per se, but people who are proud members. There was a recent debate on one of the collector firearm boards recently over the 4th, where:
1. A shot was apparently fired from an apartment complex at about 2:00 am.
2. The police came up to the door of a gun owner in the complex and asked if he had any firearms (unclear if they singled him out specifically somehow or were just fishing door to door or even if a shot was really fired).
3. He acknowledge that he did.
4. The police asked if they could come inside and “look around” his place.
5. He said “Sure,” nothing to hide here.
6. The police spent several hours in his apartment, during which time a female roommate was asked to put her hands up,
and they recorded the serial numbers on his rifles before leaving.
This guy, and at least one other poster saw absolutely nothing amiss about this. Help the cops with a tough job, give in to their request to avoid potential suspicion, nothing to hide, etc. I don’t imagine he would object to an erosion of the 4th in general (not just by his choice), and in fact the support poster noted how it could really help clear up all theses drug dealers by formally making the police’s job easier relative to the 4th. Didn’t see any potential “reality” negatives to his future 2nd Amendment rights. He trusted the government at all levels to always be fair and just and do the right thing. Obviously, many disagreed as well.
Charon
