Why the ACLU?

I'm often asked by my conservative friends why I would support such a leftist, liberal, commie group of crime lovers like the ACLU. Look at recent actions and the answer should be obvious:

When it comes to protecting my--our--rights, the only group which is consistently out there fighting for us, the only group we can rely on to be on our side, is the ACLU. By our side I mean the side of We the People. Certainly the government won't protect us becuase when it coumes to our rights it is the government we need protection *from*. While I don't agree with the ACLU's interpretation of the 2nd ammendment, on first ammendment issues they are our greatest defense.

Need proof? Look at what the curent administration has done in relationship to the press. They have tried and tried to silence critics and to hunt down anyone who might dare to cast a spotlight on their activities. The US attorney in New York recently served a rather creative subpoena on the ACLU demanding any and all copies of a doccument leaked to them. It is an attempt at "prior restraint," preventing the publication of information before it happens. The supreme court has in the past ruled that prior restraint is prohibited, and this subpoena is an endrun around it. The problem is not the doccument itself, which is a policy doccument and has nothing to do with military secrets: the problem is the administration once again trying to act in secret and silence anyone who seeks to force them into the open so we the people can actually see what our government is doing.

This is why I support the ACLU.