Non-Liberal Dog Trainer Sides With the Non-Liberal ACLU
Sr. Xrlq recently alerted me to an editorial in today’s Dog Trainer that rightly criticizes the ACLU for its pettiness in pushing its non-issue over the L.A. County seal, but wrongly defends ACLU lackeys Zev Yaroslavsky , Gloria Molina and Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke for voting to cave in to their demands. The Trainer non-explains its duplicity thusly:
Nonetheless, the supervisors were right to agree. Their alternative was to squander tax dollars they don’t have on a legal battle they’d probably lose — if lawsuits over the seals of other cities and counties are a guide.
First, at least four organizations (the Alliance Defense Fund, the Thomas More Foundation, the Pacific Justice Center and the American Center for Law and Justice) have already offered to defend the county for free in the event that the ACLU, or any other group, should sue the County over its seal. Thus, the amount of tax dollars that stands to be “squandered” is zero.
Second, even if it did cost some money to stand up to the political left’s answer to the Trevor Law Group, that would hardly be money “squandered.” Like the Trevor Law Group, the ACLU functions primarily not by winning difficult law suits, but by intimidating cities and counties into settling cases rather than face potentially costly litigation. Appeasing them now will only encourage them to come back for more, later. Whether is the right or wrong time to draw a line in the sand is a matter on which reasonable minds can differ. The money in question may be wisely spent, or unwisely spent, but “squandered?” Give me a break.
Third, the notion that L.A. County would “probably lose” in court is just silly. Note the paper’s conveniently generic reference to “lawsuits over the seals of other cities and counties,” without a reference to any actual lawsuit, city, or county. The only other municipality mentioned anywhere in the editorial is the City of Redlands which, like L.A. County, chickened out before their challenge got to trial.
Cross-posted to Oh, That Liberal Media.
June 8th, 2004 at 3:15 pm
Fourth, the expense of changing all the county seals, on every letterhead, vehicle, courtroom and whatnot, will clearly run into the millions.
Fifth, I really think that they should stop pushing this Greek Goddess religion on everone. They say that it’s just a cultural reference, but why is it always a GREEK goddess? Why not a Hindu Goddess? Or an African goddess?
June 8th, 2004 at 4:42 pm
Regarding #4, the editorial claims that the ACLU, as final arbiter of all things constitutional, has generously allowed the county to use up its existing stationery, leave the old seal on all existing vehicles, etc. However, designing the new seal will impose costs of its own, particularly if it has any relationship to the old seal, which is protected by copyright. Can we bill the ACLU for that?
The one semi-coherent counter-argument I’ve heard to #5 is that nobody actually worships the goddess Pomona anymore, so her image is purely historical. I guess that means that if Christianity ever dies out completely, the ACLU will let us all have our nativity scenes back.
June 9th, 2004 at 11:51 am
“Squander tax dollars”????? And how much will it cost the county to change the seal on every police car, every building, every piece of stationery…….
If the county caves in, people ought to go out and draw it back in everywhere they see it. Any official mailing from the county with the new seal: draw it back in and send it to Ramona Rispsten.
The ACLU is evil and insidious. This is because they claim to promote civil liberties, and collect donations from people under that misconception, yet they do very little to actually protect civil liberties. Therefore, they are both evil and insidious.
And they make good use of Jesse Jackson’s tactics: give us money (or do what we want), or we’ll sue you.
I can’t believe the county would back down. One of the supervisors, Gloria Molina, should know full well about the history of her county.
June 9th, 2004 at 12:30 pm
I don’t think the three idiot supervisors really were “backing down.” My guess is that the ACLU suit is just a cover for them to do something politically unpopular that they’ve been wanting to do for years.
June 9th, 2004 at 3:34 pm
My redesign: Put a red slashed circle around the cross.
June 9th, 2004 at 10:54 pm
Six Pix from SoCal
Six sites that drew my attention today: PublicDefenderDude is frustrated with expert gang testimony. XRLQ weighs in on the LA Times weighing in on the LA seal flap. Walter is cooking up a new blawg. Drink this supports a lawsuit…