Received this from my state senator

[HFishbine]

Normally a pretty sane guy. But it looks like he fell victim to republican hyperbole (the email originated with the county republican party chair). Here's the message, followed by my reply:

---------

Did you see in the news last week where

The ACLU doesn't want any crosses on Federal Property?



Without these Crosses we might not be here .

ENOUGH SAID? Pass it on!
----------------------------

My reply:

Hold on a minute. This is one of the oldest debating tricks in the book. Set up an inflammatory premise and imbue it with some meaningful sounding authority in order to have visceral emotions take over before one fully evaluates the truthfulness of the argument. Skip an evaluation of the supposed "facts" as stated, accept that they must be true because they were "in the news" and move directly to indignation.

But what if we back up a second and take just a moment to ask, "Did the ACLU say they don't want crosses on federal property? Was this really in the news last week, or ever?"

An internet search yields absolutely zero news stories where the ACLU has taken this position. A search of the ACLU web site also comes up empty. So just where did this "news" story come from. Apparently, out of thin air.

A Google search of "crosses federal property" does reveal some interesting results though -- numerous posts on message boards that all say the same thing: "Did you see in the news last week..." and they all have one thing in common: not one cites the source of this "news" report. They do tend to revel in a hatred of the ACLU though, with such comments as the ACLU is "an evil, warped, egotistical bunch of communists and socialists, blathering nitwits, anti-Americans."

Maybe, if people didn't allow themselves to be taken in by hoaxes, and instead sought the truth, they might be less inclined to demonize the ACLU and actually appreciate its efforts to protect civil liberties in America.

The truth is that the ACLU has actually fought on behalf of families seeking to halt the removal of religious symbols from cemeteries. Yes, it was "in the news," but unlike the "news" about crosses on federal property, this news you can actually read for yourself:
http://www.conservativenews.org/InDepth/archive/199904/IND19990402c.html

Meanwhile, the good work of the ACLU, which should be of interest to all Americans, is ignored by some because they fall victim to bogus smears. Rather than becoming disgusted by false stories, people may wish to actually take a look at just how the ACLU is working to defend the rights of American citizens, something that is in short supply with the current White House administration. As John Ashcroft continues to try to strip away constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties, with the quiet approval of George W. Bush, the ACLU is fighting to preserve American freedoms.

Do you have an open mind? If you think you do, visit http://www.aclu.org/ and compare the activities of the ACLU to those of the Bush administration and it should be clear who the real defenders of freedom are.

[Caution]

1. Bravo! excellent letter. n/t

[never cry wolf]

2. Agreed. n/t

[spooky3]

11. ditto, from a non-dittohead.

[Robbien]

3. You should send a copy of it to the ACLU

[0rganism]

4. Nice! Did you cc others who got the message from your state sen.?

Debunking is important, but the most excellent efforts are wasted by limited audience.

[HFishbine]

5. Yes

cc'ed all. Anyone have an e-mail address for the ACLU? All I see are feedback forms.

[ShaneGR]

6. You should call them

And say your county Republican Party is trying to raise money on slanderous accusations. I'll bet they would be mighty interested.

[Robbien]

7. email for ACLU

this one should work

[e-mail]

You could also send a copy to the ACLU chapter in your state. The email addresses for each state can be found here

http://freedomactivist.net/aclu.html

[Pastiche423]

8. Most excellent rebuttal!

The email address they use to send me information is:

[e-mail]

[HFishbine]

9. Thanks

to both of you!

[Sperk]

12. I agree, fantastic!

:thumbsup:

[Hubert Flottz]

10. Send both letters to local newspapers!

Especially ones that can still see both sides of the issues!