Defending the First Amendment. Via Robbie Brown, in the New York Times:<\/p>\n
SOUTH<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Georgia: In Suing State, A.C.L.U. Defends Klan<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Georgia on Thursday for denying the Ku Klux Klan’s application to participate in an “adopt a highway” program. The lawsuit says the state violated the freedom of speech of a chapter of the Klan in Union County, near the North Carolina border. State transportation officials in June denied the chapter’s application to clean trash along a stretch of Route 515 in the Appalachian Mountains, saying the program was for only “civil-minded organizations in good standing.” Debbie Seagraves, the executive director of the A.C.L.U. Foundation of Georgia, said: “There will always be speech and groups conveying hateful messages that are distasteful to some. That is why the First Amendment protects free speech for all.” The State Transportation Department said it had expected the lawsuit and stood by its decision to deny the application.<\/em><\/p>\n A few points:<\/p>\n Georgia denying the Klan the right to clean up trash along a highway is definitively the pot calling the kettle black.<\/p>\n Who better to clean up Georgia trash than the Klan?<\/p>\n And, folks, this is what the ACLU does. It defends us. Debbie Seagraves couldn’t have put it more succinctly and limpidly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Defending the First Amendment. Via Robbie Brown, in the New York Times: SOUTH Georgia: In Suing State, A.C.L.U. Defends Klan The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Georgia on Thursday for denying the Ku Klux Klan’s application to … Continue reading