ACLU says 'No, thanks'

[travelinman]

ACLU says 'No, thanks'

Chattanooga Times Free Press Oct. 30, 2004


The Ford and Rockefeller foundations hand out millions of dollars each year to a variety of organizations. We may or may not agree with the activities of a given group that gets some portion of that money, but both foundations have properly drawn a line against their money supporting terrorism or other violence.

The Ford Foundation says funding recipients must agree not to engage in activity that "promotes violence, terrorism, bigotry, or the destruction of any state." News reports say this rule was put in place because some Ford money previously had wound up in the hands of radicals who bitterly oppose the state of Israel.

The Rockefeller Foundation says recipients may not "directly or indirectly engage in, promote, or support other organizations or individuals who engage in or promote terrorist activity."

It is hard to see how anyone would argue seriously that those guidelines are unreasonable. No American organization ought to want to support hateful, violent causes, let alone seek money from foundations to do so.

But amazingly, the American Civil Liberties Union has deemed the rules too restrictive and therefore has turned down more than $1 million in grants from the Ford and Rockefeller foundations.

The ACLU complains that the "vague grant language" might "have a chilling effect on civil liberties." An ACLU board member said the rules sounded too much like the anti-terrorist Patriot Act and seemed "to have arisen out of this kind of climate of fear and intimidation or something that the administration is pushing," The New York Sun reports.

We don't see the foundations' rules as an attempt to crush civil liberties. But the guidelines might have a "chilling effect" on terrorists. We hope so.

[Piña]

<font size="3">ACLU Declines Ford and Rockefeller Grants Due to Restrictive Funding Agreement; Painful but Principled Decision to Put Civil Liberties First</font>

<font size="1">October 17, 2004
Statement of Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]</font>

NEW YORK -- This administration and its war on terror have created a climate of fear that extends far beyond national security concerns and threatens the civil liberties of all Americans. Make no mistake about it -- too many of the policies inspired by the Patriot Act fail to make us any safer. Indeed, we have lost much already, and we have much more to lose.

The American Civil Liberties Union feels that loss acutely today. The board and leadership of the ACLU have made the painful but principled decision to turn down $1.15 million in future funding from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations rather than accept restrictive funding agreements that might adversely affect the civil liberties of the ACLU and other grantees.

It is a sad day when two of this country's most beloved and respected foundations feel they are operating in such a climate of fear and intimidation that they are compelled to require thousands of recipients to accept vague grant language which could have a chilling effect on civil liberties. But the ambiguities are simply too significant to ignore or accept. They include potential prohibitions on free speech and other undefined activities such as "bigotry" as part of a misconceived war on terror. Indeed, vague terms such as "bigotry" often have charged meanings in a post-9/11 world. The ACLU cannot effectively defend the rights of all Americans if we do not stand up for those same rights ourselves.

As painful as this is financially -- the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations have been true friends and allies -- this is the right decision. Ironically, the funding from each organization would have strengthened our ability to fight the most dangerous elements of the Patriot Act and the government's war on terror.

We will continue that fight nevertheless. Regrettably, however, we will wage that battle with diminished financial resources. The loss of funding is significant and it will have profound implications for our programs. But while it may weaken our finances, it also strengthens our resolve.

Let us be clear, we do not support terrorism. We all have a role to play in protecting our country from those who would harm us further. But we should not trample -- or allow others to trample -- on our most valued principles that have made us the beacon of freedom around the world. We will continue to do all that we can to ensure an America that is both safe and free.

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/Safe...ID=16838&c=206