Although I dislike their support for horrible people, I can understand the mindset that by stopping some people's rights, it is chipping away at everyone's rights. I think of it in similar terms to how a small amount of graffiti or litter lead to more and more. Keeping free speech as absolute and universal as possible seems like a good idea to me.

I'm a freshman in College and I agree with the ACLU's stances. I am especially concerned by Prop 8 and Church-and-State issues. Today I signed up to give them $10 a month. $10 is a lot in terms of work, but to me it could also simply mean "eat less pizza." My skeptical mind screams that the group as a whole seems too good to be true, so I'm coming here to ask the pros and cons of supporting them. Please share your experience and opinions :)

Occasionally there is someone from the ACLU trying to solicit donations at Pike Place Market, in Seattle. Their pitch is that they want to overturn Prop 8. Now, I remember the whole Prop 8 scandal. How upset people were that Utah conservatives were funding the Prop 8/"hate the gays" campaign for a state they don't even live in. Is it really any better for the ACLU to try to get me, a WA citizen, to interfere with CA politics? I find this particular ACLU campaign to be most unclassy. But the real reason I haven't donated yet is because of the hassle effect guntherhust describes. It sounds similar to what my brother went through when he made the mistake of donating to the local PBS station. The place that gets most of my donations now sends me a letter twice a year (including the confirmation letter). Just enough to remind me to donate again, and not enough to make me regret it.

Its the only people trying to save america from all the bullshit. I support them 100% Some of the right wing christians hate them, but they also support christian groups as well. They protect civil liberties (regardless of who you are, or what group you represent) I wish more people would see this.

The ACLU is one of a very small handful of organizations that is absolutely uncompromising about something Americans are all too willing to compromise on.

I agree, with a few caveats. The ACLU "Foundation" in general is a good organization. Donating to the ACLU means you're donating to lobbyists. Donating to the ACLU Foundation means you aren't. That being said, the ACLU provides an important service, but I disagree that they stick to their principles as much as you say. The ACLU does shit like this that pisses me off

I support them 100%. Someone below brought up the point of defending the free speech rights of neo-Nazis and other undesirables, along with more positive cases (they don't only handle the radioactive ones). The fact that they do both, though (believe me, the ACLU is not where you want to go to recruit neo-Nazis) shows that they are truly committed to their principles. And you need an organization that does that, that isn't just a fair-weather friend. It makes them more credible under all conditions, because they've demonstrated that they'll defend those principles even if it means supporting people they'd otherwise avoid like the plague. Take the opposite example. Say you talk a good game about fiscal responsibility but then throw that all out the window once someone you like comes into office. Even if you have a good point, who will believe you the next time you speak up? Answer: no one, of course - your credibility has been tarnished; you have been marked as a political opportunist. Unless you stick to your principles even when it hurts, people will dismiss you as a group that uses nice words as a cover to promote another set of views. The ACLU is the opposite of that organization. They lay out their principles and then steadfastly uphold them, regardless of how much they personally like or agree with the people they are defending. I call that ideological integrity; it's something every serious-minded and philosophically disciplined organization needs in order to be believed. It's worth fighting for, even at the cost of defending people you hate, because it demonstrates that you put your money where your mouth is, and put your principles first.

They do those things because it makes them money. They would not do it if it didn't. For every 9 people like you who don't pay, there's a tenth person who pays more than it cost to call and mail the ten of you. Plus, the people who work for the ACLU are not an all-knowing borg. I'm not sure what you expect to gain by harassing a poor volunteer to please provide you with their financial statement over the phone.

Never donate money to anyone or anything unless you want to be inundated with calls asking for more.

Even if my money in particular is going toward nonsense, I still think the group as a whole is working toward things I care about.