Originally Posted by DVPGSR
My point is that just because we have the rights as individuals does not mean we have the right to them all the time. As in my "fire" example I have the right to free speach but cannot use it to the detriment of other people. Same thing if I go on a subway. I have the right not to be searched as an individual but when getting on public transportation there are times I need to be for the good of the public.
I feel there are times that the individual rights get superceded by the collective rights of the masses, the ACLU obviously seems that the individual supercedes the masses. That is my issue with the ACLU.
A quick aside:
Ayn Rand, philosopher and novelist, wrote endlessly about the evils of what she called collectivism, which she seems to define as public policy geared towards the good of the masses over the rights of the individual. Ayn Rand's philosophies are generally held in very high regard among neoconservatives. To see you trumpeting the public good over the rights of the individual is ironic to say the least.