Get ACLU card | The Salt Lake Tribune

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The affirmation by Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd in the 1995 movie "The American President" is memorable: "For the record, yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you?"

Yes, I am a liberal. And despite understanding that politics is the art of the possible, I am an idealist.

I often wonder why anyone — Republican, Democrat or independent — is afraid of an organization committed to the preservation of our personal freedoms defined by the Bill of Rights.

I frequently hear our Constitution referred to by the religious right as "divinely inspired." I also hear that the current Democratic administration violates the Constitution. It is definitely a paradox to believe this and at the same time be offended by a group that works to defend the Constitution's first 10 amendments.

Yes, I am a contributing member of the American Civil Liberties Union. If you're worried about the survival of the Constitution, why aren't you?

Frank Cameron

Highland