Can this really be happening? Have Americans finally awakened to the corruption and abuse of the American Civil Liberties Union? Please Lord, let it be true.

The city of Hazleton, PA has decided to stand up to the threat of an ACLU lawsuit over recently-passed city ordinances regarding illegal immigrants. Hazleton will now fine landlords who knowingly rent to illegals, and refuse to grant licenses to businesses that hire illegals. The city has also declared English to be its official language. A Puerto Rican group is joining the ACLU in the suit. This in and of itself is rather odd, considering that Puerto Rico is an American territory and its legal residents are American citizens. Go figure.

The city has hired Kris W. Kobach, formerly Attorney General John Ashcroft’s chief adviser on immigration law as it’s chief defense attorney. Additionally, the Mountain States Legal Foundation and the Federation for American Immigration Reform have volunteered their services to assist the town. This is the sort of united front that can defeat the ACLU’s scare tactics. Hazleton Mayor Louis Barletta and the City Council deserve our applause and support as they engage a vile and dangerous opponent. The ACLU has been handed defeats in Georgia and Oregon. In Cobb County, GA (Atlanta area), county commissioners evidently were praying before their meetings (oh, the horror!). Seven people filed a lawsuit via the ACLU claiming that this constituted a government endorsement of a specific religion because the commissioners had the audacity to mention Jesus (of all people!) in their prayers. U.S. District Judge Richard Story ruled that this was not a violation of the non-existent Separation Clause, since it’s only natural that one would be praying to a specific deity and therefore would speak the name of that deity. Details, details. And, the Boy Scouts won a court case when the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts were not violating the law by recruiting members at Portland Public Schools. This case was filed by the ACLU on behalf of an atheist who felt her son’s rights had been violated by the simple fact of the Boy Scouts being on a public school campus. Ask yourself who’s more American – the Boy Scouts of America or a pack of left-wing shysters at the ACLU.

Still more good news… The Public Expression of Religion Act, introduced by Indiana Congressman John Hostettler, is headed to the full House for a vote. If it eventually passes, this bill could prevent the ACLU from abusing a loophole in US law that allows it to collect attorney fees from the cities it sues over Separation Clause issues. Blocking this blatant abuse of the taxpayer’s wallet would go a long way towards keeping the ACLU on a short leash.

All across America, real Americans are becoming fed up with political correctness and frivolous lawsuits filed by whiners who want their 15 minutes of fame. The ACLU’s suit to remove the cross from the Soledad Memorial near San Diego has created a tremendous backlash (70+ percent of the area residents want the cross to stay). Other cities are carefully watching the Hazleton affair, and many plan to pass similar immigration ordinances.

Like any bully, the ACLU depends upon intimidation tactics for much of its success. Bullies tend to turn and run the other way when they receive a good solid smack across the mouth. Taking away the ACLU’s ability to extort money from city coffers to fund their anti-American, anti-Christian attacks is a step in the right direction. Let us hope that the events described above are but the first of many.

Related Reading: Pennsylvania Town Takes on ACLUhttp://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/18200.html

The Hazleton Case: The People vs. the ACLUhttp://www.canyon-news.com/artman/publish/article_4809.php

Boy Scouts Beat ACLU in Atheist's Lawsuithttp://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/18196.html

ACLU Loses Christian Prayer Suithttp://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/18191.html

Plan to cut ACLU money pipeline advanceshttp://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51907

Legal Groups Battle Over Cross for Katrina Monumenthttp://www.cnsnews.com/Culture/Archive/200608/CUL20060814a.html

ACLU vs. NOLA Parish Over Hurricane Katrina Memorialhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207482,00.html

Alan Burkhart is a freelance writer, cross-country trucker, and proud citizen of the reddest of the Red States - Mississippi. You can reach him by visiting his website: http://alanburkhart.blogspot.com or by e-mail at alan@alanburkhart.com.