. . . In a truly over-the-top stretch, Mr. Lloyd went so far as to virtually accuse me, a USMC veteran and Legionnaire, of being an Islamic terrorist simply by vitue of being a proud cardcarrying member of the ACLU . . .

. . . It is clear that Mr. Lloyd's values, however he obtained them, are not the American values I grew up with and swore to defend . . .

Writing - Military

Legion's anti-ACLU stance goes too far

From: votecraig@att.net
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2005 3:24 PM
To: magazine@legion.org
Cc: votecraig@att.net
Subject: Letter to the Editor

The American Legion anti-ACLU article of February 2005 is a poor example of journalism. Masquerading as an article, the editorial nature and misleading reporting style of Mr. Lloyd's article rang through again and again as he repeatedly used works such as "fanatical" and "terroristic" to describe the work that the ACLU does and often focused on how the ACLU has made it more problematic for the homophobic Boy Scouts to operate in public places. In a truly over-the-top stretch, Mr. Lloyd went so far as to virtually accuse me, a USMC veteran and Legionnaire, of being an Islamic terrorist simply by virtue of being a proud cardcarrying member of the ACLU.

It is clear that Mr. Lloyd's values, however he obtained them, are not the American values I grew up with and swore to defend. Unlike Mr. Lloyd, I value freedom for all, religious tolerance, separation of church and state and the idea that all men and women share basic civil rights regardless of their sexuality. I am proud to share those values with the ACLU. I wish I could be as proud regarding the Legion on these matters.

Craig Kelley
6 St. Gerard Terrace
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-354-8353

February 10, 2005