Resigning From The ACLU: My Letter To ACLU President Susan Herman.

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Letter Reads:

From The Desk of Aaron D. Yeargan
March 13, 2010
The Honorable Susan N. Herman, President
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 1004

Mrs. Herman:

Good morning Ma’am. I hope this letter finds you doing well. I have been a supporter of the ACLU for some time and an actual member since approximately August 2009. I wanted to write to you today concerning the ACLU’s position on trying 9/11 terrorists in U.S. Federal Court. As a Libertarian and Iraq War veteran, I want to voice my opposition to this proposal.
I would like to say that I have known, worked with, and served alongside of many peaceful, law abiding Muslims. However, the issue of Islamic extremists and Jihadists cannot be ignored. From the “Christmas Day Bomber” to the shooting at Fort Hood and the water poisoning plot at Fort Jackson, it is obviously apparent to me, if not the majority of Americans, that there is a Holy War being waged against this country. These were strategically chosen targets that, if hit, would have greatly damaged our economic and military infrastructure.

With all of that being said, how can the ACLU take the position that these individuals are mere criminals and not enemy combatants? I know many of my fellow Libertarians will disagree with me on this, but as enemy combatants, how can they be afforded the same rights as American citizens? Also, by trying these cases in the American court system, our citizens will be forced to pay for the trials with their tax dollars.

As someone who served in Iraq multiple times, I do believe that there are some innocent people being held at Guantanamo Bay, but I do not believe American citizen funded trials are the answer at all. Personally, I believe that a congressionally sanctioned and overseen, joint commission with representatives from the State Department, Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security should thoroughly investigate each case. Individuals found to be innocent should be returned home, and those found to be true enemy combatants should be turned over to a military tribunal. Most importantly, Congress should have a “set in stone” timeline for this to take place, and any unclassified proceedings should be televised.

In closing, I know that people are not always going to agree with some positions taken by groups and organizations that they associate with, but because I strongly oppose this view, I cannot, in good faith and conscience, be associated with such an organization. Therefore, I hereby resign my membership in the American Civil Liberties Union. While I will always support and defend the constitutional rights and civil liberties of Americans of all races, backgrounds and creeds, I will never support the rights of those trying to harm my fellow citizens. I have enclosed my membership card with this letter. Thank you.

Respectfully,

Aaron D. Yeargan (Signed)