I think even the ACLU is confused and unclear when it comes to what they're supposed to do! <g> The American Civil Liberties Union is a national organization that protects the civil liberties of all Americans. If one feels discriminated against unfairly, say, at work, because of one's race or weight or disability, the ACLU will take up your cause and represent you in court if necessary, and hopefully will see justice prevail. Some of their work is admirable, while other causes just seem like a waste of time and taxpayer money - for example, every year at Christmas there's a bunch of people that get offended if they see a Nativity scene in front of a city hall, so they contact the ACLU to get it removed (as Christianity doesn't represent *all* the people, etc etc). Or a homeless person who likes to sit all day in the public library may get kicked out for "loitering", and he'll get the ACLU to fight to let him back in, since the library is a public place, open to all, so they can't set rules about loitering....