March 11, 2021

"The Capitol buildings and grounds are quintessential places for free speech and protest, accessible by people from all walks of life who gather there to express their views, demonstrate, picket, and hold vigils."

"But if those places are permanently fenced off, the public and our constitutional right to assemble and protest will be in jeopardy. That is why the ACLU and the ACLU of the District of Columbia are urging leaders of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate not to permanently fence off the Capitol, which would turn its architecture into a national symbol of fear and hostility towards the public’s presence.... The Capitol complex, where all our elected lawmakers come together to legislate in the open view of the public, has been recognized around the world as a celebrated symbol of democracy. If Congress were to permanently retreat into a militarized zone ringed by fencing topped with razor wire, it would send the kind of message that heads of autocratic regimes send by cloistering themselves away from their populaces in armored fortresses.... The public will suffer diminished access to public grounds with unique importance in the exercise of their constitutional rights to assemble and to petition the government. That exclusion will be especially acute if people want to participate in spontaneous protest in response to rapidly unfolding events—such as the protests for racial justice that arose last summer...."

From the ACLU website.

87 comments:

Humperdink said...

Hoping the barricades remain up until November 2024. Biden's ..... er ..... Susan Rice's America.

Whiskeybum said...

Militarizing the Capitol building - how dumb can you be? I mean, even the ACLU gets it! Sheesh!

BUMBLE BEE said...

ACLU? Free speech? How quaint a notion. They'll get over it.

wendybar said...

Walls at the border? BAD and RACIST!!
Walls around the elites who make the laws that they decide not to enforce to keep us citizens away from them?? GREAT, and NEEDED!!!

They are lying to us, and only idiots can defend their hypocrisy. This is all a show so they can take away our guns because of their fake fear of us.

Humperdink said...

ACLU? Have they been in a coma for the last 4+ years? I thought they disbanded.

Kevin said...

Ctrl + F “authoritarian” found zero mentions.

rehajm said...

ACLU respectfully...politely requests. Please...

Wasn't the ACLU known for legal battles at one point?

Breezy said...

Nancy’s concern about the optics of NG at the Capitol sure was short-lived.

rhhardin said...

It's there to support a narrative, not out of any necessity. It's a narrative about right wing people.

Earnest Prole said...

Since we all know the Capitol riot was perpetrated by Antifa, not Trump supporters, doesn’t that mean we should be in favor of a permanent militarized barrier if the Antifa Civil Liberties Union is opposed to it? I’m confused.

gspencer said...


Rep. Lauren Boebert: I have constituents that can’t even come to my office that they pay for and visit me and petition their government…

Greg Kelly: They can’t come because of that fence, around the Capitol? There must be a way, though? Is there an appointment system?

Rep. Lauren Boebert: No. Only staff. Only members.

from, https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/fear-people-freshman-rep-lauren-boebert-pelosi-will-not-allow-constitutents-visit-lawmakers-us-capitol-video/

Rusty said...

Oh. Great. NOW the ACLU has found out what the first amendment means. Better late than never I guess.
I wonder if they're eventually going to build a wall around the capitol
? You know, like the Kremlin.

Matt Sablan said...

"ACLU? Have they been in a coma for the last 4+ years? I thought they disbanded."

Pay more attention. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-has-filed-400-legal-actions-against-trump-administration

rhhardin said...

Just expand the wall so it surrounds the US.

Bob Boyd said...

It's there to support a narrative

So is this statement from the ACLU.

Just watch what steps the regime tells us are now necessary to get those who don't support it under control so those who do can hold demonstrations showing their support.

David Begley said...

The message has already been sent.

rhhardin said...

You don't get free speech, fence or no fence. You get cancelled by major institutions.

boatbuilder said...

“...spontaneous protest in response to rapidly unfolding events...”

Such as stolen elections? They left that out.

Fernandinande said...

aclu-has-filed-400-legal-actions-against-trump-administration
The 400th filing was a class-action lawsuit that seeks to block the removal of children seeking asylum at the border.


As a child I sought asylum in the form of not being noticed at the border when I smuggled a switchblade from Nogales.

Misinforminimalism said...

It's a basic principle of archeology that sprawling and open architecture is a hallmark of a stable and confident ruler, contrasted with the stout fortifications of a leader unsure of his grasp on power or fearful of deposition. Compare the Palace of Knossos with William's Tower of London, for example.

Not a great sign for our country, longevity-wise.

Humperdink said...

@Matt Sablan I read your link. "The legal actions include lawsuits, FOIA requests, and administrative complaints, and cover a variety of civil rights and civil liberties issues."

The only ones listed were abortion and illegals. Free speech, assembly? Ah, not so much.

Heartless Aztec said...

The ACLU of Skokie fame is a long couple of generations past now.

MayBee said...

Good for the ACLU.

If the fence is up while they put in new glass that can't be broken with a fire extinguisher, and doors that can lock automatically, ok. But the fact that they keep announcing new "insurgency" dates isn't really comforting.
What are they doing to protect Minneapolis with the Chauvin trial coming up?

Jon Burack said...

SO nice of the ACLU, which has been AWOL (or worse) throughout the assaults on free speech on campuses that now has seeped into the entire elite institutional structure of our society. I am glad they are standing up for tourist sites in D.C. I guess it's a start. But then there is this from the statement, which makes me wretch:

"That exclusion will be especially acute if people want to participate in spontaneous protest in response to rapidly unfolding events—such as the protests for racial justice that arose last summer."

AH, yes, those protests for racial justice. If I were a business on State Street with my place boarded up still, I'd be so happy to know how much the ACLU cares.

Owen said...

They can’t back down. There is no “stopping rule,” that is, no defined event or condition that triggers the removal or change of the regime. Same thing with the Wu Flu lockdown. When it began I asked, “How will we know it’s OK to end lockdown? What flag, observed by whom?” Nobody had an answer. So here we are, celebrating the first anniversary, and no real exit plan exists, no date certain, and with new rationales emerging for yet more lockdown and shunning and masking. Because variants. Because you might have lost immunity. Because you might be secretly infectious even if vaccinated.

The whole point is, the lockdown will go on. They love the power, and (not the same thing) they fear the prospect of ever again being called to account for their bad decisions and illegal arrogations.

Daniel Jackson said...

So nice that the ACLU has expressed concern.

It remains an empty gesture until the ACLU goes to court.

donald said...

“Good for the ACLU.

If the fence is up while they put in new glass that can't be broken with a fire extinguisher, and doors that can lock automatically, ok. But the fact that they keep announcing new "insurgency" dates isn't really comforting.
What are they doing to protect Minneapolis with the Chauvin trial coming up”?

A: Erm, no.

B: The trial has started and they’ve spent millions to make the area around the courthouse impregnable. The surrounding area that will burn no matter what? Ha.

John Cunningham said...

It's quite appropriate that the Capitol is fortified, since Soviet Amerikkka is now ruledcby a foreign power

Mike Sylwester said...

The place has to be fenced off, because the FBI says that QAnon posted messages on the Internet, saying that Donald Trump would be inaugurated on March 4.

Soon the FBI will show these QAnon messages to the public, which then will see that the FBI's concerns about March 4 were real.

Humperdink said...

How many times have we heard from the FBI over the past 4+ years: "We have no comment because it's an ongoing investigation"(i.e. Get lost chump, we're the FBI)?

Mikey NTH said...

The Democrats have power now and are going to exercise it, legitimacy and traditions be damned.

Bruce Hayden said...

“It's a basic principle of archeology that sprawling and open architecture is a hallmark of a stable and confident ruler, contrasted with the stout fortifications of a leader unsure of his grasp on power or fearful of deposition. Compare the Palace of Knossos with William's Tower of London, for example”

I think that this is very accurate here. They stole the election, both the Residency and at least three Senate seats, giving them, very illegally, a bare governing majority (depending on the fraudulently elected VP to break ties, since the three stolen Senate seats gives them the tie). And with that illegitimate governing majority, they immediately started to enact their radical agenda. They are enacting one radical thing after another, without a consensus on any of them. Often, over national antipathy. I think that they very much fear that it is merely a question of time before the armed citizenry rise up and come for them for an accounting.

Bob Boyd said...

“You could literally smell the tourists coming in to the Capitol,” Reid (D-Nev.) said. “That’s no longer the case”

Browndog said...

Is this the first time Althouse mentioned the military occupying the capitol in a blog post?

I think so...

Leland said...

Nothing says representing the will off free people like meeting behind a barbed wire fence guarded by armed loyalist.

tommyesq said...

Until the ACLU starts taking legal action to defend the Jan 6th protesters, this is a meaningless gesture.

farmgirl said...

All those times we were told how the world hated US- they were shocked or angry, upset or laughing at the great USofA.
How do u like me now?

Owen said...

Tommyesq @ 7:25: “ Until the ACLU starts taking legal action to defend the Jan 6th protesters, this is a meaningless gesture.”

Word. ACLU lost its way a while ago. How it thinks it can talk itself back into relevance is a total mystery to me.

tim maguire said...

So the ACLU isn't always useless. At least sometimes they are willing to stand up for civil liberties.

It's worth nothing that this is a bipartisan problem--George W. Bush started us down thi9s road of physically walling the government off from the people. Today's Democrats are just doing what bureaucracies do--expanding their privilege and power.

JAORE said...

"NOW the ACLU has found out what the first amendment means."

This too shall pass.

Mike Sylwester said...

Winning an Election vs. Stealing an Election

Sebastian said...

"If Congress were to permanently retreat into a militarized zone"

I remember progs objecting to the federal "occupation" of Portland just last year.

Tina Trent said...

That’s a fundraising squib, not a policy statement.

DavidUW said...

So they're admitting the plan is to make the military occupation of the capitol permanent.

DavidUW said...

When it began I asked, “How will we know it’s OK to end lockdown? What flag, observed by whom?” Nobody had an answer. So here we are, celebrating the first anniversary, and no real exit plan exists, no date certain, and with new rationales emerging for yet more lockdown and shunning and masking. Because variants. Because you might have lost immunity. Because you might be secretly infectious even if vaccinated.

The whole point is, the lockdown will go on.
>>
Agreed. As I've repeatedly written here, this will not end until there is a mass (un)civil disobedience.

John henry said...




 Leland said...

meeting behind a barbed wire fence guarded by armed loyalist.

Assumes facts not in evidence. How do you know they are "loyalists"?

John Henry

Michael K said...

The polling must be getting really ugly. The ACLU is part of the Deep Rig.

gadfly said...

Somehow the cause for the Capitol fencing has been forgotten already and strangely, so has the fact that Trump fenced off the White House with high barbed wire long before January 6 happened.

Leland said...

So they're admitting the plan is to make the military occupation of the capitol permanent.

Seems that way to me. The ACLU could have made this argument before the inauguration as it was just as valid then. Now they are saying the quiet part out loud, but not with any force of action. So yeah, it seems like the ACLU is just being the vehicle for letting is know it is permanent.

As for lockdowns, they'll remain semi-permanent in a few states, but not everyone is ready to give up freedom for security. It may take time, but those that have will tire of seeing how those enjoying freedom are much happier.

John henry said...

I'm curious if anyone knows why National Guard and not regular Army?

Does it have to do with posse comitatus laws?

Suspicion of regular troop loyalty?

Reluctance of regular army and/or dod to provide them?

I went looking once, found nothing.

I have also read that the NG troops are carrying empty rifles and have no ammunition. Is that true? If so, anyone know why? An unloaded rifle is worse than useless. It exposes the carrier to actual, even mortal, danger.

John Henry

Browndog said...

gadfly said...

Somehow the cause for the Capitol fencing has been forgotten already and strangely,..


Nobody has forgotten about the stolen election.

Browndog said...

Remember, Nancy Pelosi wanted machine guns. The Pentagon said no.

Bob B said...

ACLU is just getting what it voted for.

Known Unknown said...

"Assumes facts not in evidence. How do you know they are "loyalists"?"

Well, they're doing their best to make sure that happens.

Known Unknown said...

"has the fact that Trump fenced off the White House with high barbed wire long before January 6 happened."

I disagree with doing that as well, but it's not an argument against taking down the fences at the capitol. Try harder.

rcocean said...

yeah, so now the ACLU is getting concerned because y'know this may hurt the Left. How are the extreme left going to protest if its all blocked off? What if this becomes permeant and the R's take back the House in 2023. How is antifa going to protest?

I can see their problem. I say keep the fences. Keep the barbed wire. Keep out the "dangerous" protestors.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Of course it's still fenced off! Hordes of Trump supporters may attack the capitol on St. Patrick's Day, dressed as leprechauns and screaming their battle cry of; "Always after me Lucky Charms!". And we can't have that! They might actually succeed this time and get a peek at AOC's Pot O' Gold! (They won't be looking for Nancy's Pot O' Gold, it's too shriveled up from all the Botox!)

rcocean said...

The thing about the Democrat voter is he/she has no principles. They vote Democrat no matter what. This makes it very easy for Pelosi and Schumer. They can promise/say anything, betray their votes, and the dumb Democrat sheep will go baa, baa. Given that, why take down the barbed wire? Why not set up some land mines and hope you get a few Trump supporters?

As long as the K street lobbyists and the Foreign lobbyists can make it through the wire with their bags of cash, everything's cool.

Jupiter said...

"... it would send the kind of message that heads of autocratic regimes send ..."

Well, then. Message sent. We stole this government, fair and square, and we don't plan to give it back.

Joe Smith said...

"The Capitol buildings and grounds used to be quintessential places for free speech and protest, accessible by people from all walks of life who gather there to express their views, demonstrate, picket, and hold vigils."

Fixed it.

Hey ACLU, how about 'suing' instead of 'urging.'?

Jeff said...

"If Congress were to permanently retreat into a militarized zone ringed by fencing topped with razor wire, it would send the kind of message that heads of autocratic regimes send by cloistering themselves away from their populaces in armored fortresses."

That is the message they're sending, and that, along with the major bills they're passing, make clear what kind of government we have now.

Message received.

Sam L. said...

I am amazed the ACLU would even THINK of doing that.

Aggie said...

The majesty of Washington DC's classical architecture is jarring when seen through anti-riot fences topped with razor wire, installed now as a permanent feature without consideration of optics. It is a stark picture of empire in decline, its aristocracy behind the barricade: No longer able to live by the principles of its founders, no longer able to build what is already built. Washington DC has become the bunker of a senescent party, desperate to avoid the retribution that is justly coming.

Yancey Ward said...

I want it to remain this way. It is a symbol of the truth being demonstrated beyond all doubt. And like its green-zone counterparts the world over, it would be nice to see the occasional rocket attack launched over the fences. The people behind the fence are my enemies now.

Temujin said...

I know how we can fix this.

Vote every Democrat out of office, starting with Susan Rice.

What's that you say? Susan Rice was not elected to anything? Correct. My point precisely. Want to clean the house? Gotta get rid of all of them so that Barack and his team have no more ability to pull strings.

PM said...

Some adult must've reminded them of Skokie.

narciso said...

Thats not distressing at all:


https://mobile.twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1370002133836238848

Balfegor said...

But if those places are permanently fenced off, the public and our constitutional right to assemble and protest will be in jeopardy.

Nonsense. I haven't gone to check out the configuration of the barriers, but my understanding is it's just the area around the Capitol. The Temple of Lincoln and the Obelisk of Washington remain accessible and -- for propaganda purposes -- protesters can still stage protest photos with the Capitol visible, no?

If Congress were to permanently retreat into a militarized zone ringed by fencing topped with razor wire, it would send the kind of message that heads of autocratic regimes send by cloistering themselves away from their populaces in armored fortresses

Mm, well they do have a point there.

Leland said...

The FBI made no assumptions:

'No stone unturned': All 25K National Guard troops for Biden's inauguration to undergo extra vetting (USA Today 17 Jan 21)

Outrage over FBI vetting of National Guard deployed to D.C.: 'Most offensive thing I've ever heard' (WaPo 19 Jan 21)

Gen. Keane slams Dem congressman questioning pro-Trump National Guardsmen's loyalty to America (Fox Business 19 Jan 21)

Neither is the DoD:

Navy ordering all sailors to re-swear oath to constitution in extremism stand-down (American Military News 23 Feb 21)

VIDEO: SecDef Austin asks troops to report fellow troops’ extremism and share any ideas they have to ‘stamp it out’ (American Military News 24 Feb 21)

Leland said...

Does it have to do with posse comitatus laws?

Link to DuckDuckGo

Type in words "posse comitatus laws". Skip Wikipedia. See link to US Northern Command

Now that the bar has been set, I'll look forward to links and evidence to back up the questions and claims by those who demand others provide such evidence. It is only fair. How about a link to the claim national guard aren't armed? It is not true and that is not an assumption, but it takes a lot of time to code html. So instead of providing free educational services, how about a quid pro quo?

Josephbleau said...

“Just expand the wall so it surrounds the US.”

I consider the capital fence to keep the normal people on the outside and the criminals inside. I was flying 150,000 miles per year around 911 and there were young NG soldiers with M 16s standing around Ohare and other places all the time. It made me feel like I was in a banana republic. I don’t know why government uses the NG, in England and France they just have old fat guys with funny H and K sub machine guns and bulletproof vests covered with radios. The NG is for optics, I think government weenies see the high approval rate of the military and think people will like being controlled by them. That is a poly sci major way to think. Academic political science departments ruined the US.

Joe Smith said...

It's all theater meant to impress the rubes.

But the military has long been coopted by the left along with law enforcement, the media, and education.

We're in a losing battle...

Jim at said...

Somehow the cause for the Capitol fencing has been forgotten already

No. It hasn't been forgotten. We're just not constantly wetting ourselves over it.

Rusty said...

I thought the razor wire was a nice touch. Nothing screams 'Democracy' like your elected officials surrounding themselves with razor wire. Engenders trust.

Joe Smith said...

Yes, we need to keep 5,000 heavily-armed troops in DC to protect against men wearing Viking helmets.

Remember, not a single 'insurrectionist' was carrying a gun.

Theater.

Bruce Hayden said...

“I was flying 150,000 miles per year around 911 and there were young NG soldiers with M 16s standing around Ohare and other places all the time.”

I had maybe 75 segments the year after 9/11/01, primarily on UAL between SLC and DEN. NG was deployed very visibly at the SLC airport, with their M16s. Except that they weren’t issued magazines or radios. They told me that they depended on the police for radios. Never quite understood why they were there, since they couldn’t short anyone, nor could they be contacted by radio to tell them that the airport was under attack. The good news though was Hill AFB was just a couple minutes away using military power, and they had a couple fighters sitting there 24/7 armed and ready to go.

Doug said...

Sorry if somebody already said it, but a broken clock is right twice a day.

Michael said...

.
Maybe the fence remains not because of what people did to Congress in the past, but what Congress is about to do to the people in the future.

Michael K said...

The capital surrounded by razor wire is kind of a nice symbol for what has happened to us since the election was stolen. Reminder every day for anyone who goes near.

narciso said...

in that light

https://computingforever.com/2021/03/09/the-great-reset-and-the-plantation-of-the-mind/

Anonymous said...

Offer up free abortions in tents outside the Capitol, it will open up right quick.

Bunkypotatohead said...

Leave it up. It shows them for what they are.

If only we could wrap a chain around the fence, add a big lock, and throw away the key.

narciso said...

in thought crime circles,

https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/03/chauvin-pre-trial-day-4-defense-burns-two-more-peremptory-strikes/

chickelit said...

Don't all the important Congressional people have trigger-happy body guards like the coward who shot Ashli Babbit? Why are they worried?

Anonymous said...

David UW- "The whole point is, the lockdown will go on.

This is what pisses me off. I've never locked down. I've never worn a mask. How can Americans not SEE this blatant attempt to identify the docile...and identify the others.

John Henry: Regular Army CANNOT be stationed at the Capitol. That is the Rubicon.

Good news... Regular Army are my guys. Democrats don't even want to open that can of worms.

NG troops are never issued ammo. It's theatre.

BTW, John Henry... I don't see the Crack, You, and me fire ring happening this summer. In the fullness of time, I am going to meet you. Crack is twisting in the wind. I wanted to hear him out. I think that you did too. I don't see that happening.

Clyde said...

ACLU, late to the party. Blind squirrel, meet acorn.

The Godfather said...

I spent my career in DC. Early on, anti-VN War protesters tried to block the Metrobus I was riding to work. On 9/11, I watched the Pentagon burn. For weeks afterward, the skies above DC were filled with war planes and choppers. But for most of my career, the biggest demonstrations were the Gay Pride Parade.
There was never a time when I couldn't go to the Capitol, or the House or Senate Office Buildings, or the Library of Congress, or the Supreme Court building.
I understand that the Democrats want to persuade people that "Republicans are Dangerous". They want to persuade Republicans that "Republicans are Dangerous". But they've failed. The post-presidency impeachment was a Big Mistake. The Democrats have lost the "Insurrection news cycle".
Go to DC. Call your Congresscritter and Senator and ask to meet with them or an appropriate staffer. If they refuse to see you, come home and write a letter to the editor of your home town paper -- make sure you mention the names of the Senator and Congressperson who refused to see you.