June 4, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
NEW BOOKS
Worst Instincts: Cowardice, Conformity, and the ACLU
by Wendy Kaminer
Wendy Kaminer, a lawyer and writer, writes in this book about her frustrations as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties from 1999 until 2006. She argues that the organization suppresses dissent and abandoned its commitment to protecting freedom.
Ms. Kaminer admits the book is highly personal and not objective, but she said she felt she needed to document her concerns about the organization’s governance and leadership. She charges that the organization’s leader, Anthony Romero, would seek “to intimidate board members who might disapprove of his conduct but were timid in exercising oversight or anxious about avoiding emotional conflicts.”
She also charges that the organization increasingly gave greater priority to public relations and fund raising than to its mission. For example, in 2004 Mr. Romero signed a grant agreement with the Ford Foundation that included a restriction on advocacy stating that grantees could not promote or engage in “violence, terrorism, or bigotry, or the destruction of any state.” She said the agreement was made without consent of the board and was at odds with positions the organization had taken on federal legislation related to the Patriot Act.
Though the board eventually rescinded the agreement, Ms. Kaminer said the initial action overshadowed the organization’s work of safeguarding civil liberties and “left little question that fundraising was driving policy, practice, and rationalizations for unprincipled conduct at the ACLU.”
In an interview with The Chronicle, Susan N. Herman, president of the organization’s board, said she disagreed with Ms. Kaminer’s charges and said the board welcomes rigorous debate.
Publisher: Beacon Press, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. 02108; http://www.beacon.org; 149 pages; $24.95; ISBN 978-0-8070-4430-8.
