In a democracy, everyone’s rights are better protected when
multiple competing voices are raised in the making of public policy. But, with
the closing of the Wyoming’s American Civil Liberties Union office, the state
is another step closer to speaking with a single voice.
Wyoming started down that road as the strength of organized
labor slowly diminished. When unions were stronger, they had enough influence
to be that voice for the marginalized.
Then came single-member legislative districts. Legislators
represented their counties at one time. County lines no longer matter. Instead,
the majority party draws lines on a map assuring there is a Republican majority
in nearly every district. It’s called gerrymandering and it has
institutionalized Republican control.
Additionally Wyoming speaks with only one voice because most
moderate Republicans are mute and the Democratic Party is nearly irrelevant.
The last time a Democrat was elected to congress in Wyoming was 1976. Then 80%
of eligible voters were registered. There was a mere 10,000-vote difference
between the two parties, making Republicans more moderate and giving Democrats
a chance to win. Today fewer than 55% bother to register and the gap between
the two parties has grown to more than 110,000.
As labor, moderate Republicans, and Democrats have lost
their ability to speak, people concerned about the rights of working people,
minorities and women and issues like criminal justice reform turned to the ACLU.
Wyoming’s ACLU provided effective advocacy for those whose rights were abused
by government and business, which is why some were delighted to hear the news.
“I’m glad they’re
gone,” said Frank Jorge, a libertarian podcaster from Basin. “I think it’s a plus for the
state of Wyoming to not have them here.” Jorge, like many conservatives,
disagreed with the ACLU’s work on behalf of those Jesus called “the least of
these.”
The ACLU drew ire
from the right by protecting the rights of undocumented workers, prisoners, and
the LGBTQ community. Those conservatives support the Constitution unless
someone attempts to apply its protections to the marginalized. The ACLU
interfered with that approach.
Wyoming’s
ACLU advisory board chair Ron Akin
said, “There are very few places to turn to in Wyoming for help if you feel like
your rights are violated. Without
the ACLU in Wyoming, it’s basically open season on civil liberties and civil
rights.”
The blame for the
loss of the Wyoming ACLU does not fall on the far right. Blame falls on the shoulders
of the national ACLU office. The office was closed, they said, because the
national organization has an annual deficit of $15 million. Closing the Wyoming
office contributes little to solving that problem while creating enormous
problems for those the ACLU represents. Shuttering the Wyoming office reduces
the ACLU’s budget gap by a whopping $360,000, less than 2.5%. The ACLU has an annual budget of more than
$100 million and can’t somehow find a way to fund the Wyoming office. For a
pittance in savings, they’ve left Wyoming the only state in the Union without a
chapter. Shame on them.
But the decision
has been made. The ACLU’s doors are closed. Now what? Linda Burt, a Cheyenne
lawyer who served ably as Wyoming’s ACLU director for many years, asked, ‘Who is going to do this work?”
She answered her own question. “My answer in some cases is nobody, because we
are one of the only organizations that do this.”
Steve
Klein of the conservative Liberty Group acknowledged the depth of the loss of an
organization with whom he is often at odds. Klein wrote, “A big loss to Wyoming. Whether ally or
opponent, Wyoming ACLU staffers approach each issue with integrity and zeal. I
believe even the best restructuring will take years to catch up to the current
chapter.”
Despite other gleeful
conservatives, a healthy democracy demands the rights of all people be
protected. That simply won’t happen in a state whose leaders speak with a
single-voiced ideology.
Burt’s question
hangs in the wind. “Who is going to do this work?”
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