Living in a free society is a benefit as well detraction. In our country the First Amendment of the constitution gives us freedom of speech. However this right to free speech comes with the sacrifice of having to hear opinions that are repugnant to the majority. So we have the incongruous situation, like oil and water, of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) defending the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). .

             The ACLU defends our First Amendment right to free speech, as well as our other rights. The ACLU goes to court to fight those who would deny us these rights. Interestingly enough, it is usually the same government, which has given us these rights that tries to take them away. The ACLU defends free speech for all people and organizations no matter what their message or how reprehensible their views might be. "The ACLU believes that the constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and press would be meaningless if the government could pick and choose the persons to whom these rights apply," said Chris Ahmuty, Executive Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin.

             The KKK is trying to deny constitutional rights to minorities. This is what the ACLU tries to prevent. The KKK uses their right to freedom of speech to spread their message of hate and racism. There are many cases where government agencies have tried to stop the KKK from speaking in public. In February of 1998, the town of Cicero, IL denied a rally permit to the KKK to hold a rally in their town, Cicero claimed "that the planned rally could incite violence and also that it be to costly to effectively police."The ACLU agreed to fight this case for the KKK because it is a violation of their First Amendment rights. "By providing representation in this case, we are upholding a long tradition of defending freedom of speech for all-a tradition in which we have represented civil rights activists and hate groups alike," said Harvey Grossman, Legal Director of ACLU Illinois.