Wednesday afternoon, the ACLU posted a picture of a beautiful little girl in a “free speech” onesie holding an American flag. The picture was captioned, “This is the future that ACLU members want.”

I have no doubt that the progressives at the ACLU made a completely unbiased, race-free decision when they posted that picture. But the backlash was immediate. You see, the little girl was white.

The ACLU, whose mission is to fight mobs in defense of free speech, caved to the online mob and wouldn’t even defend its own speech.

In response to the criticism, it effectively apologized, noting that the group’s Twitter followers had kept it “in check” by reminding the ACLU that “white supremacy is everywhere.”

WHAT?! When did toddlers become symbols of white supremacy? This is a sad example of just how hyper-sensitive the Left has become.

If anyone ran an ad of a little black girl, Hispanic girl or Asian girl, and bigots attacked it, saying, “That’s not the future I’m working for,” millions of decent people would be repulsed by such ugly racism. It would make the evening news.

Yet when it happens the other way around, there is nothing but crickets from the so-called “mainstream media” about this shocking example of left-wing racism.

Again, where are the leading progressive figures saying that the ACLU should be ashamed for caving into that kind of bigotry? Where is the public condemnation of the Left’s racism?

Speaking of Hate …“

Pro-family Christian groups are sick and tired of the Left labeling them as so-called "hate groups,” and they are fighting back. This week, D. James Kennedy Ministries filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for calling the Christian ministry a “hate group.”

We have reported in the past how the SPLC has also maliciously labeled other Christian groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council as “hate groups.”

Dr. Frank Wright, president of D. James Kennedy Ministries, said, “These false and illegal characterizations have a chilling effect on the free exercise of religion and on religious free speech for all people of faith.”

He is absolutely right. No decent person wants to be thought of as a “hater” or be associated with “haters.”

But the SPLC and intolerant progressive groups like it are working overtime to define as bigotry the deeply held values of millions of Christians. They want to criminalize traditional conservative ideas. They are guilty of religious bigotry, defamation and slander.

The Silent Majority

In these raging cultural debates, the angriest and loudest voices often get the most attention. But what is getting lost is the perspective of the “silent majority.” For example:

A recent NPR poll found that 62% of Americans felt that Confederate statues should remain as historical symbols. Only 27% said they should be removed. Blacks in the poll were split 44% to 40%.

88% of voters oppose tearing down statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Only 7% support it.

We told you recently about one left-wing columnist who wants to “blow up” Mount Rushmore. Well, only 6% of voters think that monument should be “changed or closed.”

And when it comes to free speech — a really controversial issue on college campuses — 85% of Americans said that preserving the First Amendment right to free speech is more important than ensuring no one is offended. Only 8% said it was more important to silence offensive speech. Sorry, little snowflakes.

Another issue that made headlines recently was President Trump’s decision to reverse Barack Obama’s policy allowing transgendered individuals to serve in the military. This week, the White House issued guidance to the Pentagon on how President Trump’s new policy was to be enforced.

Now here’s what big media won’t tell you: A study commissioned by the Obama administration found that deployability was a major problem. But Obama’s Pentagon progressives put political correctness ahead of military readiness and ignored these concerns. President Trump did not.

According to The Washington Free Beacon, “On average, transgender troops seeking basic sex-change operations would be nondeployable for 238 days, or 34 weeks out of a year. The figure amounts to 65 percent of one year.”

Brown v. Kaepernick

Football legend Jim Brown played in the NFL from 1957 to 1965. Brown had tremendous talent and was once described as “the greatest pure runner in the history of the NFL.”

He played during an era when legal segregation still existed — before the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Needless to say, Jim Brown has seen tremendous changes in America in his lifetime, changes for the better.

So I was encouraged to hear his recent remarks on the Colin Kaepernick controversy. Here is what this American sports legend had to say:

I’m going to give you the real deal: I’m an American. I don’t desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I’m not gonna do anything against the flag and national anthem. … This is my country, and I’ll work out the problems, but I’ll do it in an intelligent manner. … Colin has to make up his mind whether he’s truly an activist or he’s a football player. Football is commercial. You have owners. You have fans. And you want to honor that if you’re making that kind of money…

Prayers for Texas

As Hurricane Harvey barrels down on the Texas coast, Carol and I are praying for our many friends in the Lone Star State. We pray that lives would be spared, that the damage would be minimal and that communities would quickly come together to help those in need after the storm passes.