Radley Balko just joined the ACLU, and it's all Bill O'Reilly's fault:

Last night I was flipping through the channels, and happened on the beginning of Bill O'Reilly's show just as we was ticking off his "Talking Points" segment. O'Reilly jumped off on the ACLU's opposition to New York City subway searches, then ran off a list of anti-terror measures the ACLU has opposed since 9/11. This was supposed to make me hate the ACLU. As it turns out, I oppose just about every anti-terror proposal on O'Reilly's list of outrages.
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That was more than enough for me. This morning, I became one of those people Bill O'Reilly wants you to stop doing business with.

I am now a card-carrying member of the ACLU. And it's thanks to Bill O'Reilly.

Now then, I would never think of joining the ACLU. I disagree with far too many of their positions. With that said, I don't find many of their positions on the War on Terror that objectionable. Are some of them? Sure. However, are they grievances worth airing? Certainly. Debate is nothing that we should ever shy from.

Somehow through some weird alignment of the stars, I watched the same segment last night that Radley did. This is very strange, as I can't stand Bill O'Reilly. What I found even more disturbing than his tirade during the Talking Points Memo, was his very next interview with an ACLU defender right after, that degraded into a full on childish hissy fit about illegal immigration.

First of all, I'd like to see our enforcement of immigration laws ramped up big time. But O'Reilly's points were just foolish on the matter, and frankly made all of us who oppose illegal immigration look like a bunch of racist bastards. He did a great disservice to our point of view. He needs to certainly examine his feelings, and examine the manner in which he expresses himself if he really wants to help improve our country. Of course, with the regularity that he seems to pat himself on the back, I doubt that will happen soon. One more reason not to watch his show for a few months again.

Update: Eugene Volokh has this to say about the ACLU... and he puts it perfectly. I wonder if he watched The O'Reilly Factor last night also?