Quis custodcanemiet custodecanems ipsos?

The National ACLU is considering language that would *advise* its board members not to publicly disagree with policy decisions, and director Anthony Romero has been button-holing ACLU board members, LBJ-style, and accumulating 'thick files' on one dissenter, according to astory in the New York Times.

"Where an individual director disagrees with a board position on matters of civil liberties policy, the director should refrain from publicly highlighting the fact of such disagreement," the committee that compiled the standards wrote in its proposals. [...]

Mr. Kennison reported in an e-mail message that Mr. Romero "told me that he would 'never' apologize to the target of his outburst and that his evaluation of [board member Wendy Kaminer's] performance as a member of this board was justified by information he had been accumulating in a 'thick file on her.' "

When Mr. Kennison asked whether Mr. Romero intended to start such a file on him, "he asked me what made me think that he didn't already have a file on me," Mr. Kennison wrote.

Mr. Romero said Mr. Kennison had provoked him. "I do not have a file on Wendy," he said.

The ACLU took a beating from the New York Times a little over a year ago when the paper revealed that the ACLU used some external data sources to build up profiles on top donors, and citizens of the internets have long complained that the ACLU sells its membership lists.

Which makes one wonder, who will watchdog the watchdogs?† Perhaps ACLU members and board members need to start the ACLU4ACLUMembers?

Tags: aclu, romero, WhoWillWatchdogtheWatchdogWatchersWhoWatchdogTheWatchDogs?