The cause of liberty would be better served if we had a more moderate and temperate American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The problem with the ACLU is not its goal of defending civil liberties—that is its strength—it is its unwillingness to see that individual rights do not alone make for liberty. The problem is not with liberty but with those who give it a radical cast. Liberty is just as dependent on making adequate provisions for the common good as it is on ensuring an adequate enforcement of civil liberties. A social conception of liberty embraces one other quality: respect for mediating institutions and an enlightened skepticism of the role of government. The rights of the accused need to be respected, but the social interest in maintaining order is also legitimate. A social conception of liberty, offers a more contextual and sociologically realistic way of thinking about freedom.