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St. Petersburg Times editorial published May 18, 2002 For at least six decades, the Justice Department has interpreted the Second Amendment's right to bear arms as pertaining to a state-organized militia. Not anymore. Attorney General John Ashcroft, long a friend to the National Rifle Association, has made a switch. Now the government claims in two briefs filed before the U.S. Supreme Court that the Second Amendment provides a far broader protection, granting individuals the right to firearms. Regardless of the merits of this controversial policy change -- even some constitutional scholars disagree on the Second Amendment -- the about-face is another example of the way Ashcroft has allowed his personal beliefs to drive the department's interpretation of law and the Constitution -- something he swore during his confirmation proceedings he would not do. During Ashcroft's January 2000 confirmation hearing, the former senator from Missouri was grilled by his former colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Many expressed serious reservations over Ashcroft's ability to divorce his personal beliefs from his role as objective law enforcement officer. "I pledge to you that strict enforcement of the rule of law will be the cornerstone of justice," Ashcroft promised the committee. "As a man of faith, I take my word and my integrity seriously." Since taking office, Ashcroft has gone back on his word time and again. A prime example occurred last month when the U.S. Supreme Court found the Child Pornography Prevention Act unconstitutional because it prohibited virtual child pornography, material that does not involve the sexual exploitation of real children. Ashcroft was incensed at the court's ruling and has joined with members of Congress who vow to try again to criminalize the same material. Ashcroft's job is to respect the rule of law and the court's judgment on First Amendment protections, not to try to undo the justices' work. This is just another skirmish in the culture war, a war Ashcroft has spent his professional life fighting. Now that he has the reins of an institution with a huge legal arsenal he has taken his attacks to a new level. Ashcroft spent years before becoming attorney general railing against federal intrusions into "states' rights," but that didn't stop him from attempting to undermine Oregon's doctor-assisted suicide law. Ashcroft reversed a standing policy of the Justice Department and told Oregon doctors who prescribe lethal drugs to patients in conformance with the state law that he would move to revoke their prescription-writing privileges. Only a federal ruling last month prevented Ashcroft from following through with his threats and freed Oregonians to exercise their rights under the statute. The list of ways Ashcroft is using his office to further his personal beliefs is extensive. The actions range from his aggressive crackdown on medical marijuana in California, a state that has legalized the drug's use for that purpose, to his disregard for the rights of immigrants, the accused and the incarcerated. Ashcroft has allowed his personal beliefs to permeate the department's law enforcement actions. He has become the kind of ideological attorney general his critics warned us he would be. We need to execute people in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed too," pundit 'Ann Coulter' told this month's meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference. " As reported by JAY BOOKMAN, STAFFDate: 02-14-2002 >Publication: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Page Number: A.18 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Columnist Obviously conservatives support domestic and foreign violence and rejoice as they exclaim"We have a lot to be happy about. We don’t just have a Republican President. We have an explicitly conservative President." Judging from their enthusiastic reactions throughout the three-day conference at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., that belief was obviously shared by almost all the record 3,478 participants and they look for great policy strides in a conservative direction over the next four years. In fact former Gov. Bush in Texas and Gov. Bush in Florida (brother to our President) have already started upon their secret rules crusade. They are effectively stopping ALL forms of democratic dissent in order to promote the Bush Extreme Conservative Agenda. Read about the case in Texas now. Stand up to the new fascists regimes in America stand by your principles, you are also going to have to fight." Join the Voice of Freedom and fight for your liberty and freedom. National Security Adviser John Poindexter, who was embroiled in controversy stemming from the Iran-Contra scandal, further expanded NSA's information security role when he signed National Telecommunications and Information Systems Security Policy (NTISSP) No. 2. Officially titled "Protection of Sensitive, But Unclassified Information in Federal Government Telecommunications and Automated Information Systems", Poindexter's directive extended NSA's mandate to the protection of unclassified sensitive information in the commercial data bases of private corporations. NSA found itself in charge of a program that was at variance with the Constitution and its Bill of Rights. The Report also recommends that state legislators amend their privacy
laws to require mere implied "consent" as authority for employers
to request sensitive background information on employees or prospective
employees. In addition, there is a recommendation that Congress amend
the Employee Polygraph Protection Act to include information security
personnel in the category of professions which can be required to
be subjected to polygraph tests...more
Stifle Free Speech Connecticut: Hartford Police brutal beatings and the arrests of 18 people who delivered prepared speeches and jocose skits depicting a battle "royale" between an Osama bin Laden-like character and Uncle Sam. Many lawyers and city officials are questioning the excessive use of force against the protesters."From what I've heard, yes, the actions by the police were illegal," says Norm Pattis, a New Haven defense lawyer representing two Yale students arrested during the demonstration...more MOVING TOWARD A POLICE STATE OR HAVE WE ARRIVED? Secret Military Tribunals, Mass Arrests and Disappearances, Wiretapping & Torture By: Michael Ratner www.humanrightsnow.com The domestic consequences of the war on terrorism include massive arrests and interrogation of immigrants, the possible use of torture to obtain information, the creation of a special new cabinet office of Homeland Security and the passage of legislation granting intelligence and law enforcement agencies much broader powers to intrude into the private lives of Americans. Recent new initiatives-the wiretapping of attorney-client conversations and military commissions to try suspected terrorists-- undermine core constitutional protections and are reminiscent of inquisitorial practices...more | |
 Urge Congress to Protect the US Constitution ![[Safe and Free: Safe and Free: Safe and Free in Times of Crisis]](http://www.aclu.org/graphics/safe.gif) |
When
I think of the progress we have made over the-last thirty years, I look
upon our system of civil liberties with some satisfaction, and a certain
pride. There is considerably less to be proud about, and a good deal
to be embarrassed about, when one reflects on the shabby treatment civil
liberties have received in the United States during times of war and
perceived threats to its national security. -- William J. Brennan, Jr. United States Supreme Court Justice, 1987 |