Attorney General Defends Patriot Act (to the Federalist Society)

[Khephra]

Attorney General Defends Patriot Act
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 15, 2003


Filed at 12:16 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With the government's anti-terrorism legal strategy under increasing scrutiny, Attorney General John Ashcroft tried to assure lawyers Saturday that the Bush administration welcomes oversight and is using new powers to make ``quiet steady progress'' in the terrorism fight.

The government so far has successfully fended off legal challenges of its imprisonment of U.S. ``enemy combatants,'' secrecy about immigrants arrested after the Sept. 11 attacks and the detention of terrorism suspects in Cuba.


snip...........

He got in a poke at a liberal rival group, the American Constitution Society, which held its first national meeting this year. Former Attorney General Janet Reno was one of the draws of the event, hosting a late night ``dance party'' for law students and lawyers.

``They let Janet Reno speak at a far more civilized hour,'' Ashcroft said. ``How do you expect me to speak this morning and still be fresh for a John Ashcroft dance party this evening?''

more...........

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Ashcroft-Patriot-Act.html

[Say_What]

1. Patriot Act in the $87 bln Transp. Bill--we are F*cked

Last night on Now with Bill Moyers on PBS, Bob Barr--that Bob Barr--said that in the latest spending bill there is one paragraph that gives the FBI the right to go into and investigate our bank accounts without our permission. They can do pretty much whatever they want, monitor the account, close it, tie it up forever, etc. And guess what? If our bank notifies us about the FBI in our account, the bank can be prosecuted. Barr went on to say that this is how they're gonna put Patriot Act II into law--by slipping it bit by bit into large spending bills where it will go unnoticed. Barr has joined with the ACLU to try to fight this. If this happens, we are F*cked.

Also on was Stewart Udall, secretary of the interior under Kennedy and then Johnson. He said that Washington today is a cess pool--that everything is driven by money. I think that pretty much sums it up for those of us who remember that time period and compare it to now.

Maybe someone can get the transcript. I did a quick look around but didn't see any.

[hang a left]

5. How can they do that? It is over, the groundwork has been laid.

[Say_What]

9. The same way they put $8.5 mln in for Miami security for FTAA

this week and the same way they stripped the language out of the travel ban amendment that passed both House and Senate overwhelmingly. They're doing whatever they damn well please.

The transcript isn't posted to the pbs site yet, but here's the website.

http://www.pbs.org/now/archive_transcripts.html

[Jazzgirl]

2. But, but....John Asscroft

doesn't dance! He's an AG (Assembly of God) and they don't believe in dancing or having fun.

Ashcroft said. ``How do you expect me to speak this morning and still be fresh for a John Ashcroft dance party this evening?''


Jazzgirl :wtf:

[schultzee]

8. OMG....he an AG. No wonder. He covered the statutes. lol

[stevedeshazer]

3. Must have been a tough sell

The Federalist Society Board of Visitors:

Hon. Robert H. Bork Co-Chairman

Hon. Orrin Hatch Co-Chairman

Hon. C. Boyden Gray

Mr. Andrew J. Redleaf

Hon. Lois Haight Herrington

Hon. Donald Paul Hodel

Mr. Gerald Walpin

Hon. Edwin Meese, III

Among others. Scary bunch.

[latebloomer]

4. He wouldn't go anywhere

that even hinted at being a tough sell.

[xxqqqzme]

10. That's what I was thinkin

when I saw it was the federalist society - preaching 2 the converted BFD!

Plus his entire 'Patriot Act' tour has been B4 select & controlled attendence audiences. god forbid ANY of these rat bastards should ever B Xposed 2 any dissent!

[jpgray]

6. Pot defends its dark hue to the kettle society (nt)

[schultzee]

7. Awe...he had to speak at an uncivilized hour. Well he is uncivilized

and wants to distroy civil liberities in the name of national security. He knows there is really no way to totally end terrorism anymore than racism can be completely ended. All we can do is to be vigilent and to take adequate precautions, and try to stop the causes of terrorism. He even lost a governor's race to a dead man, that is how much the citizens of his home state thought of him. lol

[WindRavenX]

11. ...

A John Ashcroft dance party...sounds...fun.
What would they do at such a party? Execute homeless people? Eat puppies and kittens? What? :think: