Ashcroft haunts us still...

[RawAlex]

Ex AG Ashcrift sure didn't fall far from the Washington tree when he left the job of AG. In fact, he appears to be making quite a living off of helping companies get contracts for the homeland security projects he created as AG.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashcroft_Group,_LLC

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/11/AR2006081101846.html?nav=rss_nation/special

Nothing like having a bunch of insiders with their little pig snouts deep into the government trough. Insane!

[Kinky Jones]

welcome to DC Junkies RawAlex :hi:

it is always nice to see politicians "retire from politics" and start collecting all the money they setup while they were in office

[Tommy]

John Ashcorft is a big part of the C.C.C.

Crooked Christian Conservatives

[docholly]

John Ashcorft is a big part of the C.C.C.

Crooked Christian Conservatives

I thought more a CCD.. Christian Cross Dresser. :lmao2:

[urb]

I've heard a few people mention that the USA is slowly becoming a fascist theocracy. Do you think this is the case? Or am I listening to the wrong people? :)

[SirMoby]

I've heard a few people mention that the USA is slowly becoming a fascist theocracy. Do you think this is the case? Or am I listening to the wrong people? :)
I think that we're moving pretty quickly towards it.

Try to discuss politics with the right without the discussion of religion. Listen to the statements from Republican leaders about "Doing what's best for the party!"

Now that voting mahines don't need a paper trail ....

I'm afraid that I may have to raise my daughter in Bulgaria so that she can experience freedom.

[Kinky Jones]

I've heard a few people mention that the USA is slowly becoming a fascist theocracy. Do you think this is the case? Or am I listening to the wrong people? :)


CHENEY-SPECTER SPY DEAL THREATENS BASIC CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOMS

A disturbing deal cut by Dick Cheney and Senator Arlen Specter is moving through the
Senate Judiciary Committee toward the Senate floor. This horrible bill would set
government spies loose in new ways that further undermine our constitutional
freedoms.

The Cheney-Specter bill would make presidential compliance with federal procedures
that help protect the Fourth Amendment rights optional. The bill would also vastly
expand the government's power to search and spy on American homes and businesses
without any judicial checks. It would allow the government to listen to Americans'
international calls, and to read any domestic or international email message of
Americans -- if they don't know that every sender and recipient is in the United
States -- without any warrant or evidence an American is conspiring with al Qaeda.

"President Nixon had ordered warrantless wiretapping of Americans and claimed that
he was above the law," said Lisa Graves, ACLU Senior Counsel for Legislative
Strategy. "History -- and current events -- show us that FISA, although not perfect,
is still needed to help protect our Fourth Amendment rights. Congress should not
weaken those protections. These proposed changes ignore the very reasons FISA was
enacted in the first place."

The White House has stonewalled congressional attempts to investigate the
administration's circumvention of FISA. And two weeks ago, President Bush personally
blocked an investigation by the Justice Department regarding the NSA's warrantless
wiretapping program.

stuff like this is common in the good ole free US of J.C. (united states of jesus christ)

[RawAlex]

Kinky, there are some real difficult issues faces the US when it comes to "constituional freedoms" and what they really mean to every day

Rulings by the supreme court have created a series of bizarre absolutes that ends up creating situations where it is very hard for law enforcement to work. It is very, very hard to explain all the things that went into this, but it makes it very hard to deal with clear and obvious crimes like drug dealing and street gangs, let alone terrorists and hidden terror cells.

Regardless of what side of the debate you are on, it is pretty clear the the criminals and other "evil doers" have a constitutional upper hand right now, many getting off on technicalities and "improper searches" that make it almost impossible for law enforcement to do their jobs.

The Bush administration has done everything they can (and many things they should have though of) in order to bypass or work around about 50 plus years of court rulings that set standards for warrants, wiretaps, and collection of "private" data. They are using secret courts, offshore prisons, secret prisons, and various administrative orders to try to circumvent what the courts have set as the standards, rather than attempting to make substantive changes to the actual laws and move forward.

Very few americans want to hear this, but your constitution is being used against you by terrorists as their protection from government scutiny. It is the reasons why overseas listening posts and foreign government intelligence is the only way the US can protect itself, because it is very, very hard to monitor americans in a useful manner without violating their constituional rights.

Because of the evolution of crime and terror, the constitution is looking like it needs some overhauling, and nobody wants to do that.

The Bush administration is just a little dumb because they do things in a manner that is clearly not acceptable, and yet everyone is suppose to play along, yet in a sense much of this is actually needed to meet the threats.

Not a nice situation.