Ashcroft Says Likely to Appeal U.S. Patriot Act Ruling

[leftchick]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6375762

<snip>

SCHEVENINGEN, Netherlands (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Thursday the Bush administration was likely to appeal against a U.S. District Court ruling that part of the Patriot Act was unconstitutional.
"Without knowing the specifics, I wouldn't be able to assure you that the case would be appealed, but it is almost a certainty that it would be appealed," Ashcroft told reporters after meeting European Union justice and interior ministers.

"We believe the act to be completely consistent with the United States' Constitution," he added.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled that surveillance powers granted to the FBI under the Patriot Act, a cornerstone of the U.S. war on terror, were unconstitutional.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I don't know how they can justify it

Sorry, but how has infringing on the Fourth Amendment kept us safer? Exactly how many terrorists have been found using all this power-compared to how many people have been harrassed for political purposes?

[no_hypocrisy]

7. He doesn't have to worry about justification. He has to wait for * to

appoint more Scalias to the Supreme Court and make Thomas the Chief Justice in order to make the Enabling Act (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Enabling_Act), er, I mean the U.S. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act permanent.

[kerryin2004]

2. What is Asscroft doing in the netherlands??n/ts

[EST]

3. Just part of our own little Axis of evil.

Damn bastards!

[truthisfreedom]

4. ashcroft can go move to a country that DOESN'T have our constitution and

try to crap all over theirs. i'm sick of these perverted anti-American, treasury-looting, lawbreaking con-men. get them out of office, Kerry... and quickly!

[MatrixEscape]

5. To me ...

There is a much bigger picture here concerning Ashcroft. I think many people understand that his concept of separation of church and state is fuzzy, or non-existent, at least in his own, professed ideology.

He has been billed as "an ultra-conservative and favorite son of the Religious Right." Now consider his Office and powers.

He was even considered as a potential 2000 Presidential candidate by the Right. I think that shows you how far they were willing to go. Prudence dictated that America would not be cajoled into a Theocracy so overtly, and so Dubya' got his big ticket to the White House and Ashcroft got to play a lesser fiddle, but an important one, none-the-less.

This is yet another good reason to vote the current Administration out! That is, if you want American Justice and not and eventual shift towards Mosaic Law in this country.

You can Google him up yourself, but it is very clear that as far as representation goes, Ashcroft appears to serve a minority of America and goes out of his way to make that clear.

He will not be happy with the Constitution as it stands because he clearly holds other ideologies far more sacred than it. I would like to make it clear that his faction holds disdain, even outright contempt, for Democracy and this is a "guilt by association" matter.

Americans should not be ashamed of holding the Constitution and Bill of Rights as documents that are "sacred" to the essence and freedoms of this country. Religous ideologies have the right to co-exist in that context, but they do not have the right of usurption. This has been clearly spelled out.

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=3199

[Peanut Gallery]

8. Well said

n/t

[hang a left]

6. Your a jack off Asshat!!!

If I were you I'd start packing up your office. Doesn't look like your gonna be there much longer. You are being fired November 2.

[indepat]

9. Is Ashcroft delusional, a compulsive fibber, or both in claiming the

Patriot Act is consistent with the United States' Constitution? I opt for the latter.

[ChrisK]

10. Really, what good is the Patriot Act when...

in the lead-up to the 9/11 attacks there was a good bit of information that was ignored, like the August 6, PDB or when an FBI officer sent out a report stating that there was some suspicious activity at a pilot school that was training a group of Arab men it was ignored, Richard Clark tried to get a meeting with Vice President Cheney but was put off for almost a year.

The Patriot Act gives a broad range of uses for the justice department to help them gather whats needed to stop or curtail terrorists and there operations but what good is more information when there just going to ignore it like they did BEFORE 9/11 happened?

Why do we, as a country, need to lose our rights to help protect them?..what good are rights if we don't hold them sacred?

I'm sure the Patriot Act has it's uses here and there but overall it seems to broad and too "loose" in it's possible uses and thats not a good thing to people that cherish there freedoms.

[izzie]

11. Why is he in Holland?

Or did just the story come from there. He goes on more trips than Bush. Time us tax payers started to get into this once more. The GOP went nuts with that when they were trying to take over the House and it worked for a while. We were for ever hearing about the free rides this big wigs were on. The Republicans must be smarter than the Dem. It took 40 years for the Dem to take us for a ride but the Republicans have done the same in 10 years.

[WillyT]

12. Kick !!!

:kick: