Ashcroft is pulling out all the stops to prosecute protesters.

[aeon flux]

The Gestapo strikes again!
--------------------------

Students, Nuns and Sailor-Mongers, Beware
Atty. Gen. Ashcroft is pulling out all the stops to prosecute protesters.


October 17, 2003

LA Times Commentary

By Jonathan Turley, Jonathan Turley is a professor of law at George Washington University.

It has lain dormant in the darkest recesses of American law for 125 years, but this month Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft introduced critics of the administration to his latest weapon in law enforcement.

In a Miami federal court, the attorney general charged the environmental group Greenpeace under an obscure 1872 law originally intended to end the practice of "sailor-mongering," or the luring of sailors with liquor and prostitutes from their ships. Ashcroft plucked the law from obscurity to punish Greenpeace for boarding a vessel near port in Miami.

Not only is the law being used to prosecute one of the administration's most vocal critics in an unprecedented attack on the 1st Amendment, but it appears to be part of a broader campaign by Ashcroft to protect the nation against free speech, a campaign that has converted environmentalists into "sailor-mongers" and nuns into terrorists.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-turley17oct17,1,3070227.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

[JohnKleeb]

1. I call bunk bed guys

:D and head of the kids escape commitee.
*great escape main theme music*
On a serious note what the hell is going on, well I shouldnt be suprised its damned Ashcroft.

[goforit]

2. This is UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!..............Arrest him for being a TRAITOR!!!

Soros needs to offer a wanted poster on these WH THUGS!!!!

They don't represent our country...they are unpatriotic!!!!

[ComerPerro]

3. The climate has been gradually changing enough

so that by summer of next year anyone who protests Bush or his policies will be labled a terrorist.

People thought I was exaggerating when I first said that the Patriot Act will be used against Americans.
But its getting scarier and scarier every damn day.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Asscroft

is one sick puppy. My G-D! What next?

People around this country had better start waking up before they have no rights left.

Jonathan Turley is great. Thanks for the post.

[lovedems]

5. This administration gets creepier by the day

All this when we are fighting 2 wars. John, John, John you are a busy boy pulling out laws from 1872 to shut the public up. Shouldn't you be busy investigating the Plame leak instead of a way to silence Greenpeace? Where are your priorities?

[bluestateguy]

6. This guy has redeemed himself with me

During 1998-99 he was a big cheerleader for Clinton's impeachment, but all is forgiven now.

[Some Moran]

7. Huh?

What do liquor and prostitution have to do with Greenpeace?

[newyawker99]

9. Hi Some Moran!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[E_Zapata]

8. Protect the nation against free speech?

"but it appears to be part of a broader campaign by Ashcroft to protect the nation against free speech, a campaign that has converted environmentalists into "sailor-mongers" and nuns into terrorists."

WTF? I thought we were being protected against the terra-ists? Well, damn, if we had known all we had to do is keep our mouths shut, we could have saved 10s of 1000s of lives, all those soldiers' lives, our treasury, our economy, etc. etc.

Why didn't asskraft say something sooner? He should be fired for incompetence and dereliction of duty. I mean, if we had all just kept our mouths shut, this mess wouldn't even be upon us. For shame Asskraft!

[greekspeak]

10. I'm sure this law was not created for trampling the 1st ammendment

I can hardly wait till he finds a civil war era law that allows him to arrest anyone he wants as confederate spys. Bye rights....been good ta know ya.