Pros And Cons Of John Ashcroft
John Ashcroft sees two broad areas of civil liberties as particular weaknesses waiting to be exploited by terrorists, free press and due process rights. He described a seized al Qaeda training manual where "terrorists are told how to use America's freedom as a weapon against us. They are instructed to use the benefits of a free press, newspapers, magazines and broadcasts, to stalk and kill their victims. They are instructed to exploit our judicial process for the success of their operations" (U.S. Senate 2001). The logic is clear: to foil the terrorist plot, the administration must enact antiterrorism measures that ensure greater governmental control of information, fewer procedural protections for people linked to terrorism (as either suspects or material witnesses), and enhanced government surveillance. Not surprisingly, these are the civil liberty encroachments most lamented by policy critics.
…show more content…
Documenting its litigation activities from September 11, 2001 to March 14, 2003, as either a party or a friend of court, the ACLU chronicled thirty cases involving allegations of religious profiling, closed immigration hearings, government refusal to release names of detainees, misuse of material witness warrants, and unsuccessful efforts to obtain government documents through the Freedom of Information Act. The organization has been involved in some of the higher profile challenges to the administration's antiterrorism efforts, including enemy combatant cases, the gag order on the attorney of convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid, and the use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance search warrants for criminal investigations (ACLU Report
Documenting its litigation activities from September 11, 2001 to March 14, 2003, as either a party or a friend of court, the ACLU chronicled thirty cases involving allegations of religious profiling, closed immigration hearings, government refusal to release names of detainees, misuse of material witness warrants, and unsuccessful efforts to obtain government documents through the Freedom of Information Act. The organization has been involved in some of the higher profile challenges to the administration's antiterrorism efforts, including enemy combatant cases, the gag order on the attorney of convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid, and the use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance search warrants for criminal investigations (ACLU Report