From WorldNetDaily:
Saying the Patriot Act has helped prevent further terrorist attacks on America, Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday called for even tougher law-enforcement tools.
In Tampa, Fla., Ashcroft reissued a warning that terrorists intend to attack the U.S. and that the upcoming Fourth of July holiday and political conventions should be considered prime targets.
"We are a nation at war," Ashcroft said. "There are times when 9-11 may seem like a distant memory, but it is not. Al-Qaida wants to hit us and hit us hard."
...
Ashcroft argued that law enforcement needs more powers, not fewer. Among those he called for are the power for investigators to subpoena business records in terrorism investigations on their own rather than through a grand jury and a federal death penalty for some terrorism attacks in which people are killed.
Ashcroft is also asking Congress to allow judges to impose the death penalty for those convicted of terrorist activities that do not now have death penalty specifications.
Matt's Chat
I absolutely do not support giving law enforcement powers that are not checked and balanced by oversight. Oversight is not the problem. Solid, accurate intelligence is the problem. Let's address that...Mark's Remarks
I totally agree. We cannot create the apparatus that Liberal administration's would use to stifle conservative thought (and don't think that they wouldn't--anyone hear of the ol Fairness Doctrine?). There must be oversight. However, if there is sufficient oversight, then extending some powers may not be out of the question. The key is to remember that OUR (read US citizens) rights are not being unduly infringed upon.
From FOX News:
Key lawmakers, including a Republican committee chairmen, are asking the Justice Department to explain why it released a terror suspect to Syria (search) when several prosecutors and FBI agents had collected evidence for possible criminal charges against the man.
The circumstances surrounding Nabil al-Marabh's release, detailed in a recent Associated Press story, are "of deep concern and appear to be a departure from an aggressive, proactive approach to the war on terrorism," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote Tuesday in a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft (search).
"Al-Marabh was at one time No. 27 on the Federal Bureau of Investigations list of Most Wanted Terrorists," wrote Grassley, who leads the committee that controls federal spending and also is a member of the Judiciary Committee that oversees the Justice Department. "He appears to have links to a number of terrorists and suspected terrorists in several U.S. cities."
The Iowa Republican demanded that Ashcroft answer 19 questions about al-Marabh's case, including why the Justice Department didn't prosecute the man they had in custody for nearly two years either in a military tribunal or through a secret court proceeding that could protect intelligence information.
Matt's Chat
This senator asks some good questions. Of course, Leahy and Chuck the Schmuck have to get their licks in...and rather than ask questions with respect, we see the partisan attacks continue...It sounds as if we are deporting suspected terrorists that we don't have sufficient evidence against. I'm not sure that is wise, but better to have these guys out of the country than in it if we don't have them incarcerated. Wouldn't want to violate the terrorists' rights now would we...
Mark's Remarks
I really dislike Chuck and the like. They only care about scoring sound bite points instead of doing their job. Where are they during key votes? Are they out lobbying, are they out seeking dinner engagements? These types of Liberals are nothing more than opportunists who promote liberal messages but do nothing to put anything into practice. Even as they talk about reforms, it is meaningless. They care only for power. I have seen votes where Chuck has co-sponsored a bill, only to see him vote against it. Why? Because co-sponsoring gets notice and gets people thinking you care...not voting on it or voting against it gets little play. Don't you just love the liberals' lack of substance?
