The former US Attorney General, John Ashcroft, spoke to about an audience of students and spectators at Bucknell University. Ashcroft's new book, Never Again: Securing America and Restoring Justice, is out on the market.
While most of the lecture focused on the 9/11 and the Patriot Act, Ashcroft didn't really offer any insights to America's problems after he left the Justice Department. At times he sounded like Sean Hannity, while at other time he seemed to be offering testimony.
If anything one issue that the audience was concerned about was immigration. One protecting our borders. Two, while only admitting 700 Iraqi's last year, what will become of their 500,000 refugees. This was the most insightful question of the night by the audience.
In a bold statement of the night, Ashcroft said this current administration has shown the most restraint of any administration regarding civil rights in time of war. From the elephant talking point, Ashcroft indicated what Roosevelt, Clinton, Wilson, Lincoln and Washington did in times of war.
Ashcroft's successor Alberto Gonzales even said Washington loved electronic surveillance.
10 Things I wanted to say or ask.
1.) Why weren't recommendations of the 9/11 commission adopted?
2.) Why was Senate confirmation bypassed for US Attorney's in the Patriot Act?
3.) Why was more spent on Whitewater (70 million) than 9/11 (13 million).
4.) If we have a FISA court why was it being bypassed?
5.) Who decides who is an enemy combatant?
6.) Where have you gone, habeus corpus?
7.) Will you try for appointed or elected office again?
8.) Where is Osama Bin Laden? Work on this with Rumsfeld.
9.) Please don't joke about WMD's over 3100 good men and women lost their lives because of it.
10.) Those who give up liberty for security deserve neither liberty or security - Ben Franklin
