John Turley on Ashcroft
TERROR ALERT
The Government Strives Mightily to Keep Fear Alive
John Ashcroft unplugged: On the road, pushing Patriot Act
[...]In many ways, this tour is a variation of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 classic "Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb." If citizens are going to come to love the Patriot Act and the rollback of their civil liberties, Ashcroft needs to emphasize the other, less known, positive features of the law.
For example, the new authority to conduct secret physical searches of our homes means greater interaction for home pets. Before Ashcroft, privacy kept pets in stressful isolation for long days until the return of their working owners. Under the Patriot Act, insertion teams of agents will often bring dog and cat treats for such pets as they scrub your computer and insert surveillance devices. Owners will return to find their animals rested and frisky.