Thursday, January 16, 2003
A clear and present danger
An Associated Press story in Tuesday’s paper brings us still another chapter in the continuing attack on American values by the Attorney General. Here’s the relevant quote in Curt Anderson’s report:
"Out of fear, ignorance and occasional bigotry, faith-based groups have been prohibited from competing for federal funding on a level playing field with secular groups,” Ashcroft said in a text of his speech released at the Justice Department.
“Fear, ignorance and occasional bigotry” is apparently Mr. Ashcroft’s code phrase for the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which can be found here:
The very first words of the very first item in the Bill of Rights are “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”. Ashcroft is enthusiastically and fervently in support of the last portion of the phrase, but conveniently forgets (more accurately, it seems, tramples upon) the start of it. Of course, he’s well practiced at that, blissfully ignoring the phrase “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,” whenever he invokes the Second Amendment.
Considering the source, I don’t suppose I’m surprised by this. Ashcroft has constructed his entire political career on selecting his few favorite pieces of the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution while blithely ignoring and/or violating the rest of it. In his shorthand, there’s really only one Amendment in the Bill of Rights, and even that one is pared down to his unswerving support of guns in all forms, in all places, in anyone’s hands, without “interference” by anyone.
What’s troubling is that, by and large, We the People put up with Ashcroft’s bludgeoning of our American rights. He and Dubya and the rest of the cabal have wrapped it all in 9/11, and will continue to ride that excuse as long and as far as they can. Their public relations approach has been impeccable—truly a marvel to behold, if it wasn’t so damn frightening.
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Posted by N in Seattle on 01/16 at 06:09 AM
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