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Political

Agreeing on Ashcroft

This is likely the earliest weblog entry I’ll be able to recover from the Wayback Machine. My earlier Manila weblog site entries were overwritten by an overzealous web bot that Userland was running. This includes postings that happened right after 9/11/. And before that, I created each individual writing using static HTML. 

I’ve found that weblogging is particularly useful when you want to say something quickly. What can I say? I just can’t stay away!

Speaking about saying something, Dave Winer writes about his concerns regarding Ashcroft’s recent actions. I’m writing to say that I concur with Dave, completely and totally on this issue.

The scariest thing I’ve heard from a member of the ruling politic is the following, from Ashcroft:

    • To those who pit Americans against immigrants, citizens against non-citizens, to those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America’s enemies and pause to America’s friends. They encourage people of good will to remain silent in the face of evil.

I supported President Bush and his campaign in Afghanistan. I still do. And the more I hear about the Taliban the more I think we should have gotten involved with the situation a long time ago. However, I draw the line at secret military tribunals, holding people for months without any legal representation, profile-based questioning without merit or just cause, and most particularly, telling the people of this country that criticising the white house is aiding terrorism.

Liberty. Freedom. Justice for all. What the hell are we fighting for if these are nothing more than token words: red, white, and blue-speak. These are rights we have to fight for daily; to preserve not only from the enemy without, but also from the enemy within.

Previous weblog entries can be seen here.

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