George O.
Why does Bush II’s administration sound more and more like 1984: because John Ashcroft is the Attorney General. Among other reasons. Ashcroft’s latest is the Victory Act, and he’s going on a national tour to promote its passage. Not satisfied with the discriminatory violations available to him under the USA Patriots Act, Ashcroft is looking to this new bill (formerly a supplement to the original) to target Islamic banking and businesses as well as being able to eavesdrop on wireless communications at will. The Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations [RY] Act also includes provisions for increased penalties in the failed “War on Drugs” the US has employed as a club in South and Central America for the last 40 years. (It’s nice they almost had an acronym, isn’t it? It would have been clever marketing if they’d come up with something for the last two letters to do. Perhaps we can email suggestions to the DOJ. Unless they meant “Victor” Act, because they think they’ve won already.)