This post is from the JMBzine Blog Vault, which means it is a very old blog post that I wrote at a very different time of my life. My views on religion, politics, and many other subjects have drastically changed over the years, so please bear this in mind when reading this post. – I generally do not edit my past writings, except to fix obvious spelling issues, or to fix broken links (most often replacing with links to archive.org). I do add some more recent editorial updates, which are shown in blue and italicized, along with dates. – Tags: #Fascism #Torture #Austin

Tuesday, October 09, 2001

6:25 pm

Photo from the most recent Austin anti-war protest

6:24 pm

From The NY Times:
F.B.I. shifts focus to try to avert any more attacks

Another official said Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Mueller had struggled to overcome a culture within the F.B.I. in which agents detain terrorist suspects only after collecting detailed evidence, often based on wiretapping and other electric surveillance. The problem is “a culture, a mindset,” the official said.

This is creepy on two accounts. First, it says that the US govt. has virtually tried bin Laden without trial, declared him guilty, and have now told the FBI to stop investigating it. Secondly, what alternative is there to detaining “terrorist suspects only after collecting detailed evidence”? Is Ashcroft wanting suspects arrested if there is inconclusive evidence? Sheesh, John Ashcroft sounds more and more fascist by the day.

(2023): The historical record is now very clear. US Attorney General John Ashcroft was a fascist and innocent people were caught up, arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for a long, long time. Some are STILL imprisoned.