1115.org

Spin:

Ashcroft credited tough prosecution and long sentences for the continuing decline in the rate of violent crime in the United States. “Criminals can’t commit crimes from behind prison walls,” he said.

Fact:

On Sept. 2 a federal judge in Detroit threw out the only jury conviction the Justice Department has obtained on a terrorism charge since 9/11.

Now:

Ashcroft forcefully defended some of his most controversial policies and statements yesterday, arguing that aggressive law enforcement and intelligence gathering were “expansions of freedom” that helped prevent terrorist attacks on the United States.

Then:

…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,” Ashcroft told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “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.

Noixe would like to tell John Ashcroft to Shut the Fuck Up!