Surrender some of those silly Constitutional rights, and we'll keep you safe from terrorists. That's been the chorus of a tune Attorney General John Ashcroft has been singing in campaign-style tour of the country.
Until today, President Bush has kept his mouth shut while Ashcroft screeches. But in a speech at the FBI Academy, Bush added his voice to Ashcroft's ensemble. He backed up Ashcoft's words, and called on lawmakers to "untie the hands" of law enforcement agencies, the New York Times reports.
Bush urged Congress to pass three major measures as part of a follow-up to the notorious USA Patriot Act, according to Reuters:
-- Allowing law enforcement authorities to bypass a judge or grand jury and issue "administrative subpoenas" in terrorism investigations where "time is of the essence." Such authority is available in other investigations such as drug probes...
-- Denying bail for terrorism suspects, to prevent them from fleeing. "Suspected terrorists could be released, free to leave the country, or worse, before the trial," Bush said, adding that this disparity in the law "makes no sense" and should be changed.
-- Imposing the federal death penalty for terror-related crimes, such as sabotage of a military or nuclear facility "in a way that takes innocent life." Bush said this "kind of technicality should never protect terrorists from the ultimate justice."
