Spinning the Patriot Act

It's all well and good for Ashcroft to run around the country defending his favorite toy, but the website which claims to debunk "myths" put out by those terrorist-loving commies at the ACLU (go give them a donation, in Ashcroft's name) is full of an immense about of deflectioni and deception. Unsurprising, as I'm sure it was largely put together by Crisco's right hand woman, Barbara Comstock, an expert at this kind of propaganda.

Consider, for example, this "myth:"

Myth: The ACLU has claimed that “Many [people] are unaware that their library habits could become the target of government surveillance. In a free society, such monitoring is odious and unnecessary. . . The secrecy that surrounds section 215 leads us to a society where the ‘thought police’ can target us for what we choose to read or what Websites we visit.” (ACLU, July 22, 2003)

Reality: The Patriot Act specifically protects Americans’ First Amendment rights, and terrorism investigators have no interest in the library habits of ordinary Americans...

This of course does nothing to refute the "myth." What the ACLU says is precisely true, but Ashcroft is just spewing another version of the "if you have nothing to hide, there's nothing to worry about."

The use of such deception to defend this steaming pile of crap should be indictment enough. Repeal the whole thing.

Mithras has more.

UPDATE: Apparently what John Ashcroft is trying to do is fight "anti-terrorism."

1. The Patriot Act allows investigators to use the tools that were already available to investigate organized crime and drug trafficking. Many of the tools the Act provides to law enforcement to fight anti-terrorism have been used for decades to fight organized crime and drug dealers, and have been reviewed and approved by the courts..

(from reader CB)

In addition, I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the .org site lifeandliberty.org looks like this.