Blog For Arizona

Victory (Over Freedom) Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2003

Governor Dean Condemns Proposed 'Victory Act'
Says Ashcroft 'must not be allowed to compromise our freedoms any further'

BURLINGTON--As Attorney General John Ashcroft begins his tour this week pushing for a 'Victory Act' that would build upon the USA Patriot Act, Governor Dean released the following statement:

"After September 11, the Ashcroft Justice Department took advantage of the climate of fear and adopted a series of anti-terror tactics that go far beyond protecting our country and erode the rights of average Americans. We should be rolling these back, but instead Attorney General Ashcroft is trying to build on them with his 'Victory Act' proposal.
"He must not be allowed to compromise our freedoms any further. I call on Attorney General Ashcroft to withdraw this dangerous piece of legislation.
"The September 11 terrorists sought to disrupt the American way of life, including our constitutional freedoms. They must not succeed. As President, I will lead the war on terror in a way that protects civil rights and civil liberties as well as our safety."

Following Governor Dean's statement, a petition was placed on his website, www.deanforamerica.com, for Americans to sign who supported his call to stop Attorney General Ashcroft's proposal.

The petition reads,

"To John Ashcroft: Stop compromising our freedoms. Stop eroding our basic civil rights. Stop trying to teach our neighbors to spy on each other, and American communities to mistrust each other. I will not stand for your using fear to threaten what it means to be America. The rule of law and due process are at the heart of the American tradition. There is no contradiction between protecting the country from terrorism and ensuring the protection of our basic civil liberties every step of the way."

More information regarding the petition, as well as the governor's statements on the USA Patriot Act, is available at www.deanforamerica.com/stopashcroft.

posted by Michael Bryan @ 8/20/2003 09:01:00 PM