cannabisnews.com: John Ashcroft Outlines Top Goals John Ashcroft Outlines Top Goals Posted by FoM on February 08, 2001 at 06:40:29 PT By Michael J. Sniffen, Associated Press Writer Source: Star-Tribune John Ashcroft used his first interview as attorney general to take out after Bill Clinton over the war on drugs and his pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. In a television interview Wednesday night, the new attorney general said his top three goals were to increase gun prosecutions, reinvigorate the war on drugs and to stamp out racial discrimination. But he also looked back at some of former President Clinton' s most controversial moves, including his pardon of Rich on his last day in office. " A pardon should be reserved for a situation where there is a manifest sense of injustice, " Ashcroft said Wednesday night on CNN' s " Larry King Live" program. " The American people are troubled whenever they think a pardon would be associated with political support or financial support." Although expressing " surprise" with the pardon, Ashcroft nevertheless said the Constitution gives a president a " pretty unfettered right" to pardon anyone. Clinton' s pardon has been criticized because Rich has stayed in Switzerland rather than returning to face 51 counts of tax evasion and fraud filed against him in 1983. In addition, the pardon was requested by his ex-wife, Denise, who has given Democrats about $1 million since 1993. Clinton has denied any political or financial motivation. The new attorney general also blamed Clinton in part for a rise in marijuana use during the 1990s. In the 1992 campaign, Clinton said he once had smoked marijuana, but didn' t inhale. He later told an MTV town forum that if he had to do it again, he would inhale " if I could; I tried before." " I think that sends the wrong signal, " Ashcroft said. " It' s so important you have a president who will speak forcefully against drug use, rather than wink and give the nod in some sense, saying ' I didn' t inhale, but I wish I had." ' Ashcroft said he and President Bush want to " concentrate on educating children away from drugs." Listing his three top priorities, Ashcroft said, " I want to stop gun violence, to reinvigorate the war on drugs, to end discrimination wherever I find it." He particularly mentioned enforcing voting rights, fair housing laws and putting a stop to racial profiling by police. " It' s wrong for police to stop people based on race." After his civil rights record was bitterly attacked during a stormy Senate confirmation battle, Ashcroft is inviting Justice Department' s civil rights division officials to a brown bag lunch in his private department dining room next week, chief spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said. Civil rights will be first, but he plans to hold these lunches with each division. With every news organization clamoring to talk to him, Ashcroft unveiled his priorities in an interview with King, known for polite questioning rather than hostile cross-examination. Ashcroft has three main civil rights issues in mind, Tucker said. " He wants to make sure no American feels outside the protection of the law, " she said. " He wants to make sure all people have access and that no voting rights are violated." This includes the department' s ongoing investigation of the presidential election in Florida, where black voters have complained were systematically turned away from the polls, but also reports of ballot access problems and voting fraud in other locations, she said. He also wants to " take a serious look at hate crimes, " Tucker said. He previously opposed legislation backed by the Clinton administration to expand the federal hate crimes law to cover attacks on homosexuals and to remove a requirement that a federally protected right be involved, which has been an obstacle to some prosecutions. One of the biggest backers of that legislation, Ashcroft' s predecessor Janet Reno, was invited to visit on Thursday. Reno, Ashcroft and his top aides will hold a private lunch in his dining room. Earlier, Ashcroft reached out for advice to a batch of his predecessors, including Republican Attorneys General William Barr, Richard Thornburgh, Ed Meese and Democrat Griffin Bell. In an effort to reduce the incidence of gun crimes, Ashcroft said he wants to expand a federal antigun effort used in Virginia known as Project Exile. Under the project, federal prosecutors handle most gun crimes and seek stiff sentences. The National Rifle Association strongly backs the program. " There has been a lack of gun prosecutions in recent years, " Tucker said, echoing a recent Republican criticism of the Clinton administration. Reno' s aides acknowledged that federal gun prosecutions dropped for two years during the mid-1990s as they focused federal efforts on the biggest gun traffickers and referred smaller cases to local prosecutors. Combined federal and state gun prosecutions rose through the 1990s. The federal prosecutors also handled gun cases in states where federal statutes were tougher than state gun laws. And federal gun prosecutions rose for the final few years of the Clinton administration. Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)Published: February 8, 2001Author: Michael J. Sniffen, Associated Press WriterCopyright: 2001 Star TribuneAddress: 425 Portland Ave., Minneapolis MN 55488Fax: 612-673-4359Contact: opinion startribune.comWebsite: http://www.startribune.com/Forum: http://talk.startribune.com/cgi-bin/WebX.cgiFeedback: http://www.startribune.com/stonline/html/userguide/letform.htmlRelated Articles: Violence, Teen Drug Use Are Ashcroft Priorities http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8602.shtmlAshcroft To Focus on Crime, Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8601.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - John Ashcrofthttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Ashcroft Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on February 08, 2001 at 20:38:29 PT Overgrow the government! >>Ashcroft may not recall life on Planet Earth prior to Clinton, but for those of us who do, this country had a narcotic problem long before 1992. Heck, alledgedly, so did G.W.... I like your idea of "equal time". Can't you take what you learn online and throw it in their faces at the appropriate moment? David Malmo-Levine was on Pot-TV the other night asking some elected official about the absurdity of "marijuana rehabilitation". Do your "drug counselors" use tobacco or caffeine? Then they're addicts, dope fiends, and you must insist that they quit these harmful substances before you can talk to them on a rational level. Then, when they're in the depths of withdrawal, you can turn the tables on them with the TRUTH. And NORML.org has a new feature whereby you can automatically mail your senator and congresspeople a form letter, which you can alter if you desire. It makes it almost too easy... http://www.pot-tv.net/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by MikeEEEEE on February 08, 2001 at 20:14:15 PT Greenfox We all CARE, notice how I spelled CARE, that's really how change starts: it takes brave people to disobey bad laws and take a risk for what's right.I wish you luck. Watch as the drug war fails, it might be slow going but it's breaking down.Peace... [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Jeaneous on February 08, 2001 at 19:48:00 PT: Well Put GreenFox,I hear ya too. You put well into words the facts of what happens when you get caught. I know too well. The one thing that I have learned through my experience is that I no longer fear them coming after me... cause I'm after them to change things and make it right. We are the only ones that can change things. Fear tends to stop us, but once you've been through their system, it brings the rage out of you at how unjustly you have been treated. This gave me a smile of kinship, for all that read and post here cause we understand.Thank you for posting. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Imprint on February 08, 2001 at 16:33:27 PT: Great responces You are heard Green Fox. I’m new to this site and I hear you. You are a brave person and I wish you the very best. I am currently a POW. Racially profiled and charged with felony possession. It took this experience to get my head out of the sand and to start to look for people who care about this issue. I’m going to get involved instead of spending my days and nights hiding. So, for my part I have started what I call “Equal Time”. In other words, for each hour I’m forced to spend in Marijuana Anonymous meetings, drug rehab classes, court rooms, etc; I will spend a equal or greater amount of time writing my congressmen, spending time on sites just like this one and doing all I can to become involved in decimalization. And for each dollar I’m forced to spend on lawyers, drug testing, court fines, impound fees, etc I will donate an equal or greater amount to organizations that are fighting for our freedom. It’s too late for me but maybe it will help others that have dogged the drug war bullet so far. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Dan Hillman on February 08, 2001 at 16:29:53 PT DEA website doubts Ashcroft's sincerity In fact, they are afraid they might be folded into the FBI soon.------http://members.aol.com/deawatch/daily.htmJohn Ashcroft, con't:"Ashcroft mentioned the drug war on Larry King's TV show last night... but only in the context of complaining about Clinton not "inhaling". Just like his pal Dan Burton, Ashcroft can't seem to get past his hate for Bill Clinton. Ashcroft may not recall life on Planet Earth prior to Clinton, but for those of us who do, this country had a narcotic problem long before 1992. Our question to Ashcroft is what does he intend to do about it? And we can't rule out the possibility of him handing us over to the FBI... he visited the Bureau yesterday. Does Ashcroft plan to make a courtesy call on Donnie... or is DEA below his browsing level?" [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on February 08, 2001 at 13:43:02 PT Thanks Greenfox I understand why you feel the way you do but look at it this way. New people can find Cannabis News and maybe they don't know why the drug laws are the way they are but they know the laws are wrong. By having a forum of people with knowledge and those that want to learn it makes us as a group all that much stronger. It re-enforces our own beliefs. I need that to keep me going and I'm sure others do too.Peace, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by freedom fighter on February 08, 2001 at 13:34:37 PT I hear you GreenFox.. I know how you feel. I too am a grower and got arrested for growing one plant. Everything you describe is real to me. GF, get a lawyer now before it happens. Find one that you like. I learned that location is really important. Mendocino is a nice place and am considering relocating there or in Alaska because one can have 4 oz or less in Alaska. The Alaskans are planning to put up another ballot legalizing the cannabis for the year of 2002.Take care and be safe [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Dan B on February 08, 2001 at 10:46:33 PT: Thanks, greenfox I appreciate your comments a great deal. I have deep respect for your courage to tell it like it is. My wife has Chrone's disease, although not as advanced as your girlfriends'. She doesn't vomit nightly, but she does have constant stomach/intestinal pain, and I know the nature of the disease is that it progresses as time passes. So far she's able to control it with "conventional" drugs, but right now I'm looking into relocating (hopefully to teach at Mendocino College in California--got an application, and will send it in next Monday after I finish it). My hope is that we can find a place where a person can inconspicuously grow a few plants, should she need to use cannabis to control her Chrone's. We're laying off the cannabis for now. My main concern is that I don't want my wife to end up in prison, and it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for her benefit. I've been reading about the treatment of women in American prisons, and the abuse is staggering. Later, I may have to make quite another decision to benefit her, and when the time comes, I hope I can do so without fear of criminal punishment. I pray that you'll never have to go through what you described, and I wish you the best.Again, thanks for posting.Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by greenfox on February 08, 2001 at 10:09:22 PT CONFESSIONS OF A GROWER CONFESSIONS OF A GROWERMost of the time, I don’t post here. I read what other people have to say and avoid posting myself, for the simple fact that I don’t think anyone hears me. Or perhaps they do here, but rather, don’t listen. Occasionally, I will post; however this is mostly for self-amusement. It’s rare that I will make a written effort, (both grammatically and emotionally,) to speak to you, the readers of cannabisnews. In a time and a place where the internet is a common commodity and everybody has got their views, it’s difficult to be heard. Today, my friends, you should here me. I have a few confessions to make. Confessions of a growerMany people will talk about “the war on drugs”. Some will go so far as to detest it, voicing their hatred in whatever way they can. My feelings for “the war on drugs” extends far beyond hatred. You see, hatred is only harbored emotion. It reflects opinions or ideas, but not the effects, (personal or otherwise) that it has on one’s own life. I am a grower. I know, through extensive research and technological advances, “they” could find me based solely on that statement. IP traces, pesky questions, and perhaps a little prodding would lead them to me in a most notorious fashion. Do I hate them for it? No. Do I fear them for it? Absolutely. Perhaps some of you know where I come from. Though, I suspect, many of you don’t. Yes, it is horrible to be caught with a bag and slapped with some ridiculous fine and maybe even a menial prison sentence. Yes, it is an abomination to “score” some pot only to have the over-inflated, over-priced plant material of alleviation to be taken from you- with force. All of these things and all of these experiences are to live through hell itself. Believe me; I know. And, in no way, am I trying to undermine your experiences, fellow brothers and sisters. Rather, in my own way, I want to express my point:Fear. Each day greets me anew; yet the fears I have are the same, old fears. Will today be the day? I walk impatiently back to my humble apartment, (with poor heat and no air conditioning,) and as I approach my apartment I glance at the surrounding apartments. Do they see me? Do they know what I am doing?Each night greets me anew; yet the fears are the same. Will tonight be the night? I grip my pillow trightly, trying to fend off the radiator sounds and hollow creeks from the floorboards. What was that noise? I think to myself. Is tonight the night? Will I awake to pistols in my face, will I be thrown out of my bed? Will I bleed if I get thrown off the bed funny and smack my knee (or my head) into something? How loud will the laughter be as I do? Will my door be kicked down, or will they have the courtesy to knock first? Will I have a warning, the mere seconds between life and imprisonment to take the few plants sitting in my closet and shred them to pieces and flush them before the door is kicked down?And if they do get me, then what? Will I be pinned as a “dealer” (which I am definitely not,) or will I get off and be able to explain the truth: that my 3 plants will NOT yield a pound a plant and I WAS going to smoke it all myself? And finally, will the jury giving a f*cking shit that my girlfriend, (who I’ve known for over a year), has documented Chrone’s disease and that pot is the only thing that eases her NIGHTLY throws of vomiting? Will they care?Or perhaps they will just punish me anyway, despite her documented disease and my humble means.Perhaps I will become another statistic.And you know what scares me the most? Deep down in my soul, I know that it isn’t a matter of if, rather a matter of when.Be careful out there.Sly in green, foxy in kind.=gf. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by m segesta on February 08, 2001 at 07:57:22 PT: Mr. Ashcroft is Mr. Inconsistent You just know he is lying about ending discrimination because he just wants to avoid the kind of heat he got during the Senate confirmation hearings. How can he possibly end discrimination while at the same time "reinvigorate" the war on drugs, which is one of the most effective ways the governments -- both state and federal -- oppress minorities and discriminate without recrimination (until recently at least)?This man is so disingenuous that I want to believe the reason nobody else here commented on this. It must be when I think about because I am not very bright compared with fine minds that post here.Be well.Mike [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: