In case you had any doubt about the current administration and the pseudo-fascist direction in which this country is headed here are some sparkling gems presented by John Ashcroft and members of the House Judiciary committee during a recent meeting.
Purveyors and disseminators of hardcore porn and other criminals watch out!
REP. BOB GOODLATTE (R-VA): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The failure of the previous administration to enforce those laws has led to a
proliferation of obscenity both online and off. And I am particularly concerned
about the safety of our children on the Internet where they’re subjected to
child pornography and solicitation in a massive way. And I’d like to know to
what extent the Justice Department will use its resources to assist state and
local enforcement in combatting this cyberattack on our nation’s children.
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: I thank you for the question. I am concerned about
obscenity and I’m concerned about obscenity as it relates to our children.
The electronic data transmission revolution has revolutionized certain kinds
of criminal activity, and the technology involved in it makes it much more
difficult for limited law enforcement agencies, like small county prosecutors
and frequently local enforcement operations, to operate as effectively as they
might otherwise if the digital universe were not involved.
We pride ourselves on cooperating to enforce laws with state and local
authorities, but particularly in areas where the federal government has the kind
of technology and technological awareness related to cybercrime and its many
manifestations in different areas. We try to be especially accommodating to
local law enforcement to assist them, and I would think that would be an
objective of ours in this respect.
REP. GOODLATTE: Thank you, General Ashcroft.
The second question I have relates to online piracy, the theft and then
either the sale or in any many cases the wholesale giving away of valuable
copyrighted material on the Internet.
A few years ago, I introduced legislation which passed the Congress, was
signed into law, called the NET Act, or No Electronic Theft Act, which gave the
Justice Department considerably greater law enforcement tools to combat this
serious growing problem of protecting valuable intellectual property on the
Internet. And so far, there have been very little action. I think there have
been just a handful of prosecutions in this area. And I wonder if the Justice
Department and you could commit to a greater beefed-up effort to enforce that
law and combat the multi-billion dollar theft of valuable intellectual property
on the Internet.
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: Well, frankly, as you know, the NET Act assists the
department by addressing a new form of crime, large-scale distribution of
pirated software and copywritten (sic) materials over the Internet where the
infringer does not act out of a pure profit motive.
Sometimes these infringers are just with a mischievous but malicious intent
giving away the property of other people. And we are interested in making sure
that we do what we can to curtail that. And we launched a joint intellectual
property enforcement initiative in the department over a year ago, and I would
expect that initiative to begin to bear fruit.
Uniquely, the United States of America is the source of much of the really
valued intellectual property that is important around the world. And if it
becomes available without cost as a result of privacy (sic) or without
compensation to those who create it, we will simply destroy the capacity for
this culture to generate and continue to be the generators of the leading edge
in technology and information processing.
[…]
REP. SENSENBRENNER: The gentleman’s time has expired.
On the subject of enforcement of the federal criminal obscenity statutes, at
this point I would like to ask unanimous consent to insert into the record a
letter which I wrote on February 15th to the attorney general relative to a
report on this statute and the response dated May 3rd from Cheryl L. Walter
(sp), acting assistant attorney general, to my letter. And without objection,
they are included.
[…]
REP. HOWARD COBLE (R-NC): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Attorney General, for the record, your prayer life does not bother me. I
think whether people embrace or reject prayer services may be subject to
interpretation. Now if there were some sort of intimidation or coercion
surrounding that, it would be a different story, but I can’t believe that that’s
the case.
It was said earlier that the Justice Department is leaking like Niagara
Falls. I guess the good news is if the Justice Department is leaking, not
gushing like Niagara Falls. If there is in fact a leak down there, Mr. Attorney
General, I know – I’m confident that you will terminate it before it reaches
the gushing threshold.
The chairman commented about the FBI’s possibly having had its armor
tarnished. I still think it’s a first-rate outfit, first-rate organization. I’m
bothered, Mr. Attorney General, that it has become very bureaucratic, and if you
can make that organization a little less bureaucratic on your watch, I would be
appreciative. I think others would.
Now permit me to direct attention to our Subcommittee on Courts, Internet and
Intellectual Property. Mr. Attorney General, can you update the committee on the
extent to which prosecution of intellectual property crimes is becoming a
greater priority for the Department of Justice?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: Well, Congressman, I thank you for both your comments and
your question. We have recently welcomed to the Criminal Division a newly
confirmed – just last week – director of that division.
Crime has developed new dimensions as a result of the Internet, and as a
result of the data processing and data transmission. And I can say to you that
we take very seriously piracy and theft and the invasion of privacy and a whole
variety of issues that are related to the advent of the capacity of individuals
to utilize the computer both in industry and personally. And given the fact that
much of America’s strength in the world economy is a result of our being the
developer and promoter of most of the valuable software, we cannot allow the
assets that are held electronically to be pirated or infringed. And so we will
make a priority cybercrime issues. And additional resources have been requested
in next year’s budget for that. And that’s not just in this administration’s
submission in regard to the FBI but in regard to the Commerce Department as
well, because they are also concerned about the protection of this area of
commerce, in which the United States holds a preeminent position.
REP. COBLE: Well, I’m glad to hear you say that, Mr. Attorney General,
because the intellectual property community, as you just pointed out, is a
significant contributor to the commercial wheel- turning in this country. And as
you also implied, the provisions of the ‘net act gives you all additional pegs
upon which to hang your hat in pursuing cyberpirates. And I hope that you all
are utilizing that at Justice, and I feel confident that you are.
Good to have you with us, Mr. Attorney General. And in the interest of time,
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
This is chilling. These guys don’t get it. I wonder how much time they’ve actually spent using computers. There are going to be some problems when people come around to the fact that millions and millions of Americans are technically criminals and these are only the people who currently use computers. As more and more people get connected and make their own decisions this fight will get even dirtier. The forces of reactionary belief against your average freedom-loving citizen. Here’s a story about the prosecution of hardcore porn on the web under AG John Ashcroft.
It was also interesting to see the Justice Department react so strongly to the attempts to have the McVeigh execution videotaped. The government knows that depictions of executions will reveal it for the murder that it is. It’s like that bumper sticker: “Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?” I’m particularly annoyed by the hypocrisy involved. For one thing, Ashcroft is a ‘Christian’ and forgiveness and redemption are supposed to be central to Christianity. And let’s not forget, Christ himself was a victim of capital punishment at the hands of the Romans. Also, the government is allowed to kill people whenever it suits them but are not held accountable to the same rules. Like that FBI sharpshooter who murdered that woman during the Ruby Ridge incident.
