Keywords

Conspiracy

Law

I’m starting a new campaign: Arrest Ashcroft for Conspiracy against Civil Rights!!! This law dates back to the reconstruction era and has mostly been used against the KKK. But reading the text, it seems like we could easily use it against Ashcroft:

If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; … they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

This article from 2000, argued that Ashcroft poses a mortal threat to civil rights.” And in 2001 the ACLU was worried about the same.

In 2002 a civil rights group attempted to sue Ashcroft for violating the rights of Middle Eastern men detained after Sept. 11.

Here is a comprehensive list of Ashcroft’s violations since taking office. (Link from Talk Left.)

UPDATE: OK, so it says two or more persons” — well, we can just throw Bush and Chaney in for good measure.

UPDATE: Two new Ashcroft posts:

On his new campaign against pornography (and the dissatisfaction of conservatives with Ashcroft).

And on his recent sentencing guidelines.

UPDATE: Tapped says we should get Bush for making false statements to congress.

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