Ashcroft continues to pound the drum for more unchecked power while accusing people who question him and his agenda of being crazy… [Morons Dot Org]

From Aaron Swartz: The Weblog:

Gay marriage seems to be a popular political issue, but I have not heard one legitimate reason why it shouldn’t be allowed and mandated by the courts. Essentially, I see no difference between gay marriage and interracial marriage. In Loving v. Virginia the US Supreme Court struck down laws that banned interracial marriage. Can anyone explain why laws against gay marriage should be treated any differently?

To see how this comprehensive response works, let’s try it on a letter by Sen. Cornyn [via Volokh]:

[O]nly one kind of relationship has received such historic and multicultural elevated status in law, culture, and morality: the traditional marital union of two people of the same race. That is not because other kinds of relationships are unimportant, but rather because stable unions of two people of the same race are the strongest foundation mankind has ever known for ensuring the healthy upbringing of children. A wealth of social science research and data attest to this fact.

It does not disparage other kinds of relationships for society to recognize that children are raised best when they are raised by two people of the same race. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine an institution that has enjoyed such overwhelming consensus as traditional marriage. The traditional institution of marriage has existed as such throughout human history, across numerous and diverse cultures, countries, and civilizations as well as party lines, and in the laws, judicial precedents, traditions, and historical practices of all states.

In the next step in the war on terror, Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday launched an attack on… librarians! As uneasiness grows over the scope of the Patriot Act, librarians have been on the front line in calling attention to attacks on civil liberties. Today’s New York Times reports:

In an unusually pointed attack as part of his latest speech in defense of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism initiatives, Mr. Ashcroft mocked and condemned the American Library Association and other Justice Department critics for believing that the F.B.I. wants to know “how far you have gotten on the latest Tom Clancy novel.”

In response, Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s Washington office said, “If he’s coming after us so specifically, we must be having an impact.” Of course other critics of the administration, such as Head Start early education teachers, have already been warned by the administration not to talk back. Librarians have now joined the ranks of environmentalists, pro-choice Americans, and defenders of the Bill of Rights as Ashcroft’s list of respected targets. (They also join the ever-expanding list of Bush targets — including retired and current military officers, soldiers on the front lines in Iraq, Republicans and Democrats in Congress, and news reporters — who dare voice any criticism of Bush policies.) [Kicking Ass]

“Mostly, we’ve been watching the president’s rhetoric spring leaks in Iraq and Afghanistan.
So perhaps we haven’t paid enough attention to how many holes have popped open in his domestic socks. Joblessness that was supposed to be stanched by the Bush tax cuts. Urban food kitchens overwhelmed by the demand from people who are working but underemployed and end up out of money three weeks into the month. A domestic Peace Corps program (AmeriCorps) that is praised publicly by the president as admirable volunteerism but is being starved of money by the White House and congressional Republicans. But, still, you wouldn’t think he would stiff children and their schooling. That’s maybe the most disappointing thing this president has done here at home.”

Looks like the “No Child Left Behind/’accountability is the true foundation of education reform’/Texas education miracle” is just another Texas tall tale. [metafilter.com]

Nobody Died When Clinton Lied

The Justice Department is using the authority granted by the USA Patriot Act to crack down on currency smugglers, meth cookers and other run-of-the-mill lawbreakers. Civil liberty groups say the government must be watched. [Wired News]

Methamphetamine is now a WMD. Well, I guess we should’ve seen it coming. According to this Salon article, prosecutors across the country are now using the Patriot act to prosecute drug crimes, fraud, and anything involving a bomb. This means any of these people may be detained indefinitely without an attorney. I don’t like trailing questions, but I would like to see some constructive and creative posts about what can be done to protest this. It’s so blatantly unconstitutional, it’s not funny anymore, and I for one am not willing to welcome our new overlords. [metafilter.com]