<nettime> May the real John Ashcroft please stand up?

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

Please compare what you see at:
http://www.arkzin.com/competitor/htmls/skoric1.html
and
http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/1097/ijge/gj-7.htm

So, Ashcroft in 1997, as a senator, during Clinton's administration 
was an outspoken opponent of FISA - he wrote:

" The FBI wants access to decode, digest, and discuss financial 
transactions, personal e-mail, and proprietary information sent 
abroad -- all in the name of national security. To accomplish this, 
President Clinton would like government agencies to have the keys 
for decoding all exported U.S. software and Internet 
communications.

This proposed policy raises obvious concerns about Americans' 
privacy, in addition to tampering with the competitive advantage 
that our U.S. software companies currently enjoy in the field of 
encryption technology. Not only would Big Brother be looming over 
the shoulders of international cyber-surfers,..."

Now, in 2002, as an attorney general in Bush administration, 
Aschcroft says this:

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Ashcroft applauded the 
ruling, characterizing it as a "victory for liberty, safety and the 
security of the American people."

Ashcroft said the ruling marks a new era of collaboration between 
police and intelligence agencies such as the CIA and the National 
Security Agency.

"This decision allows law enforcement officials to learn from 
intelligence officials, and vice versa, as a means of sort of allowing 
the information to flow from one community to another," Ashcroft 
said. "This will greatly enhance our ability to put pieces together 
that different agencies have. I believe this is a giant step forward."

ivo



---------------------------------------------------------
Ivo Skoric
19 Baxter Street
Rutland VT 05701
802.775.7257
ivo@balkansnet.org
balkansnet.org

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