It didn't sound like anything Ashcroft would say. Think, yes, but not be so incautious as to say. The quotation:
“I feel the best way to ensure Americans’ freedom is to tighten restrictions on that freedom in any way possible. Only through wiretaps, illegal searches and seizures, unfettered government intrusion, a controlled media and a complete crackdown on free speech can we ensure the liberties of all people.” ~ Attorney General John Ashcroft
In a quick search I couldn't find any authentication for this supposed quotation -- just a bunch of lefty websites repeating it without benefit of citation. Someone at
this website said of the quotation:
I had several hits - Huffington post, Daily Kos, Slate discussion forum, etc., but never a link to original source, cite to a specific event, speech, or interview, or any kind of evidence.
I find it difficult to believe Ashcroft said anything that insane unless he was on some heavy meds, but who knows?
By comparison, EarlG's Pic of the Day is always accompanied by a hyperlinked citation for each quotation used. When a list like this one gets circulated around the Internet for years and it's never accompanied by documentation, I pretty much discount it.
= new reply since forum marked as read
