John Ashcroft Sets His Sights on Sin

Re “U.S. Indicts Porn Sellers, Vowing Extensive Attack” and “Ashcroft Objects to Lenient Jurists,” Aug. 8: Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft must be quite bored. How wonderful that Al Qaeda is a distant memory, the anthrax attacks in the U.S. are wrapped up, that the Department of Homeland Security has closed shop because of the arrests of all terrorists posing a domestic threat to the U.S. and that Saudi links to the World Trade Center attacks have been exposed to a grateful nation.

Why else would Ashcroft be directing the full weight of the U.S. Justice Department against a couple of adult video distributors, toward crafting a “hit list” targeting U.S. judges who aren’t as draconian as he’d like or launching attacks on medical marijuana proponents, who, it should be noted, are helping terminally ill patients under the auspices of California law. Things must be very quiet around the offices of the attorney general of the United States for them to be focusing on such poppycock. Any chance that we can launch a ballot initiative to remove Ashcroft from office?

Jeff Estes

Long Beach

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Regarding Friday’s articles about Ashcroft and the Justice Department’s continued attempts to curtail the freedom we Americans cherish so dearly: It appears that Ashcroft cannot tolerate diversity of thought, interest or entertainment, and will not relent from his pursuit of the “arch-criminals” he perceives exist in libraries, bookstores, adult entertainment arenas and/or public areas.

I believe Ashcroft will not be satisfied until we all march along behind him in step to his dogmas, opinions and prejudices. If this is a country truly based on freedoms to explore and think independently, we cannot allow anyone in any position to control our minds. Ashcroft and the Justice Department must not be allowed to subvert our constitutional freedoms.

Esther Youtan

Tarzana