I protest.

Here we go again.

I am stunningly unsurprised to see Jeralyn mention in "TalkLeft: Cities on Ashcroft's Victory Tour" that the so-called "VICTORY" Act that Ashcroft is pushing is nothing more than a very slightly redressed and renamed "PATRIOT Act II." "VICTORY" stands for, get this, "Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations." Hmm, that spells "VICTO." I guess that he just couldn't come up with a phrase that made any kind of sense and that used those last two letters, eh?

According to Jeralyn, who quotes heavily from the Congressional Quarterly, the Act

would allow law enforcement officers to seek roving warrants to monitor cellular telephone and other wireless communications. It also would allow the attorney general to issue administrative subpoenas in the course of terrorism investigations.

So Ashcroft could subpoena anyone he liked and could listen to your cellphone conversations almost any time he likes. He could also arrest people for being "narcoterrorists," people who "manufacture or distribute controlled substances with the knowledge or intent that the activity would benefit a foreign terrorist organization." Only Ashcroft wouldn't have to prove that they knew they were aiding terrorists.

Want to keep money in an offshor tax shelter? Nope, that would be "illegal money laundering" and if they somehow connected it to "narcoterrorism" you would be put away for a long, long time. If you were lucky.

It figures that it's Orrin Hatch, R—Fascist, who is writing the bill (with, of course, several other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee) and who will introduce it in the Senate next month.

Time to write my Senators, again. This is a vile bit of legislation. You should, too.