College Football Quiz: 1) Name the 12 members of the Big
Twelve? [Yeah, I know this might be easy…or is it?] 2) Name
the four (total) Oklahoma and Nebraska players who won the
Heisman trophy between 1960 and 1990? 3) Who were the five
winningest teams of the 70s? Answers below.
Attorney General John Ashcroft, 10/25/01
[Following is Ashcroft”s speech to the US Mayors Conference.
It”s another reality check.]
For more than two hundred years, Attorneys General have called
on the men and women of justice to be faithful stewards of the
law. Rarely in history has an Attorney General asked America”s
prosecutors and law enforcement officers to do what they are
asked to do today: to be both defenders of justice and defenders
of the people; to devote their talents and energies to the urgent
task of saving lives ahead of losing cases.
On September 11, the wheel of history turned and the world will
never be the same. A turning point was reached, as well, in the
administration of justice. The fight against terrorism is now the
first and overriding priority of the Department of Justice. But
our war against terrorism is not merely or primarily a criminal
justice endeavor – our battle is the defense of our nation and its
citizens.
The men and women of justice and law enforcement are called
on to combat a terrorist threat that is both immediate and vast; a
threat that resides here, at home, but whose supporters, patrons
and sympathizers form a multinational network of evil.
The attacks of September 11 were acts of terrorism against
America orchestrated and carried out by individuals living within
our borders. Today”s terrorists enjoy the benefits of our free
society even as they commit themselves to our destruction. They
live in our communities – plotting, planning and waiting to kill
Americans again. They have crossed the Rubicon of terror with
the use of biological agents. We cannot explicitly link the recent
terrorist attacks to the September 11 hijackers. Yet, terrorists –
people who were either involved with, associated with or are
seeking to take advantage of the September 11 attacks – are now
poisoning our communities with Anthrax.
Forty years ago, another Attorney General was confronted with a
different enemy within our borders. Robert F. Kennedy came to
the Department of Justice at a time when organized crime was
threatening the very foundations of the republic. Mobsters
controlled one of the nation”s largest labor unions. Racketeers
murdered, bribed and extorted with impunity in many of the
nation”s largest cities.
Then, as now, the enemy that America faced was described
bluntly – and correctly – as a conspiracy of evil. Then, as now,
the enemy was well-financed, expertly organized and
international in scope. Then, as now, its operations were hidden
under a code of deadly silence.
As Attorney General, Robert Kennedy launched an extraordinary
campaign against organized crime. Under his leadership, the
mission and momentum of the Department of Justice were
directed toward one overarching goal: to identify, disrupt and
dismantle the organized-crime enemy within. A new spirit of
cooperation was forged, both among federal agencies and
between state and federal law enforcement. Prosecutors were
action oriented – pursuing cases rather than waiting for the cases
to come to them. Investigators focused on function, not form –
they focused on doing what was necessary to get the job done
rather than what was dictated by the organizational chart.
Attorney General Kennedy made no apologies for using all of the
available resources in the law to disrupt and dismantle organized
crime networks. Very often, prosecutors were aggressive, using
obscure statutes to arrest and detain suspected mobsters. One
racketeer and his father were indicted for lying on a federal home
loan application. A former gunman for the Capone mob was
brought to court on a violation of the Migratory Bird Act.
Agents found 563 game birds in his freezer – a mere 539 birds
over the limit.
There are obvious differences, of course, between the network of
organized crime America faced in 1961 and the network of terror
we face today. Today, many more innocent lives have been lost.
Many more innocent lives continue to be threatened. But these
differences serve only to call us more urgently to action.
The American people face a serious, immediate and ongoing
threat from terrorism. At this moment, American service men
and women are risking their lives to battle the enemy overseas.
It falls to the men and women of justice and law enforcement to
engage terrorism at home. History”s judgment will be harsh –
and the people”s judgment will be sure – if we fail to use every
available resource to prevent future terrorist attacks.
Robert Kennedy”s Justice Department, it is said, would arrest
mobsters for “spitting on the sidewalk” if it would help in the
battle against organized crime. It has been and will be the policy
of this Department of Justice to use the same aggressive arrest
and detention tactics in the war on terror.
Let the terrorists among us be warned: If you overstay your visa
– even by one day – we will arrest you. If you violate a local
law, you will be put in jail and kept in custody as long as
possible. We will use every available statute. We will seek
every prosecutorial advantage. We will use all our weapons
within the law and under the Constitution to protect life and
enhance security for America.
In the war on terror, this Department of Justice will arrest and
detain any suspected terrorist who has violated the law. Our
single objective is to prevent terrorist attacks by taking suspected
terrorists off the street. If suspects are found not to have links to
terrorism or not to have violated the law, they are released. But
terrorists who are in violation of the law will be convicted, in
some cases deported, and in all cases prevented from doing
further harm to Americans.
Within days of the September 11 attacks, we launched this anti-
terrorism offensive to prevent new attacks on our homeland. To
date, our anti-terrorism offensive has arrested or detained nearly
1,000 individuals as part of the September 11 terrorism
investigation. Those who violated the law remain in custody.
Taking suspected terrorists in violation of the law off the streets
and keeping them locked up is our clear strategy to prevent
terrorism within our borders.
Today, the Department of Justice is positioned to launch a new
offensive against terrorism. Due to extraordinary bipartisan and
bicameral cooperation in the Congress, law enforcement will
have new weapons in the war on terrorism. Yesterday, by an
overwhelming margin, the House passed the Anti-terrorism Act
of 2001. Hours from now, the Senate is poised to follow suit.
The president is expected to sign this legislation on Friday. The
hour that it becomes law, I will issue guidance to each of our 94
U.S. Attorneys” Offices and 56 FBI field offices directing them
to begin immediately implementing this sweeping legislation. I
will issue directives requiring law enforcement to make use of
new powers in intelligence gathering, criminal procedure and
immigration violations. A new era in America”s fight against
terrorism, made tragically necessary by the attacks of September
11, is about to begin.
The legislation embodies two over-arching principles:
The first principle is airtight surveillance of terrorists.
Upon the president”s signature, I will direct investigators and
prosecutors to begin immediately seeking court orders to
intercept communications related to an expanded list of crimes
under the legislation. Communications regarding terrorist
offenses such as the use of biological or chemical agents,
financing acts of terrorism or materially supporting terrorism will
be subject to interception by law enforcement.
Agents will be directed to take advantage of new, technologically
neutral standards for intelligence gathering. So-called “roving”
wiretaps, that allow taps of multiple phones a suspect may use,
are being added as important as an important weapon in our war
against terror.
Investigators will be directed to pursue aggressively terrorists on
the Internet. New authority in the legislation permits the use of
devices that capture senders” and receivers” addresses associated
with communications on the Internet.
Law enforcement will begin immediately to seek search warrants
to obtain unopened voice-mail stored on a computer – just as
they traditionally have used search warrants to obtain unopened
e-mail. They will also begin to use new subpoena power to
obtain payment information such as credit card or bank account
numbers of suspected terrorists on the Internet.
The second principle enshrined in the legislation is speed in
tracking down and intercepting terrorists. As soon as possible,
law enforcement will begin to employ new tools that ease
administrative burdens and delays in apprehending terrorists.
Investigators are now able to use a single court order to trace a
communication even when it travels outside the judicial district
in which the order was issued. The scope of search warrants for
unopened e-mail and other evidence is now also nationwide.
The new tools for law enforcement in the war against terrorism
are the products of hundreds of hours of consultation and careful
consideration by the administration, members of Congress, and
state and local officials. They are careful, balanced, and long
overdue improvements in our capacity to prevent terrorism.
The federal government cannot fight this reign of terror alone.
Every American must help us defend our nation against this
enemy. Every state, every county, every municipality must join
together to form a common defense against terrorism.
The law enforcement campaign that will commence in earnest
when the legislation is signed into law will be many years in
duration. Some will ask whether a civilized nation – a nation of
law and not of men – can use the law to defend itself from
barbarians and remain civilized. Our answer, unequivocally, is
“yes.” Yes, we will defend civilization. And yes, we will
preserve the rule of law because it makes us civilized.
The men and women of justice and law enforcement have been
asked to shoulder a great burden for the safety and security of the
American people. We will, as we have in the past, never waiver
in our faith and loyalty to the Constitution and never tire in our
defense of the rights it enshrines.
Years after he left the office of Attorney General, an observer of
Robert Kennedy wrote that RFK brought these assets to his
successful campaign against organized crime: *A constructive
anger. *An intimate knowledge of his subject. *A talented team
of prosecutors. *And, finally, a partner in the White House.
Today, as we embark on this campaign against terrorism, we are
blessed with a similar set of advantages. Our anger, too, is
constructive. Our knowledge is growing. Our team is talented.
And our leadership in the White House is unparalleled.
George W. Bush has done more – much more – than declare war
on terrorism. George W. Bush is fighting a war on terrorism.
Under his leadership, we have pledged ourselves to victory.
Terrorists live in the shadows, under the cover of darkness. We
will shine the light of justice on them. Americans alive today
and yet to be born and freedom-loving people everywhere will
have new reason to hope because our enemies now have new
reason to fear.
—–
Stuff
–Ah, those crazy elephants – the wild kind, not Republicans. A
herd of pachyderms trampled a Vietnamese farmer guarding his
crops the other day, the twelfth such death in three years in this
particular province. Now considering that there are only about
100 elephants left in the entire country, when there had been
1,500 to 2,000 at the end of the Vietnam War, is it any wonder
the elephants are making perhaps their last stand? Well?
[Frankly, we wish them well.]
–Ken Aston, RIP. I saw this chap”s obituary in the Times of
London the other day. Aston was known for being the referee at
a famous World Cup game back in 1962, the contest between
Chile and Italy, what the BBC later described as “the most
stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of
football possibly in the history of the game.”
Aston oversaw what became known as the “Battle of Santiago.”
The trouble began when the local media claimed that Italian
journalists had written disparaging remarks about Chilean
women. Then before the match began, a gift of carnations from
the Italian team was rejected by the Chileans. After just 12
seconds, the first player was booked for a foul and it got far
worse from there. A Chilean player broke the nose of the Italian
captain with a left hook, Aston having his back to the play at the
time. Then Italy retaliated against the Chilean by aiming a kung-
fu kick at you know where. The whole match was a series of
fights and skirmishes. Three times armed police came on the
field to protect Aston as he attempted to control the game, won
eventually by Chile 2-0.
“I wasn”t reffing a football match,” he recalled. “I was acting as
an umpire in military maneuvers.” While a referee isn”t
supposed to touch the players, Aston said he had to “manhandle”
them left and right.
Top 3 songs for the week of 10/22/66: #1 “Reach Out I”ll Be
There” (Four Tops) #2 “Cherish” (The Association) #3 “96
Tears” ( ? Question Mark & The Mysterians)
College Football Quiz Answers: 1) Big Twelve: Baylor,
Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas St., Missouri, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.
2) Heisman winners: 1969 – Steve Owens (RB / Oklahoma),
1972 – Johnny Rodgers (Mr. Everything / Nebraska.still the
best college player I”ve ever seen), 1978 – Billy Sims (RB /
Oklahoma), 1983 – Mike Rozier (RB – Nebraska).
3) Winningest teams of the 70s. #1 Oklahoma .877 #2 Alabama
.863 #3 Michigan .848 #4 Nebraska .820 #5 Penn State .814.
Regarding the Heisman winners listed above, following are the
career NFL stats for each.
Owens: 5 years with Detroit; 2,451 yards rushing, 3.9 avg.
Rodgers: Cup of coffee with San Diego in ”77 and ”78. Injuries.
Sims: 5 years with Detroit; 5,106 yds., 4.5 avg. Spectacular until
he tore up his knee.
Rozier: 7 years with Houston and Atlanta; 4,462 yds., 3.8 avg.
Next Bar Chat, Monday. Harry Truman and nukes.
