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John Ashcroft Gets Punk'd


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John Ashcroft Gets Punk'd 2004-07-12 13:43:43

Anti-Flag drummer Pat Thetic is using his punk energy to get political. In an open letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft, Thetic addressed his concerns about the use of the Patriot Act and the lack of information that the Justice Department seems to be willing to share, even with members of Congress. As an example, he specifically mentions a Justice Department investigation into the participants in a Nov. 15, 2003 antiwar protest on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

"The circumstances surrounding Attorney General Ashcroft's investigations into the participants at a peaceful protest are just one example of his disregard for the rights and privacy of Americans," Thetic said. "This is not about a single incident, but about a pattern of intimidation intended to silence dissent. It is clear the Patriot Act has had a chilling effect on free speech in this country and Ashcroft needs to step forward and take responsibility for the situation. More importantly, he needs to work with lawmakers to fix this legislation so that our civil liberties are protected."

Thetic is a board member of Punkvoter, a grassroots organization helping to register young music enthusiasts to vote. Punkvoter aims to educate, register and mobilize over 500,000 young voters by November. Along with Anti-Flag, Thetic appears on the Rock Against Bush compilation, which also features acts like Sum-41, Alkaline Trio and Pennywise. A second installment in the politically-driven series will be issued on August 10. Please visit www.punkvoter.com for more information.

http://www.relix.com/cgi-bin/content_list.cgi?type=news

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