In Deliver Us from Ashcroft (in The Washington Times), Nat Hentoff begins with "Attorney General John Ashcroft, with support from President Bush, has increasingly forgotten that the Constitution is ours — not just his."  He continues

one of the most damaging abuses [in Patriot II] is found in Section 201. According to this section, a federal court decision can be overturned, mandating that the government reveal the identities of those persons it has detained in the investigation of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The new bill states that "the government need not disclose information about individuals detained in investigations of terrorism until ... the initiation of criminal charges," no matter how long that might take...If passed, this would become the first time in American history that secret arrests would be specifically permitted under the American rule of law.

I haven't written about Patriot II yet, not out of a lack of interest, but due to a sense of weariness with all of the things happening to Americans after September 11th.  I heard a lot of negative commentary about President Bush last week in London, and I remember telling someone that Bush wasn't the real threat--the real threat is Ashcroft.  At least, Ashcroft is doing more harm to Americans and "the American way," however that might be understood.  I'm trying to fight my inertia, and so I'm posting this in the hopes that it motivates me.

As a side note, a draft version (dated January 9, 2003) of the Act in .pdf format is available from the Center for Public Integrity.  Be forwarned, though--it is a 12 MB download.  CPI also has a list of related documents.

This cSpan video would be funny if it weren't so...I don't know, frightening.  (link via Notes from the Lounge; read the comments...)

I will not add any real comments on this article, as it is outside my admittedly-broad topic range, but it is rather scary in its accuracy.  Links to the article have appeared on a few blogs I follow; apparently I'm not the only one who found it compelling.

From my aggregator today:

Gates Foundation Providing $31 Million for Small Schools. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is providing $31 million to nonprofit groups to start small, alternative high schools for 36,000 students. By Greg Winter. [New York Times: Technology]

This is just...cool.  I have always thought that if I ever became a gazillionaire (or something along those lines) my project would be to start schools for underprivileged or neglected kids.  Small, private schools, except free (or close to it) for students.  My plan would be to target "at risk" kids--both at the top and bottom ends of the scales.  While public schools are often criticized for failing those students at the bottom of their classes, my current tutoring gig at a local junior high has reinforced my position that public schools fail the best and brightest among their student populations as well.

In this case, a math teacher left the school half-way through the year, and the second-year algebra class has been without a teacher for about two months now.  The school has a substitute teacher in the class, but that person is more babysitting than teaching--the kids are getting worksheets on "how to properly say the number 100" and long division.  These are kids that already know how to factor basic quadratic equations and solve those nasty "two trains left the station at the same time going different speeds" kind of word problems.

And they have been getting worksheets with long division problems.   These kids are, in my opinion, equally or more "at risk" than some of the other traditional categories--they are kids who could be great, and they are so far from realizing their potential it is just sad.

So yes--if I had the money and resources, I'd start a school for at risk kids.  Both varieties.   I'd bring in teachers and lecturers from all walks of life to teach each class.  I'd bring in think tank personalities and visiting professors from foundations like the Institute for Humane Studies and engineers and research librarians and writers and poets and artists and economists and politicians.  My goal would be to challenge the kids every day, to teach them to think on their own and question everything. 

This is what I'd do if I had the resources.  It might be a pipe dream, but I'm glad to see that the Gates Foundation is taking a few steps in a similar direction.