now, ashcroft gives us some shit to REALLY worry about ...

[citizenq at hushmail.com]

	WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers pushed aside other work Monday to  
take up the administration's request for new wiretapping and other 
counterterrorism laws, prompted by Attorney General John Ashcroft's 
warning that terrorists could still be active in the United States. 
	``We've cleared our calendar,'' Senate Judiciary Committee  
spokeswoman Mimi Devlin said. 
	House Judiciary Committee spokesman Jeff Lungren added, ``We  
know what a priority this legislation is for the administration, 
the Congress and the country, and we will act accordingly.'' 
	One day after privately briefing congressional leaders, Ashcroft  
publicly urged Congress to quickly expand the FBI's wiretapping 
authority, to impose stronger penalties on those who harbor or 
finance terrorists and to increase punishments on terrorists 
themselves. 
	Ashcroft, a former senator, told lawmakers the FBI needs his  
package passed this week, even though Congress is observing the 
Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. ``I'm optimistic that we will be 
able to act quickly to provide law enforcement with the additional 
tools that are necessary to fight terrorism,'' Ashcroft said. 
	House and Senate leaders had yet to see the specifications of  
Ashcroft's proposal Monday afternoon. The attorney general said it 
would be ready in a ``day or two,'' which led to uncertainty over 
whether committees will hold hearings or just send the package 
directly to the House and Senate floors for votes. 
... omitted ...
	Part of Ashcroft's terrorism package includes a request to allow  
the FBI to seek wiretapping orders for a suspect instead of a 
telephone. 
	That would mean law enforcement agents would be able to tap any  
phone a suspect uses, instead of having to ask for a new 
wiretapping order whenever the suspect changes telephones. With the 
introduction of cellular phones, it has become harder for law 
officers to track conversations of suspects because of the ease of 
getting new telephone numbers or new telephones, officials said. 
	``That's a key piece of legislation that would be helpful to  
us,'' FBI Director Robert Mueller said Monday. 
	Ashcroft also wants wiretapping orders to extend over state  
lines. That would allow investigators around the country to tap all 
of a suspect's calls without getting a separate wiretapping warrant 
in each jurisdiction. ``This is a reasonable upgrade,'' he said. 
	The attorney general also said he wants Congress to give him  
expanded electronic surveillance and search authority as well as 
the ability to identify, seize and forfeit terrorists' assets. 
	The package would make contributing to terrorism groups a crime  
under money-laundering statutes, lift the statute of limitations on 
prosecuting terrorists and increase penalties for harboring 
terrorists. 
	After their private briefing by Ashcroft and Mueller on Sunday,  
senators were positive about moving legislation forward quickly. 
	``I don't know how soon, but the sooner the better,'' said Sen.  
Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the top Republican on the Senate 
Intelligence Committee. ``All of us want to see the details of any 
legislative plan if there's going to be a legislative response, but 
Congress, I believe, is in the mood to do whatever it takes to win 
this war against terrorism.'' 
	But some groups warned against moving too fast. The American  
Civil Liberties Union, for one, says Congress should slow down and 
hold hearings and deliberative debates on Ashcroft's proposed 
legislation to ensure it doesn't infringe on civil liberties. 
	``If we allow our freedoms to be undermined, the terrorists will  
have won,'' said Anthony Romero, the ACLU's executive director. 

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