Hightower Lowdown

It turns out George W. wasn’t lying when he campaigned as a “uniter, not a divider.” He recently united the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Conservative Union.

Unfortunately for George, what brought these and other disparate forces together is their opposition to an atrocious piece of legislation that his administration hopes to sneak by us. It’s called Patriot Act II, a nasty follow-up to the liberty-busting USA Patriot Act, which John Ashcroft rammed through Congress days after 9/11.

Patriot II would give us Ashcroft on Viagra. Among other uglies, this act would increase federal power to make secret arrests of U.S. citizens; let the government search your phone, bank, and credit records without court supervision; and, for the first time, authorize the attorney general to strip any American of his citizenship.

Patriot II is so ugly that Ashcroft insists that it’s not really a legislative proposal, but merely some “ideas” he’s bouncing around. However, an internal document titled “Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003” has surfaced, and it looks and smells exactly like a legislative proposal.

I’d trust a wolf to guard my last pork chop before I’d trust the Bushites to guard my liberties. Call the American Civil Liberties Union: 212-549-2500.