-Caveat Lector- -----Original Message----- From: Rebel Fire <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2000 7:23 PM Subject: [CCNN] The John Ashcroft I know - Cal Thomas > >Jewish World Review Dec. 27, 2000 / 1 Teves, 5761 > >Cal Thomas > >The John Ashcroft I know > >http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- > >LIBERAL GROUPS are mighty upset that >President-elect George W. Bush has nominated >outgoing Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.) to become >Attorney General of the United States. The reason >is that Ashcroft is the polar opposite of Janet Reno >and her politicized Justice Department. If confirmed >(and you can count on the same people who >"borked'' Robert Bork, keeping him off the >Supreme Court, to try the same with Ashcroft), he >will be to the Justice Department what an exorcist is >to demons. > >Some liberals will try to smear Ashcroft as a racist >because he opposed the elevation of a Missouri >judge, who happens to be black, to the federal >bench; a misogynist, because he is pro-life; a >religious fanatic, because he takes his faith seriously >enough to impose it upon himself, unlike many other >politicians -- Democrats and Republicans -- who >use it as political window dressing. > >In a lengthy interview for my book, "Blinded by >Might: Can the Religious Right Save America?'' >I asked Ashcroft for his views on government and >many other things. Following are some excerpts. > >On the purpose of government: "Government's >responsibility is to make sure that there is a >hospitable set of externals that allows people to do >well and to provide a framework in which people >can grow. It shouldn't be growth of government; it >should be growth of individuals.'' > >On the primary cause of moral decline: "The moral >condition of a country is an aggregation of the moral >choices made by individuals. There (are) a variety >of conditions in the culture that signal disrespect for >morals that have affected the kind of choices that >are being made .... I think government has helped >create an environment that is hostile to good, moral >decision-making. > >Moral choices are primarily shaped by the culture, and >culture shapes behavior in an anticipatory or preventative way. Laws >shape behavior by punishing after there's been an infraction. Our >government of late has made it very difficult for the culture to operate >by >shaping behavior ... the higher the level of morality, the lower the need >for >government legality. As we have destroyed the ability of culture to shape >behavior, we have had to proliferate laws in an attempt to make up for >the absence of the culture-shaping behavior. The proliferation of laws >has >never made up for it, but we keep adding more laws, and more laws, and >more laws.'' > >Ashcroft believes that in our pursuit of tolerance for everything, we >have surrendered our ability to stigmatize behavior that we >want discourage: "We have outlawed stigma ... by saying that it's > politically incorrect and inappropriate to say that certain >things are wrong. We are no longer capable of >identifying things as being wrong, and we are no longer capable of >ranking, for affirmation, things that are legal. Once you devalue >affirmation and you outlaw stigma, you make it impossible for the culture >to shape moral choices.'' > >Can government, alone, turn culture around and influence better >decision-making? "No. The idea of government being the source of >goodness in the culture is a mistake .... The genius of the American >republic is not that the values of Washington be imposed on the people, >(it is) that the people's values be imposed on Washington, D.C. This >reversal in value flow, I think, can be clearly traced to the Great >Society >era.'' > >Later, Ashcroft tells me that while Washington is neither the entire >problem nor the entire answer, it can be part of one or the other. But he >sees government as one of the more powerful influences: "We should >take the hostility toward morality out of the system. And take the >hostility >toward faith out of the system .... Pastors need to call people to their >highest and best, not accommodate the culture at its lowest and least.'' > >Ashcroft acknowledges that because of his positive and deeply held >Christian faith he will be perceived as wanting to "Christianize >everybody.'' He explains, "The point is that governance is the process, >by >imposition and mandate, of compelling people to live at a level of the >threshold of acceptability. If all a leader does is to govern, he's not a >leader ... he just mandates that people make it to the lowest possible >level.'' > >On freedom: "It is very difficult to impose anything in a free society >.... >It's important for the public to understand that you're not in a position >to just >come in here and insist, yet the public is in a position to insist.'' > >There's much more in the book, and count on Ashcroft's detractors to >take the quotes about his faith out of context and turn him into Elmer >Gantry. Ashcroft has the personal qualities and professional experience >so needed at the Department of Justice that, for eight years, has served >as a subsidiary of the White House and the primary defender of >indefensible actions by Bill Clinton and his minions. > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> >Download Net2Phone's free software to make FREE calls anywhere within >the US from your PC now! Get great low rates on international calls! >http://click.egroups.com/1/10923/1/_/585770/_/977963016/ >---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > > > > But if the watchman sees the sword coming and > does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and > the sword comes and takes the life of one of > them, that man will be taken away because of > his sin, but I will hold the watchman > accountable for his blood." 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