John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) was the 79th Attorney General of the United States. He served in the first administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 until 2005. Official Photo of John Ashcroft This work is copyrighted. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the 78th Attorney General of the United States (1993-2001), and was the first woman to hold that post. ... Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, USA) is the current Attorney General of the United States. ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... A political party is a political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power within a government. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... Seal of the President of the United States, official impression The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – Present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Early career

Ashcroft was born in Chicago. He was educated in Springfield, Missouri, and at Yale University, where he graduated in 1964. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago in 1967, and briefly taught business law at Southwest Missouri State University. Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Springfield is the third largest city in Missouri. ... This article is about the institution of higher learning in the United States. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... J.D. redirects here; for alternate uses, see J.D. (disambiguation) J.D. is an abbreviation for the Latin Juris Doctor, also called a Doctor of Law or Doctorate of Jurisprudence, and is the law degree typically awarded by an accredited U.S. law school after successfully completing three years... The University of Chicago is a private co-educational university located in Chicago, Illinois. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Commercial law or business law is the body of law which governs business and commerce and is often considered to be a branch of civil law and deals both with issues of private law and public law. ... Southwest Missouri State University is the largest of Missouris regional public state university systems, with its main campus located in Springfield. ...

He began his career in Missouri government in 1973. He was Governor of Missouri from 1985 to 1993. In 1994 he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri, where he became a leading opponent of the Clinton Administration's Clipper encryption restrictions. He ran for reelection in 2000 against then-Governor Mel Carnahan, who died in an airplane crash about two weeks before the election. Due to Missouri state election laws, Carnahan's name could not be removed from the ballot, and his wife, Jean Carnahan, announced that she would serve in her husband's place should he be elected. Carnahan won the election with her late husband's name still on the ballot. Following his defeat, Ashcroft was nominated as U.S. Attorney General by president-elect George W. Bush in December 2000. Despite some contention from Democrats, Ashcroft was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 58-42. Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning canoe, is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Governors of Missouri since its statehood in 1820 are: Alexander McNair 1821-24 Frederick Bates 1824-25 Abraham J. Williams 1825-26 John Miller 1826-32 Daniel Dunklin 1832-36 Lilburn W. Boggs 1836-40 Thomas Reynolds 1840-44 Meredith Miles Marmaduke 1844 John C. Edwards 1844-48 Austin... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Seal of the Senate The Senate is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Order: 42nd President Term of Office: January 20, 1993–January 20, 2001 Preceded by: George H. W. Bush Succeeded by: George W. Bush Date of birth: August 19, 1946 Place of birth: Hope, Arkansas Date of death: Place of death: First Lady: Hillary Rodham Clinton Political party: Democratic Vice President... The Clipper chip is a chipset that was developed and promoted by the U.S. Government as an encryption device to be adopted by telecommunications companies for voice transmission. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Melvin Eugene Mel Carnahan (February 11, 1934–October 16, 2000) was an American politician who was Governor of Missouri from 1993 to 2000. ... Senator Jean Carnahan, D-Missouri, who served in the Senate from 2001-2003 Jean Carnahan (born December 20, 1933) was a member of the United States Senate from 2001 to 2003. ... The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... A President-elect is a candidate who has officially been elected President, but who has not yet acceded to his Office, as it is still occupied by the out-going President. ... Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – Present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seal of the Senate The Senate is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ...

Ashcroft worships in the Assembly of God church. Whenever he was sworn in to any political office, he had himself anointed with oil. The Assemblies of God is the worlds largest Pentecostal Christian denomination. ... To anoint is to apply perfumed oil. ...

Attorney General

Ashcroft is noted by his detractors for allegedly ordering that the partially nude statues of Liberty and Justice, which stand in a meeting room where he held press conferences, be covered with curtains. Ashcroft denied these allegations. It has also been said that this action was taken because he felt that reporters were photographing him alongside the statues to make fun of his church's opposition to pornography. Liberty (also known as Lady Liberty or the Goddess of Liberty) personifies liberty and freedom, particularly popular in the United States. ... There are a number of uses for the term justice. ... A joint press conference by U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House. ... A photograph (often just called a photo) is an image (or a representation of that on e. ... Pornography (from Greek πορνογραφια pornographia — literally writing about or drawings of harlots) is the representation of the human body or human sexual behaviour with the goal of sexual arousal, similar to, but (according to some) distinct from, erotica. ...

Ashcroft is considered a leading member of the Christian right wing of the Republican Party and is one of the highest-ranked representatives of that group in the Bush Administration. Ashcroft's religious beliefs have led opponents, including Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), to question his ability to effectively enforce certain laws, especially those pertaining to abortion. Ashcroft maintained that he will enforce laws whether he agrees with them or not. The Christian Right is a broad label applied to a number of political and religious movements with conservative and right wing views. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... Charles Ellis Chuck Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is the senior Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party. ...

In July 2002, Ashcroft proposed the creation of Operation TIPS, a domestic program in which workers and government employees would inform law enforcement agencies about suspicious behavior they encounter while performing their duties. The program was widely criticized in the media as an encroachment upon the First and Fourth Amendments, and the United States Postal Service balked at the program, refusing outright to participate. Ashcroft defended the program as a necessary component of the ongoing War on Terrorism, but the proposal was eventually abandoned. 2002 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for July, 2002. ... Operation TIPS, the Terrorism Information and Prevention System, was designed by President George W. Bush to have United States citizens report suspicious activity. ... For the band, see The Police. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. ... The Bill of Rights is the name given to the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution. ... The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the United States government organization responsible for providing postal service in the United States, and it is generally referred to as the post office. ... The War on terrorism or War on terror (abbreviated in policy circles as GWOT for global war on terror) is a global effort by the governments of several countries (primarily the United States and its principal allies) to neutralize international groups it deems as terrorist (primarily radical Islamist terrorist groups...

Ashcroft's positions on privacy, civil liberties and anti-terrorism measures made him an extremely controversial figure, and groups opposed to the Bush administration often used him as a shorthand reference for all the reasons they opposed him. Some of his most prominent critics were organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and pro-choice groups. Many liberal commentators claimed that Ashcroft used the threat of terrorism to further political goals; one prominent example was a news conference held in May of 2004, which critics claimed was an attempt to distract attention from a drop in the approval ratings of President Bush, who at the time was campaigning for re-election. [1] The American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a non-governmental organization devoted to defending civil rights and civil liberties in the United States. ... Pro-Choice is the preferred self-description of people who believe that a woman should have the freedom to terminate a pregnancy by having an abortion if she does not want to have a baby. ... Terrorism is a controversial term with multiple definitions. ...

Ashcroft's opponents allege that he used the threat of terrorism as a justification for unnecessarily restricting civil liberties. Some of those opponents have pejoratively labeled his polices as "Ashcroftism." Publications such as workers.org refer to him as "Grand Inquisitor" Ashcroft[1] (http://www.workers.org/ww/2004/edit0226.php). Terrorism is a controversial term with multiple definitions. ... Civil liberties are protections from the power of governments. ...

In March 2004, Ashcroft entered the George Washington Medical Center with gallstone pancreatitis; surgeons removed his gallbladder (cholecystectomy) within a week. 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Deaths • 08 Abu Abbas • 20 Queen Juliana • 28 Peter Ustinov • 30 Alistair Cooke More March 2004 deaths Ongoing events EU Enlargement Exploration of Mars: Rovers Haiti Rebellion Israeli-Palestinian conflict Occupation of Iraq Same-sex marriage in... Acute pancreatitis is a rapidly-onset inflammation of the pancreas. ... The gallbladder (or cholecyst) is a pear-shaped organ that stores bile (or gall) until the body needs it for digestion. ... Cholecystectomy (ko´lî-sî-stèk´te-mê), plural cholecystectomies, is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. ...

On November 9, 2004 Ashcroft announced his resignation from his post as Attorney General, which took effect on February 3, 2005 with the Senate confirmation of White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales as the next Attorney General. Some believe his health was a factor in his decision. His hand-written resignation letter, dated November 2, stated: "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seal of the Senate The Senate is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States. ... Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, USA) is the current Attorney General of the United States. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ...

War on Drugs

Ashcroft is an enthusiastic advocate of the War on Drugs. In 2003, he and the acting DEA Administrator, John B. Brown, announced a series of indictments resulting from two nationwide investigations code-named Operation Pipe Dream and Operation Headhunter. The investigations targeted businesses selling drug paraphernalia, mostly marijuana pipes and bongs, under a little-used statute (Title 21, Section 863(a) of the U.S. Code). Counterculture icon Tommy Chong was one of those charged, for his part in financing and promoting Chong Glass/Nice Dreams, a company started by his son Paris. Most of the 55 individuals charged as a result of the operations were sentenced to fines and home detentions; Chong, however, was sentenced to 9 months in a federal prison, forfeiture of $103,000, and a year of probation. While the DOJ denied that Chong was treated any differently from the other defendants, many felt that he was made an example of by the government. The prohibition of drugs through legislation or religious law is a common means of controlling the perceived negative consequences of recreational drug use at a society- or world-wide level. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Since 1973, the DEA has enforced the drug laws in the United States. ... A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ... Drug paraphernalia is any legitimate equipment, product, or material that is modified for making, using, or concealing illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. ... Cannabis is a plant also known as Cannabis sativa, hemp, or marijuana. ... This article describes a pipe used for smoking. ... The stem and bowl in this hand-blown glass bubbler are internal. ... The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation of the general and permanent federal Law of the United States. ... In sociology, counterculture is a term used to describe a cultural group whose values and norms are at odds with those of the social mainstream. ... Thomas Chong B. Kin (born May 24, 1938) is a Canadian-born actor and musician who is well-known for his stereotypical portrayals of hippie-era stoners. ...

Ashcroft's tough-on-marijuana stance dates back to his tenure as a Senator, when he successfully pushed for stricter federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug offenses. He continued this stance as the Governor of Missouri, favoring a drug control policy that focused law enforcement efforts on casual drug users. Recreational drug use is the use of psychoactive drugs for recreational rather than medical or spiritual purposes, although the distinction is not always clear. ...

In 1992, while Ashcroft was Governor of Missouri, his nephews Alex and Adam Ashcroft and Alex's housemate Kevin Sheeley were arrested and charged with production and possession of marijuana. A raid uncovered 60 marijuana plants, with lighting, irrigation, and security systems, in a basement crawlspace. While the production of more than 50 plants usually results in a federal charge and mandatory jail time, 25-year-old Alex Ashcroft was prosecuted on a state charge and received 3 years of probation and 100 hours of community service. Kevin Sheeley was not convicted, and his record was sealed; Adam Ashcroft, who did not live in the house, was never prosecuted. Though Alex Ashcroft tested positive for marijuana in his first probation-mandated drug test, no further actions were taken against him. The parents of Alex and Adam have denied that the young men received a lenient treatment as a result of their connection to the governor. 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the United States, a federal crime or federal offence is a crime that is either made illegal by U.S. federal legislation or a crime that occurs on U.S. federal property. ... Probation is the suspension of a prison or jail sentence - the criminal who is on probation has been convicted of a crime, but instead of serving prison time, has been found by the Court to be amenable to probation and will be returned to the community for a period in... Community service refers to service that a person performs for the benefit of his or her local community. ... Drug testing is a subject of much controversy. ...

The former senator famously once boasted of his conservatism, saying that there are two things you find in the middle of the road: "a moderate and a dead skunk", adding that he did not wish to be either. Conservatism is any of several historically-related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... This article is about the radio format. ... Moderate in the sense meant here is an intermediate position between those generally classified as being left-wing and those seen as being right-wing. ... Genera Mephitis Spilogale Conepatus The skunks or Mephitidae are a family of medium-sized mammals, typically black-and-white-furred, belonging to the order Carnivora. ...

Singer-songwriter

Ashcroft composed a paean called "Let the Eagle Soar" which he sang at the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in February 2002. The rendition was satirically featured in Michael Moore's 2004 movie Fahrenheit 9/11. The song was also sung at Bush's 2005 inauguration, though not by Ashcroft but by Guy Hovis. Paean, in Homer, was the Greek physician of the gods. ... Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an interdenominational evangelical theological seminary located in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. ... Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organizations, states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... Michael Moore with his Oscar award after Bowling for Columbine won the 2003 Academy Award for Documentary Feature. ... Fahrenheit 9/11 is a high-grossing, award-winning documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore, which had a general release in the United States and Canada on June 25, 2004. ...

Academia

On March 18, 2005, Regent University, a primarily graduate university founded by Pat Robertson with its main campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, announced that Ashcroft would join the school's faculty on July 1. He will serve jointly in Regent's law and government schools. [2] (http://www.regent.edu/news/_press_releases/march_2005/ashcroft.cfm) March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Regent University is a Christian university with its main campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia and a satellite campus in Alexandria, Virginia. ... Marion Gordon Robertson, better known as Pat Robertson (born March 22, 1930), is an American Christian televangelist, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and right wing political activist. ... Part of the Virginia Beach oceanfront resort strip. ...

References

Mintz, John and Allen, Mike. "To Suspicious Candidates, the Threat of Attack Is No Longer Above the Fray." The Washington Post, June 27, 2004. The Washington Post is the largest and oldest newspaper in Washington, D.C. It gained worldwide fame in the early 1970s for its Watergate investigation by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, which played a major role in the undoing of the Nixon presidency. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Ashcroft's homepage at the Department of Justice (http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/index.html)
• The Guardian article about Ashcroft (http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/story/0,7369,661458,00.html)
• CNN video of John Ashcroft singing "Let the Eagle Soar" (http://www.cnn.com/video/us/2002/02/25/ashcroft.sings.wbtv.med.html)
• Excerpts from an album Ashcroft recorded in the 1970s (http://www.whitehouse.org/media/ashcroft-bacon/index.asp)
• Text and facsimile of resignation letter, Nov '04 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6446686/)

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Categories: Stub | 1939 births | Governors of Missouri | United States Senators ... The Governors of Missouri since its statehood in 1820 are: Alexander McNair 1821-24 Frederick Bates 1824-25 Abraham J. Williams 1825-26 John Miller 1826-32 Daniel Dunklin 1832-36 Lilburn W. Boggs 1836-40 Thomas Reynolds 1840-44 Meredith Miles Marmaduke 1844 John C. Edwards 1844-48 Austin... Melvin Eugene Mel Carnahan (February 11, 1934–October 16, 2000) was an American politician who was Governor of Missouri from 1993 to 2000. ... John Claggett Danforth (born September 5, 1936), also referred to as Jack Danforth, is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former United States Senator from Missouri. ... Seal of the Senate The Senate is one of the two houses of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Senator Jean Carnahan, D-Missouri, who served in the Senate from 2001-2003 Jean Carnahan (born December 20, 1933) was a member of the United States Senate from 2001 to 2003. ... Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the 78th Attorney General of the United States (1993-2001), and was the first woman to hold that post. ... The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, USA) is the current Attorney General of the United States. ...