Or so said former Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft, speaking on the Patriot Act and other matters at Syracuse University last night :

It is perhaps appropriate that the speech focused on homeland security, as Ashcroft was a key proponent of much anti-terror legislation. The most well-known and controversial of these statutes is the Patriot Act – a bill criticized by the Cato Institute, the Libertarian think tank, as being “designed to reduce privacy and increase security” but “succeed(ing) in at least reducing privacy.” Ashcroft spoke at lengths about such claims, drawing a line between liberty and security. “I don’t believe security and liberty are of equal value,” he said. “I believe liberty is the value and security is a means to that value.” “Will our freedom be more valuable if we pass this law than if we don’t pass this law?” he asked.

Given the campus setting, there had to be some foolishness. One demonstrator screamed out, “Who told you to attack Islam?” A proper response might have been, “Little green men. Now, who told you to ask stupid questions?”