Would you mind telling me you disagree with in this statement?
Let me have a shot at it, OK?
In a nutshell, if they were truly just "phantoms," it would be one thing. But they are not. The PATRIOT Act and the Office of Homeland Security have seriously compromised what little of the freedoms aour founders tried so hard to guarantee us that we have left. And Ashcroft is saying that if we tell people about that loss of freedom, we are aiding terrorists. Combine that with his statement the other day that said, essentially, they will arrest people that they "suspect of terrorism" - when the PATRIOT Act says that those who speak out against the government may be considered terrorists - and you've got something very scary indeed. Connect the dots. If you tell people about how our freedoms are being taken away by what "our" government is doing, you are aiding terrorists and can be arrested.
This is the very antithesis of the 1st Amendment that Ashcroft swore to uphold and defend.