Some people need to really get a life!

Andrew Martinez

Daily Texan Staff

The stage was set for former Attorney General John Ashcroft to speak on campus Wednesday night well before he arrived.A group of protesters stood around the double doors of the crowded University Teaching Center lecture hall waving signs of dissent.

“It’s okay, I wasn’t using my civil liberties anyway,” one person’s sign said. “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength,” read another, echoing George Orwell’s words.

Despite the small number of banner-waving protesters who booed as Ashcroft first appeared, there seemed to be a buzz of anticipation before the former attorney general began to speak on his controversial political career.

Most in attendance were respectful of Ashcroft’s right to speak, but as he took to the stage, a procession of about 15 protesters marched single file to the back of the room holding their signs.

Ashcroft began the night by poking fun at his own political past, drawing applause from all corners of the room upon mentioning his failed 2000 Missouri Senate race, when he lost to a dead candidate. That humorous moment was the last time the politically charged audience agreed on anything. Read more…

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