roll out the red, white and blue carpet for John Ashcroft and force him to explain this un-American legislation," said Libertarian Party Executive Director Joe Seehusen. "The more the nation learns about the misnamed Patriot Act, the less they're going to like it."

Rushed through Congress within weeks of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the legislation grants the government sweeping new surveillance and arrest powers. As a result, legislatures in three states and 165 communities have passed resolutions either condemning the law or refusing to help federal agents enforce its provisions.

To counter the growing public opposition, Ashcroft launched a public relations blitz on Wednesday in which he will address law-enforcement groups in more than a dozen cities.

"Americans are waking up to the fact that the federal government used September 11 as an excuse to declare a jihad against their civil rights," Seehusen said. "Ashcroft's tour could be a great opportunity to assess the damage inflicted by politicians whose first impulse is to blame the Constitution for the crimes of terrorists."

The attorney general has much to defend, Seehusen said.

For one thing, the law is patently unconstitutional.

"The Patriot Act clearly violates the Fourth Amendment by allowing federal agents to conduct searches and seizures without proper court authority," he said.

"For example, the government can now install the Carnivore e-mail snooping system without obtaining a court order. It can conduct secret 'sneak-and-peak' searches and seize bank and credit records upon the mere say-so of an FBI agent.

"The legislation also expands the definition of terrorism to include nonviolent crimes such as computer fraud; permits the detention of legal immigrants for seven days based on a mere accusation of terrorist activity; allows the collection of DNA samples from people convicted of offenses having nothing to do with terrorism; and permits dozens of other unconstitutional activities.

"Let's ask John Ashcroft why a nation founded on the values of individual freedom and limited government should tolerate such a law."

For another, the legislation was written in secret by Department of Justice bureaucrats and voted on so quickly that several Representatives and Senators admitted they never read it.

"As Rep. C. L. Otter, R-Idaho, recently put it: 'The smoke was still coming out of the rubble' of the World Trade Centers when this legislation was passed," Seehusen said. "If Ashcroft actually believes the Patriot Act is necessary and constitutional, why didn't he want Congress to debate it before the vote, rather than after?"

Unfortunately, questioning the attorney general will be difficult, Seehusen pointed out, because his "public relations tour" will be closed to the public.

"While Ashcroft will preach to the law enforcement choir, he is afraid to take questions from ordinary Americans -- the very people whose freedom he is trampling," Seehusen said. "But if the Patriot Act is really worth defending, why won't the attorney general defend it in a public forum?"

The truth is that Ashcroft understands that there's a mini-rebellion underway against the Patriot Act -- and he's trying to counter it with a few speeches and photo opportunities, Seehusen said.

"The good news is that the more Americans learn about the so-called Patriot Act, the more suspicious they'll be of pro-government extremists like John Ashcroft.

"If resistance to this law continues to spread, perhaps Ashcroft will kick off his next road show in a location more receptive to his anti-freedom message, such as Iran, Cuba, or North Korea."

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