Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Ashcroft

Looks like Crisco John just can’t get enough of that old time executin’:

Attorney General John Ashcroft has ordered federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for a murder suspect, even though he had agreed to testify against others tied to a deadly Colombian drug ring in exchange for a life sentence

Lawyers said it appeared to be the first case nationally in which Mr. Ashcroft had insisted on seeking the execution of a defendant who had secured a promise of life in exchange for information. Some lawyers said his decision here could hamstring federal prosecutors in the toughest cases because it would shake defendants’ confidence that a federal prosecutor at the local level could deliver on a proposed deal in a death penalty case.

Mr. Ashcroft has stirred a controversy in federal prosecutors’ offices nationally in recent months by insisting that they seek executions in some cases in which they had recommended against it. Under Justice Department rules, local federal prosecutors can only recommend whether to seek the death penalty; the final decision is up to the attorney general.

The John Ashcroft Ten Commandments:

I – I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

II – You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

III – Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

IV – Honor your father and mother.

V – You shall not kill.

VI – You shall not commit adultery.

VII – You shall not steal.

VIII – You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Unless he’s Ronnie White

IX – You shall not desire your neighbor’s wife.

X – You shall not desire your neighbor’s goods.

Only eight left to go…