John Ashcroft, who served as U.S. attorney general under President George W. Bush, will visit the University of Colorado at Boulder campus this month to talk about national security following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The CU-Boulder Student Union's Cultural Events Board is sponsoring his appearance as part of its notable speaker series. Ashcroft will discuss "Freedom and Security in Post 9/11 America" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at Macky Auditorium. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
Admission will be free for students, who can pick up tickets at the UMC Connection at the University Memorial Center. Members of the community can purchase tickets for $5 at Tickets West locations or via the Internet at . Tickets will cost $5 at the door.
"We invite people of all political persuasions to come and listen to Mr. Ashcroft and participate in an intellectual, ideological and cultural discussion," said board Vice Chair Katelin Lucariello. "Civil debate and discourse are democratic values we should cherish and preserve for future generations of Americans."
Ashcroft was U.S. attorney general between 2000 and 2005 and was a vocal supporter of the U.S. Patriot Act, which expanded the authority of federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the activities of suspected terrorist groups in the United States. Congress adopted the act on Oct. 24, 2001, just 45 days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
Critics argue that the act erodes civil liberties because it has increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search private citizens' telephone, e-mail, medical, financial and other records. Supporters say the legislation enables law enforcement authorities to share critical information that could give them an edge as they track potential terrorist activities at home and abroad.
According to Ashcroft's official biography, the act has enabled the U.S. Justice Department to initiate a "tough anti-terrorism campaign that has assisted in disrupting over 150 terrorist plots worldwide, dismantling terrorist cells in cities across America, and convicting 191 individuals in terrorism-related investigations to date."
Ashcroft was born in Chicago on May 9, 1942, and grew up in Springfield, Mo. He graduated with honors from Yale University in 1964 and received a law degree from the University of Chicago three years later.
He launched his public service career in 1973 as Missouri's state auditor and later served two terms as the state's attorney general. His reputation for working well with both Democrats and Republicans earned him a spot as president of the nonpartisan National Association of Attorneys General.
In 1985, Ashcroft became Missouri's governor, serving in office until 1993. During his gubernatorial tenure he earned a national reputation as an effective fiscal leader who balanced eight consecutive state budgets. Fortune magazine named him one of the nation's top 10 "education governors." In 1994 he became a U.S. senator.
Before entering public office, Ashcroft taught business law at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. He and his wife, Janet, co-authored two college law textbooks, and Ashcroft authored a tribute to his father, James Robert Ashcroft, titled "Lessons From a Father to His Son."
For more information about John Ashcroft go to .
To learn more about the University of Colorado Student Union and the Cultural Events Board go to www-ucsu.colorado.edu/webber/index.cfm and .