Libertythink has obtained from Washington contacts a draft copy of the "Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations Act of 2003," also known by the Orwellian sobriquet "VICTORY Act."

Attorney General John Ashcroft is currently putting on a little road show to garner support for the bill, as well as for the USA PATRIOT Act, which had two of its more Draconian provisions targeted for defunding by the House of Representatives in late July.

(Though it does contain similar provisions, the VICTORY Act is not the same bill as the Domestic Security Enhancement Act, popularly known as PATRIOT II, which was leaked in January.)

The draft obtained by Libertythink is dated June 27, and word in the Beltway is that the VICTORY Act is still being retooled over the August recess before it is introduced in the Senate. Although this may not be the final form of the act, Libertythink encourages its readers to study the bill and hit Ashcroft with hard questions when and if he comes to your town.

Measures in the 89-page draft include:
Creation of a new category of crime called "Narco-terrorism."

Radical expansion of asset forfeiture powers for the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

Expansion of the definition of money-laundering to several kinds of transactions, including offshore banking as a means of tax evasion.

Creation of a ludicrous new "crime" of "reverse money-laundering."

Longer jail terms for a number of nonviolent drug and nondrug offenses.

Expanded opportunities for judge-shopping in wiretap cases.

Expansion of nonjudicial "administrative subpoenas" for "terrorism" investigations as broadly defined in the USA PATRIOT Act.

. . . and that's just a partial listing.