Hmmm ... I'm starting to See A Pattern Here...

So we've all seen the story about feds investigating activists at Drake University. Here's the latest: (from "Feds: Subpoenas Of Antiwar Protesters Linked To Trespassing Inquiry", IBS 2/10/04)

A federal prosecutor said subpoenas seeking records of a legal activist group and ordering four antiwar activists to testify before a grand jury are linked to an investigation into trespassing at Camp Dodge last November.

The case has received national attention, and advocates are planning a rally around noon Tuesday in front of the federal courthouse in Des Moines.

Monday, The U.S. Attorney's Office in Des Moines postponed those four appearances before a federal grand jury.

And Monday evening, U.S. Attorney Stephen O'Meara provided the first official details of what the investigation is about. O'Meara said reports that the case is being investigated as an "antiterrorism" matter that involves the United States Patriot Act are "not accurate."

The grand jury issued subpoenas to at least four Iowans: Wendy Vasquez, Elton Davis, Patti McKee and Brian Terrell.

The activists had been scheduled to appear Tuesday, but the government pushed it back until next month. Reasons for the delay were not given.

I think the stuff about the subpoenas dealing with a tresspassing investigation is new.

But what about this: ("Northwestern escapes DOJ subpoena", Chicago Business, 9/2/04)

A move by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to subpoena the medical records of 40 patients who received so-called partial-birth abortions at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago was halted—at least temporarily—when a Chicago federal judge quashed the information request.

The ruling is the first in a series of subpoenas by the U.S. Justice Department seeking the medical records of patients from seven physicians and at least five hospitals, Crain's sister publication Modern Healthcare has learned. Besides Northwestern, Mr. Ashcroft is seeking patient records from University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers in Ann Arbor; Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, owned by Tenet Healthcare Corp.; Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital both of which are part of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System; and an unidentified San Francisco-area hospital.

Could John Ashcroft be unfairly targeting the left? Shocked, I'm Shocked. He's always seemed so impartial.