(Warwick, R.I.)–Last night in North Kingstown High School Auditorium, over 250 Rhode Islanders joined Congressman Jim Langevin, a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, for his panel discussion on the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act.

The USA PATRIOT Act was passed by Congress aftet the terrorist attacks of September 11th to provide law enforcement with additional tools to locate and prosecute suspected terrorists.  Some believe that the legislation provided law enforcement with too much authority and threatens to strip average Americans of their civil rights.

“From local residents to City and Town Councils to the U.S. Congress, the PATRIOT Act has been the subject of spirited debate,” said Congressman Langevin.  “This forum provided the people of Rhode Island with an opportunity to participate in that debate and hear from a panel of experts about what they support or oppose in the legislation.  As Congress may soon consider a PATRIOT Act II, I will continue to solicit commentary from my constituents as I consider this important topic.”

Following opening comments by Congressman Langevin, each panelist was provided time to deliver a brief statement of their views on the PATRIOT Act.  Following the opening comments, Langevin posed discussion topics for the panelists, then took questions from the audience for the panel to answer.

Those panelists who participated last night included:  U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Craig Moore; Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union Director Steve Brown; Community Activist and former professor Rod Driver; East Greenwich Police Captain Bill Higgins; Community Activist Carolin Goldman; and John C. Kunich, Associate Professor of Law at Roger Williams University.

 “This law inspires emotion from everyone, whether they love the law, hate it, or fall somewhere in between,” Langevin said last night.  “Some of the information being circulated about the USA PATRIOT Act is true, and some is false.  Some of its provisions may be vital to our war on terror, and some may have gone too far.  Last night’s discussion offered an opportunity to separate the facts from the fiction, and talk about what parts of the law are working and what needs to be changed.  At the end of the night, disagreements surely remained, but I hope that those who attended left better informed.”

“Many Members of Congress, including myself, argued that the sweeping changes to current law enacted by passage of the PATRIOT Act should not be permanent,” Langevin added.  “We were pleased that several of the bill’s most controversial surveillance provisions were only enacted temporarily, to allow for a subsequent review and assessment of their impact.  On December 31, 2005, many provisions of the PATRIOT Act will expire unless Congress reauthorizes them.  This year, bipartisan legislation has been introduced to narrow and clarify many parts of the PATRIOT Act that are seen as most threatening to basic civil liberties.

"On the other end of the spectrum, the President has asked Congress to extend the Act, and there are even rumors that he will ask for a 'PATRIOT II,' to expand upon the original bill.  I hope to keep hearing about the direction Rhode Islanders would like the country to take, and where they think the balance lies between civil liberties and waging the war on terrorism,” Langevin added.

 Cox Cable will broadcast the two hour discussion on the statewide interconnect in the near future.

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