March 7, 2006
Mr. Speaker,
I rise in opposition to S. 2271, the USA PATRIOT Act Additional Reauthorizing Amendments Act of 2006. This bill is a great example of what happens when you put Republicans Senators in a room with Dick Cheney to negotiate over Constitutional rights. It’s like two foxes negotiating over who can do more damage to the henhouse without upsetting the neighbors.
Examining this deal more closely, we see that giving the American people the right to consult a lawyer or challenge a gag order in court is somehow considered a concession by the Bush Administration. Other than that, it’s the same old Patriot Act that criminalizes speech, protest, and meetings of citizens while also eliminating the right to due process and a search warrant.
This bill permanently extends 14 of 16 expiring provisions of the Patriot Act. Government can still listen in on your phone conversations without any proof that a terrorist is using the phone and can conduct secret searches of your property. The law will still allow our Government to send a letter to your bank, Internet Service Provider, insurance company, or any other business demanding information about you. The only difference is that businesses no longer have to tell the FBI when they consult an attorney about the request.
A government official can still forbid a business from telling anyone that records have been obtained, although this gag would last for an initial one-year period rather than indefinitely. However, the gag can be renewed and doing so is actually made easier by this supposed grand compromise. Finally, the Bush Administration has magnanimously agreed not to look at your library borrowing records, although this agreement makes it easier for them to find out what websites you visit while at the library.
Mr. Speaker, the Patriot Act can never be fixed because it starts with the fundamental presumption that the Constitution gets in the way of protecting Americans. In fact, we need the Constitution more than ever to protect us from politicians who think they’re above the law.
