cnn.com

Bush urges renewal of Patriot Act
Monday, February 14, 2005 Posted: 11:32 AM EST (1632 GMT)


WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush on Monday urged Congress to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, the Justice Department's widely criticized anti-terrorism law.

"We must not allow the passage of time or the illusion of safety to weaken our resolve in this new war" on terrorism, Bush said at a swearing-in ceremony for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the Justice Department.

The president also argued that the Senate must give his nominees for the federal bench up-or-down votes without delay to fill vacancies in the courts.

The Patriot Act, passed in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, bolstered FBI surveillance and law-enforcement powers in terror cases, increased use of material witness warrants to hold suspects incommunicado for months, and allowed secret proceedings in immigration cases.

Civil liberties groups and privacy advocates lambasted the law because they said it undermines freedom. But Bush said the act "has been vital to our success in tracking terrorists and disrupting their plans."

He noted that many key elements of the law are set to expire at the end of the year and said Congress must act quickly to renew it.

The Patriot Act was pushed by Gonzales' predecessor, John Ashcroft, who was in the audience as Gonzales took his oath from Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Bush lauded Ashcroft's tireless efforts to make America safer as he oversaw a drop in violent crime besides his counterterrorism work.

Gonzales, who served as White House counsel during the last four years, said he would be a part of Bush's team but his first allegiance will be to the Constitution.

"I am confident that in the days and years ahead we in the department will work together tirelessly to address terrorism and other threats to our nation and to confront injustice with integrity and devotion to our highest ideals," Gonzales said.

:?: :?: :?: Personally? I don't know quite exactly how I think of THE PATRIOT ACT :huh: It is filled with "Law Enforcement Hat Tricks" that make me shutter when I think about their implications.

THE PATRIOT ACT is a BLANK CHECK for the GOVERNMENT to do whatever their little heart desires!

In our capitalistic society I wonder if $$$$$ (BIG Money) wouldn't somehow benifit from the new rules and criteria of it's enforcement :?:

Just my opinion........................Andrew Paul

;) Ok...........I think the "Patriot Act" is UN-PATRIOTIC!


Just my opinion....................Andrew Paul

I agree, Andrew. In Israel, everyone going into a mall is searched. Do we want that to happen here? Are we willing to give up our freedoms because of our fears? Personally, I'm not. I think some precautions make sense. I suppose what they do at the airports, while a royal pain in the butt, is justified. It's just too risky to be up in the sky, locked on a plane with one or more maniacs who want to use the plane to make a political statement. Although I have to say that the last time I flew (a little over a year ago), we went out of Newark Airport, and the security was a joke. Yes, we took off our shoes, but our bags were given the most cursory of inspections as they went through the x-ray machine. I did remember to take my Swiss Army knife out of my pocketbook and leave that at home, but I had nailclippers and nail scissors and tweezers in my suitcase. Deadly weapons? Nah. But aren't they on their list of contraband? Anyway, I think the Patriot Act is an infringement on our rights, and while I think some of it is justified, I believe it has gone too far.

We did a great job tracking terrorists and disrupting their plans between 1992 and 2001 without the PAtriot Act, why do we need it now? 52 FAA warnings, numerous warnings from foreign governments, the August P.D.B. These all seem like great examples of "tracking terrorists". As far as disrupting their plans go, maybe instead of passing a (70 page? 700 page? how long is this thing?) bill, maybe we should just do things like act on warnings. There's an idea, here's another suggestion for Ashcroft, maybe you should also heed warnings, instead of reacting to them with (paraphrase)"I don't want to hear about Al-Qaeda anymore". (that was mentioned in that Al Gore speech I refer to all the time).

In case anyone didn't know, the Patriot Act existed and was written before Sept.11th and was rammed through afterwards. The circumstances around this thing seem fishy, but I still have no idea about what it contains.

All of that UnPatriotic Act should be repealed but we can all bet that it will be renewed and Patriot II will be rammed through also.

We are all victims of the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."