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The Justice Department's inspector general revealed on March 9 that the FBI has been systematically abusing one of the most controversial provisions of the USA Patriot Act: the expanded power to issue "national security letters." It no doubt surprised most Americans to learn that between 2003 and 2005 the FBI issued more than 140,000 specific demands under this provision -- demands issued without a showing of probable cause or prior judicial approval -- to obtain potentially sensitive information about U.S. citizens and residents. It did not, however, come as any surprise to me. Three years ago, I received a national...

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the USA PATRIOT Act - a textbook example of how the United States federal government expands its power. The American public largely accepts the USA PATRIOT Act as a part of civic life as immutable, perhaps even more so than the Bill of Rights. However, this act – passed in the dead of night, with little to no oversight, in a panic after the biggest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor – is not only novel, it is also fundamentally opposed to virtually every principle on which the United States of America was founded....

Rand Paul is filibustering the Patriot Act right now, because it continues the unlimited NSA spying on all Americans.

>PATRICK J. FITZGERALDUNITED STATES ATTORNEYNORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOISPREPARED REMARKS FOR THESUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, AND HOMELAND SECURITYCOMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARYU.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESAPRIL 28, 2005INTRODUCTIONMr. Chairman, members of the Committee, thank you for asking me here today. I verymuch look forward to this opportunity to discuss with you how the efforts of the United StatesAttorney’s Offices in the investigation and prosecution of terrorists have changed since thepassage of the USA PATRIOT Act (“Patriot Act”) and, in particular, section 218 of the PatriotAct which helped to dismantle what was formerly known as “the wall” between intelligence andlaw enforcement.I will state up...

And to think they told us the War on Terror was over.With news that the National Security Agency is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of us through one of America’s largest telecoms providers, Republicans have a chance to dramatically recast themselves in the debate over state surveillance and privacy.An order requires Verizon on an “ongoing, daily basis” to hand over information on all telephone calls in its systems to the NSA — both domestically and between the United States and other nations. A White House official has already defended the actions: “On its face, the order reprinted...

Why do Democrats in Congress want to change key laws that have helped to discover terrorist plots? One would think that the arrests of Najibullah Zazi...and of two others charged with planning to blow up buildings in Dallas, Texas, and Springfield, Ill.—would generate support for the intelligence-gathering tools that protect this country from Muslim fanatics. In Mr. Zazi's case, the government has already confirmed the value of these tools: It has filed a notice of its intent to use information gathered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was specifically written to help combat terrorists and spies. Nevertheless, there is...

Pardons for this vanity, but I thought this would be the best place to ask for help. I will be doing an essay on the Patriot Act for school. I chose the topic and need to do research, get many sources, present both sides, and make a convincing argument for my side (pro). No, I'm not asking anyone to do this for me. But if you have any sources, advice, anything, it'd be much appreciated. The paper itself is not due till the middle of April, but I want to get started in plenty of time and we have various...

With the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act by Congress this past March, local libraries find themselves again confronted with having to balance the public’s privacy rights with the potential practice by federal authorities of section 215 of the anti-terrorism bill. Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, allows the FBI to obtain any tangible things such as records or books, and other relevant material, from any entity without having to show probable cause that the person whose records it seeks is engaged in criminal activity. Additionally, those served with Section 215 orders to turn over any relevant material are...

The USA PATRIOT Act and Finance: The Hidden Threat source: http://www.fee.org/in_brief/default.asp?id=289 . February 22, 2006 by Gary D. Barnett Gary Barnett is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Missoula, Montana. After 18 years in the investment business, a time I might add that has been rewarding in many ways, I am now truly questioning whether I should stay in this profession. It just isn't any fun anymore. When it actually stopped being fun is hard to pinpoint, but why it stopped is not. Although we in this industry have always been regulated, or shall I say controlled, by Big...

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted to end a filibuster and moved closer to renewal of the USA Patriot Act. Senators voted 96-3 Thursday to stop debate regarding a compromise on the Patriot Act. All three of the senators who voted to keep debate going were Democrats ... Some aspects of the act were to expire at the end of 2005 but the White House sought to make the bill permanent. Congress gave the act short extensions, the most recent of which will end March 10.

Harlingen, Texas, January 26, 2006: Seldom does a week pass in the USA without another media report about the American Civil Liberties Union filing suit against the government. It is forever filing action against some municipality displaying what the accuser deems an unacceptable symbol or a claimed unconstitutional position. Even yesterday, the New York Times reported that the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit “seeking to strike down a clause of the USA Patriot Act that bans foreigners who endorse terrorist activity from traveling in this country.” Yesterday CNSNews.com and most major media outlets also reported on an ACLU intervention in...

Contact: Tracey Schmitt 202-863-8614  WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee today unveiled a new television advertisement targeting the Harry Reid-led Democrat obstruction of the PATRIOT Act. The advertisement, entitled “The PATRIOT Act: Connecting The Dots,” will begin airing on national cable and local Las Vegas television stations this weekend. The ad will also be emailed to Republican grassroots supporters and is available for viewing now at www.GOP.com Republican National Committee:60 Advertisement“The PATRIOT Act: Connecting The Dots”  VIDEO AUDIO  Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)December 16, 2005When Law Enforcement And Intelligence Agencies Cannot Communicate9/11/01Our Security Is ThreatenedThe PATRIOT Act Connects The Dots“It’s Important We...

Op-Ed Contributor YESTERDAY the Senate failed to reauthorize the USA Patriot Act, as a Democratic-led filibuster prevented a vote. This action - which leaves the act, key elements of which are due to expire on Dec. 31, in limbo - represents a grave potential threat to the nation's security. I support the extension of the Patriot Act for one simple reason: Americans must use every legal and constitutional tool in their arsenal to fight terrorism and protect their lives and liberties. The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, made clear that the old rules no longer work. The terrorists who attacked...

The Christian Defense Coalition Director says in many cases "national security" has become more important than protecting the First Amendment and civil liberties. Coalition especially concerned about the Patriot Act defining terrorism as "... .to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion." Those definitions are so broad it is an open invitation for the government to harass and attack any groups who use public demonstrations or peaceful civil disobedience to "influence" government policy. Organization cites the improper use of the federal RICO laws against non-violent pro-life activists as a clear example of how the Patriot Act could...

On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists inspired by hatred murdered nearly 3,000 innocent Americans. In response, Congress overwhelmingly passed the USA Patriot Act. Now, before it adjourns for the year, Congress must act again to reauthorize this critical piece of legislation. Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are at work: Their stated goal is to kill Americans, cripple our economy and demoralize our people. The bill to be considered this week is a good one. It equips law enforcement with the tools needed to fight terrorists, and it also includes new civil liberties protections. Members of Congress should put aside the...

THIS WEEK, Congress considers legislation extending the implementation of the U.S.A. Patriot Act. Understandably, the debate surrounding the bill is fraught with emotion.At issue, however, is whether the proposed changes take appropriate steps to protect the civil liberties of innocent Americans. I believe they do not. Given the importance of these individual freedoms, I cannot support the bill in its current form.Ultimately, this debate is about police powers — powers granted by the people to government — and the balance we strike between these forceful tools and the rights of individuals.Provisions written into the Constitution and in laws are designed...

March 24, 2005 -- A New Jersey man accused of pointing a laser at an airplane, temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot, was indicted yesterday under an anti-terror law. David Banach also was accused of lying to the FBI about the Dec. 29 incident, in which a small passenger jet's windshield and cabin were hit three times by a green laser as the plane readied to land at Teterboro Airport. The charges in the three-count federal indictment were similar to those filed against Banach in a complaint by the FBI in January. The indictment, handed up by a grand jury...

The American Civil Liberties Union has been spinning its victory in a federal court in New York this week as a blow against the USA Patriot Act. One typical headline: "Federal Judge Calls Patriot Act Secret Searches Unconstitutional." An ACLU press release hails the decision as "a landmark victory against the Ashcroft Justice Department." ...No. If reporters had bothered to read Judge Victor Marrero's decision, they would have learned that the law he actually struck down was a provision of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. Section 2709 authorizes the FBI to issue "National Security Letters" to obtain information...

Washington-Congress has no plans this year to give an early renewal of key parts of the controversial USA Patriot Act. But the lawmakers could be thrust into another battle over the boundaries of executive power in the war on terrorism depending on the outcome of three cases in the U.S. Supreme Court this month. The Patriot Act contains a sunset clause that would terminate new or expanded law enforcement/intelligence powers in 14 provisions of the law as of Dec. 31, 2005. Despite the Bush administration's call to make those provisions permanent and to do it quickly, lawmakers are unlikely to...

VIRGINIA TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION P. O. BOX 663 LYNCHBURG, VA 24505 - 30 years in the cause of freedom - FROM: Kenneth White, President (Residence) 93 Shields Gap Rd. Roseland, VA 22967 Tel./FAX No.: 434 277-5255 E-mail: KWhite9472@aol.com -------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7/23/03 --------------------------------------------------- TAXPAYERS SAY ASHCROFT KO'd ON PATRIOT ACT The Virginia Taxpayers Association said today "the stunning 309-118 House vote Tuesday passing an appropriations amendment stripping the USA Patriot Act of one of its most tyrannical provisions was a sharp rebuke to Attorney General John Ashcroft." The House voted to strike a section of the act allowing government agents...