In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, the Bush administration submitted anti-terrorism legislation to Congress. Titled the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001" (with the catchy moniker "USA PATRIOT Act") it became Public Law 107-56 on October 26th. The USA PATRIOT Act contains a plethora of provisions to expedite law enforcement. Some of these changes eliminate loopholes or update existing laws to catch up with modern technology. Many grant the Justice Department powers that Congress had previously refused, but now passed due to the urgency of September 11th. Instead of invoking fear in the hearts of terrorists, this anti-terrorism legislation is terrorizing civil liberties advocates across the country. This act was written in such a way that it can be used against any criminal actions, and against any citizen. The "Patriot Act," undermined due process and free speech by expanding eavesdropping and surveillance; legitimizing random looks at e-mail and other personal computer data; allowing the freezing of bank assets and monitoring of bank transactions; authorizing the indefinite and unspecified detention of citizens; and allowing warrantless searches of homes. Certain provisions of the bill - the ones that allow police to conduct warrantless Internet surveillance, allow police to share the contents of wiretaps or Internet surveillance with the National Security Agency, CIA and other agencies, making it easier for prosecutors to seek search warrants for electronic evidence and allowing the FBI to learn what books a patron has read and what Web sites he or she visited, while instituting a gag order preventing the person who received the order to reveal that it exists - are set to “sunset” (expire) on Dec. 31, 2005, less than two weeks before the end of President Bush's first term. Enter U.S. Senate Bill 2476: An Act to amend the USA PATRIOT ACT to repeal the sunsets. (Section 224 of the Patriot Act) Did you just feel a chill as you read those words? After seeing what the Patriot Act has done, after seeing its power expand, after three years of living in paranoia, have you formed an opinion? There are many Americans (including myself) who would respond with the common argument: “Well, you shouldn’t mind if you have nothing to hide”. After watching the events of September 11th unfold, none but the most callous or truly evil of us could have wanted less than a swift response and retribution. Hindsight has shown me what Senator Russ Feingold had tried to: If we rush ahead with legislation, throwing caution and rational debate out the window, we will come to regret these decisions. The lone resistance in the Senate came from Senator Feingold who proposed three amendments that would limit the new surveillance powers enacted by the bill. All three amendments were flatly rejected. Senator Orrin Hatch called Feingold’s amendments outdated. (I guess a reasonable expectation of privacy is now an outdated concept in America.) Now, with the American public's eyes trained on the war, this proposal to repeal the "sunset" clause and make the expanded powers permanent will undoubtedly escape the scrutiny of most, (as planned, in my suspicious, humble opinion). This is an affront to our Bill of Rights, the international ideal of liberty for 215 years. It’s a stretch to think that Benjamin Franklin could have foreseen these current events, yet his uncanny prescience admonishes us: “Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Please, just say no to Congress. Letter to Oppose the Repeal | 