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John Spencer on Homeland Security |
The government is seeking to ensure the lives and safety of all Americans, including our peace of mind. Why must you prey on the radical fears of extreme civil libertarians whose mistrust of public institutions and authority has too often been accompanied with a counter-productive level of anarchy? Rather than take the NSA and FBI to task for doing too much, why not praise them for finally doing enough?
You described Congress as proceeding in "haste". Does this mean you regret voting for the original Patriot Act?
I believe the USA Patriot Act ensures that Americans will be both "safe and free" during the war on terror. Your failure to articulate support for those wiretapping provisions presently being utilized -- effectively -- by the National Security Agency (NSA) is your way of playing politics with national security.
You described the USA Patriot Act as a "risk" to our "Constitutionally guaranteed rights and liberties". What's more of a risk, violent terrorist acts or a necessary/temporary sacrifice during this war on terror?
The Patriot Act already included "four year sunset" provisions. Can you please explain to me why you feel the need to re-vote on this law every six months? You also wanted to delay re-passage of this law by three months. That's the equivalent of a three month filibuster, one where you would have spoken out of both sides of your mouth to millions every day to every news outlet -- all in preparation for 2008.