Many Utahns are concerned-and rightfully so-about the PATRIOT
Act and its effect on the civil liberties of Americans.
Many of these concerns have been addressed to me directly
as a Member of Congress, so many that I think it is worth
making an effort to sort out charges and counter-charges
and reach an understanding about how we got to where we
are, and where we want to go from here.
In the wake of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on the World
Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the foiled attack on the
Capitol Building, I was one of the substantial majority
in Congress that voted to pass the Uniting and Strengthening
America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept
and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. I assure you that I
voted after much deliberation, and that it was a very hard
decision at the time.
Many have charged that Congress could not have read the
bill before passing it. Perhaps not all of my colleagues
had the opportunity to do so, but I did read the entire
bill several times, and was only able to justify support
after obtaining "sunset" provisions in several
key sections. That means that these provisions-the ones
I am most concerned about-will expire at the end of 2005
unless they are explicitly re-passed by Congress and signed
by the president. I am currently examining possible legislation
that would address tightening these sunset provisions so
that we may help protect Americans' civil liberties.
Legislation has now been introduced to remove the sunset
clauses, but I believe that that legislation will not pass-and
that it should not pass-and that those troublesome powers
temporarily delegated to the federal government should disappear,
unless Congress and the American people make a mature decision
to continue them, perhaps with modifications.
From this page on my website, you can access a lot of information
about the Patriot Act. For example, if you would like to
read the actual Act itself, CLICK
HERE.
Most of you will not want to wade through the technical
legislative language, so CLICK
HERE for a section-by-section analysis of
the Act in plain English, prepared by the Congressional
Research Service of the Library of Congress.
You can visit the Department of Justice's new website www.lifeandliberty.gov,
which was launched to educate Americans about how we are
preserving life and liberty by using the USA PATRIOT Act.
Many criticisms have been made of the theory and practice
of the Act. And of course the Act has its defenders. CLICK
HERE for a list of links to critics
and defendersfrom the Right and Left.
There is a lot to dislike about the PATRIOT Act, and it
is unlikely that we will all ever agree on how necessary
it is, even in the face of unprecedented terrorist attacks
on American civilians, and the continuing threat of more
such attacks-or even worse ones. But I think it is important
that we understand one another, and I hope that this page
will act as a step to mutual understanding.
And in that regard, you should have an opportunity to make
your own views known. So if you would like to ask a question
about a specific aspect of the Patriot Act, or if you have
read something in the papers about its operation, and you
are curious about it, CLICK
HERE to be taken to a Comment Page.
Whatever your views of the Act itself, I hope you will
realize that Congress was trying, in its often inept way,
to "provide for the common defense," as commanded
by the Constitution. We are horrified by the death of thousands
of our fellow citizens, and determined that it will not
happen again.