The Patriot Act

The Patriot Act
STRAIGHT TALK WITH SAM

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

In the weeks after September 11th, the United States Congress acted to give law enforcement the tools they needed to help make America safe. Many of the tools were simply giving our officers the same investigative tools they have for fighting organized crime or drug trafficking.

Those tools will expire in December unless Congress acts to renew them. I believe that we must aggressively pursue terrorists here in America. The Patriot Act is an integral tool in keeping our loved ones safe.

Among its provisions are rules that allow law enforcement to get one search warrant for anywhere a terrorist-related activity occurred, rather than multiple warrants from multiple jurisdictions. It also allows for computer hacking victims to monitor trespassers on their computer. Now hacking victims can seek law enforcement assistance to combat hackers, just as burglary victims have been able to invite officers into their homes to catch burglars.

In fact, the Federal Bureau of Investigation used the Patriot Act's provisions to help locate Bobbie Jo Stinnett's murderer. They were able to directly contact the Internet Service Provider and get her email traffic without delay. Having the ability to get the records immediately saved valuable time.

I also remain committed to protecting our civil liberties. Since there were no Constitutional Amendments in the Patriot Act, the law must strictly adhere to our Constitution. I have not seen any specific evidence of civil liberties being violated, but I will vigorously oppose any unconstitutional use of its provisions.

http://www.house.gov/graves/straighttalk/2005issue25.htm