Lynn C. Woolsey: “in a difficult week, well, weeks, following September 11th, Congress passed the U.S. PATRIOT Act in an effort to comfort…”

“in a difficult week, well, weeks, following September 11th, Congress passed the U.S. PATRIOT Act in an effort to comfort and protect a shocked and grieving Nation. Yet even in the face of all that, Congress found 16 of the PATRIOT Act's provisions to be so egregious and far-reaching that they were not made permanent, and were slated to expire within 4 years. Yet somehow, here we are, in the midst of having learned that our President has authorized the NSA to spy on Americans without a warrant, still debating if it is a good idea to further compromise our privacy, and make permanent some of the PATRIOT Act's worse provisions, such as roving wiretaps and expanded access to personal information like medical, library, financial records. Threats to our civil liberties and freedoms are mounting, an open- ended war, a President copping a ``I can because I say I can'' attitude, and a dangerous view of what executive powers are bestowed on our President in the U.S. Constitution. We cannot continue on this slippery slope. As the elected leaders this country, we must vote to protect Americans from dangerous infringements of civil rights and liberties. That is why I encourage my colleagues to oppose extending the PATRIOT Act today.”