Phil Gingrey: “I have no more speakers. Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I will close for our side. Madam Speaker, this bill overreaches.…”

“I have no more speakers. Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I will close for our side. Madam Speaker, this bill overreaches. It paves the way for abuse and is a potential threat to innocent, law-abiding citizens. We are not a police state, and what makes us different from so many others is our freedom and our respect for basic civil liberties and our respect for privacy. I understand the urge of some to embrace this legislation; but let me remind you that every time you chip away at our civil liberties, you give the terrorists a victory. You take away something that is essential to who we are as Americans. Let us adjust and enhance our laws accordingly, to give law enforcement officials what they need; but let us not give them more than what they need. This bill puts us on a dangerous path. There are over 150 provisions in this bill that are noncontroversial, that everybody agrees on, that will help track down terrorists and criminals; but there are a few provisions that so cross the line that they threaten our privacy and our civil liberties and do not make us safer. We can defend our country; we can protect our people without trashing the Constitution. With that, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”