Richard Gephardt: “terrorism is the scourge of the modern world, and we must do everything in our power to deter and punish those who would…”

“terrorism is the scourge of the modern world, and we must do everything in our power to deter and punish those who would commit such heinous acts. Our efforts in Congress must include support for all federal agencies and foreign allies who are engaged in the fight against terrorist and their protectors. And we must continuously seek to improve the laws that enable our democracy to effectively counter the threat of terrorism and preserve our freedom. In 1996, Congress enacted the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act in an attempt to further combat terrorism against the United States. It also contained provisions that were intended to balance legitimate national security interests with our desire--and responsibility--to protect individual liberties. Since the enactment of this legislation, it has become evident that the provisions of law designed to protect individual rights in such matters have not been implemented properly. Our government's use of ``secret evidence'' authorities to detain the accused has caused many civil rights advocates to question the constitutionality of these practices and to urge for reform. The questions raised about the current application of secret evidence statutes have been validated recently by four federal courts, which have all ruled the practice unconstitutional.”