Byron Dorgan: “let me conclude by saying, I understand the angst and the concern expressed by my colleague. After September 11, a day…”

“let me conclude by saying, I understand the angst and the concern expressed by my colleague. After September 11, a day that this country experienced a terrible, terrible tragedy--we have come together and we have worked together to try to protect our homeland. But there have also been, in this period, instances where we have gone overboard. We should not sacrifice privacy rights in the name of homeland security. We need to find an appropriate balance between the two. There is much we can do, and much we should do, and much we will do, in my judgment, to improve law enforcement capabilities, but we can do that without injuring the American people, without diminishing the right to privacy. I understand the point that the Senator from West Virginia makes. But my point is, if someone is creating an office with the expectation that Congress will amend the 1974 Privacy Act so that the Federal Government can track where you shopped, where you spent money, where you traveled, what airline you ride on, how much you owe, what kinds of grades you received--if someone thinks that the Congress is going to allow that to happen, that someone is sadly mistaken. I do not think Congress is going to allow that to happen. I am not going to allow that to happen.”