Jerry Nadler: “Mr. Speaker, this is a very dangerous time we are in today. It is dangerous for two reasons: our country is at war, and…”

“Mr. Speaker, this is a very dangerous time we are in today. It is dangerous for two reasons: our country is at war, and we face danger from enemy action. We also face danger from our own action. The history of this country is that in most of our wars in this century, we have taken actions against our liberties that we have regretted and apologized for later. I refer to the Espionage Act of 1917, which no one will today defend, the Japanese internment of World War II, the COINTELPRO operations of Vietnam, and today we are asked to buy a pig in a poke. Why a pig in a poke? A 187-page bill, hot off the press, that we have not had a chance to read or analyze. I am a member of the Committee on the Judiciary. I voted for a terrorism bill with strong provisions that I thought was balanced and reasonable and protective of civil liberties, as well as giving the Government the tools it needs to deal with terrorism. But, no, that bill does not come up. Why did it not come up? We are told we have to vote on this bill right away. We cannot wait until next Tuesday. We ought to wait until Tuesday.”