Rick Lazio: “although I rise today in support of this bill, I must admit to experiencing, as Yogi Bera once put it, deja vu all over…”

“although I rise today in support of this bill, I must admit to experiencing, as Yogi Bera once put it, deja vu all over again. This past spring we passed and the President signed a compromise antiterrorism bill which I supported. There were several provisions that were removed from that legislation that I would have preferred remain, and I am disappointed that they are not included in this bill today. Rather, the proposal we are considering today only goes part of the way in providing law enforcement the tools they need to combat this threat of terrorism. The expanded law enforcement provisions that were originally reported out of the Judiciary Committee, which are not being considered here today, are not inconsistent with our constitutional protections. Instead, they are a measured response to a specific and increasing threat. The truth is that as terrorists are becoming more sophisticated, there are some of my colleagues who believe we should unilaterally disarm ourselves, rather than improve our antiterrorism capabilities. Providing physical security is, as it should be, the first order of business of any government. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution states that the foundational reason the Federal Government formed is to establish justice and insure domestic tranquility. Congress has in the past provided law enforcement additional tools in order to meet specific threats when conventional methods were insufficient, within constitutional limitations.”