Political Quotes

“This afternoon, the House will debate the extension of the Patriot Act. I have here a report from the latimes.com that says that FBI intelligence investigations have compromised the civil liberties of American citizens far more frequently and to a greater extent than was previously assumed. The report goes on to say that, in 2007, the Justice Department's Inspector General told Congress the FBI may have violated the law or government policy as many as 3,000 times since 2003 in the course of secretly collecting telephone, bank and credit card records without warrants--instead, using so-called ``national security'' letters that give them the ability to demand this kind of information and get it. The Patriot Act is a destructive undermining of the Constitution. We started this Congress off with a discussion about reading the Constitution. Many of us carry Constitutions with us in our pockets. How about today we take a stand for the Constitution to say that all Americans should be free from unreasonable searches and seizures and to make certain that the attempt to reauthorize the Patriot Act is beaten down. It is time that we really remember the essence of what that motto ``don't tread on me'' means. It means you protect your liberties; you stand for freedom. ____________________”