Political Quotes

“the threat of terrorism is an unfortunate fact of life today, and it is not going to go away any time soon. Protecting American citizens against this threat will continue to be an essential and urgent task for the foreseeable future. However, I do not believe that fighting terrorism aggressively requires tossing civil liberties protections into the scrap heap. This is not an ``either or'' choice. This country's tradition of high standards of civil rights and civil liberties should not and need not become the first casualty of the war on terrorism. I have made this point repeatedly in the time since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Still, all too often, we have seen well-meaning government agencies take the approach of designing a security system or program first, and worrying about the civil liberties and privacy implications later. I am convinced that the approach of making civil liberties an afterthought doesn't work and isn't acceptable. Civil liberties and privacy considerations need to be built into the DNA of the Homeland Security Department and its various programs. The legislation that created the Homeland Security Department included some very positive steps in that regard, by creating an Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and a Privacy Officer. Today, I am joining Senator Collins in introducing new legislation to flesh out the role and stature of these key offices within the Department.”