Thomas Daschle: “since the terrible bombing in Oklahoma City more than 2 weeks ago, we have been forced to consider what the society…”

“since the terrible bombing in Oklahoma City more than 2 weeks ago, we have been forced to consider what the society should do in self-defense against potentially deadly maniacs who think that killing defenseless people is a way to send a political message or effect political change. This is an enduring challenge for a democracy. We have faced it before. There is no easy answer. We cannot afford to give the terrorists what they want to achieve-- the subversion of our free institutions--in the effort to prevent their terrorist acts. But we cannot remain complacent in the face of determined threats either. The President has sent to Congress his proposal to give Federal law enforcement additional resources and tools to use in combating domestic and international terrorism on American soil. It includes commonsense expansion of FBI investigative authorities in counterterrorism cases, such as access to credit reports and travel and hotel records, which are routinely available to State and local law enforcement authorities in criminal investigations.”