Political Quotes

“the recent attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have permanently changed America. September 11, 2001, was the clarion call to arms in a new war against terrorism. Our law enforcement operatives will need new tools to fight this war, and Congress must respond. The world we live in since September 11 will require us to be more patient, to be more careful, and to tolerate more inconveniences. However, we must be careful not to trade our personal freedoms for the promise of security. Once we have sacrificed the civil liberties that our Nation was founded on, then and only then have we allowed terrorism to defeat us. I would like to commend the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and the other members of the committee for their dedication to crafting a bipartisan bill that will give law enforcement the tools it needs to fight a war on terrorism while still protecting the civil liberties of Americans. The bill was unanimously passed out of the Committee on the Judiciary and is a product of much deliberation and compromise. While not perfect, it achieves a difficult balance between providing law enforcement with the tools it needs to wage an effective war against terrorism and the protection of American's civil liberties.”