Political Quotes

“I rise tonight to offer an amendment on a very important issue, namely, the government's authority under section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act to access library circulation records, library patron lists, library Internet records, book seller sales records, or book seller customer lists. Specifically, this amendment bars the State Department from providing support for an application under section 215 to get library and book seller records. Mr. Chairman, in the United States today, there is a great concern about terrorism. All of us are concerned about terrorism. Our country suffered a dastardly and horribly destructive attack on September 11, 2001; and every Member of this body is determined to do all that we can to fight terrorism and to apprehend those people who are at war against our country. But many of us believe that that fight against terrorism must be waged in a way that does not undermine the basic constitutional rights and protections that have made us a great and free country. The very good news that I bring to my colleagues tonight is that all across the United States, more and more citizens, including thousands of librarians and book sellers, are speaking out against the extremely antidemocratic elements of the USA PATRIOT Act legislation that was hastily passed in the wake of the September 11 attack.”