Jay Rockefeller: “We live in a time in which we can never feel completely safe. There are terrorists throughout the world and here at home…”

“We live in a time in which we can never feel completely safe. There are terrorists throughout the world and here at home who have sworn to kill Americans. That is what they are trained to do. That is what they want to do. That is what they plan to do. We fight a war knowing that it may increase the terrorist threat against us. We buy duct tape and plastic sheeting. We plan escape routes for our families. We make decisions about whether to go to public events or ride a subway, or do all kinds of things. Does it change our lives or not? We are not even sure of that yet. In times such as this, we in Congress have a special responsibility. We must be vigilant in our lawmaking and our oversight to make certain that the executive branch, our intelligence, and law enforcement agencies have all the legitimate tools to do their jobs in an efficient and effective way. But our responsibility does not end there. Our challenge is to write laws that strengthen our security without undermining privacy and liberty.”