". . . when Americans wake up on January 1, we will not be as safe."

Transcript of Attorney General Gonzales, DHS Sec. Chertoff Press Briefing on Need for Senate to Reauthorize USA PATRIOT Act
12/21/2005

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=58545

Attorney General Gonzales:

"There are critics, some critics of the Patriot Act who say this is about civil liberties. They present a false choice to the American people. This is not a choice between civil liberties and the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act includes many protections for liberties, and that's why the Department of Justice has been outstanding these past four years. The conference bill includes 30 additional safeguards of civil liberties. If you look at what some people consider the most controversial provisions, section 215, business records provision, and national security letters, under the conference bill it is now clear that you can consult an attorney when you receive one of these orders, or letters. It is now clear that you can challenge these in court. It is now clear the Department of Justice has to make a public disclosure of the use of these authorities. It is now clear that the Inspector General of the Department of Justice is going to be auditing the way that these authorities are used. But this is not enough for some of the critics.

Their fear of abuse is so great that they want to impose additional burdens on these authorities. Burdens that are so great that it will in essence make them meaningless, useless, for the law enforcement community, even though these tools have been effective, and even though these tools have been used in a way that is protective of civil liberties. If the impasse continues, when Americans wake up on January 1, we will not be as safe. This may not be evident those first few weeks, or even the first few months, but we will not be as safe because we are facing an enemy, as the President reminded us this morning, that's very patient, and very diabolical. And so that is what is at stake in the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, and that is why the Senate needs to act to reauthorize the Patriot Act and vote on the conference bill. As the President said, the house has left town. We do not have the opportunity for an extension. The options are to either let the Patriot Act expire or to vote to allow the reauthorization of these provisions."


Gonzales just spent two days telling all who would listen that the congressional authorization for war gave the president the authority to bypass the laws with respect to detention and wiretaps. In effect, the president would have the authority to bypass any law that hindered him from fighting his 'war on terror'.

The obvious result of that reasoning is that the terror war would go on indefinitely, without end, leaving the authority to ignore legislation passed by Congress in the hands of future presidents for centuries to come, so long as they declared that the terror war continued. By that reasoning, since the president delegates everything, all of his surrogates, operatives, agencies, and agents would be free to ignore the law while claiming to be in pursuit of the 'enemy'.

This entire Patriot Act fear campaign by the White House is nothing more than an attempt to deflect from the criminal sidestepping of the FISA court, and a ploy to foist responsibility for Bush's failed terror war onto Democrats. If we do get attacked, the first thing out of the White House would be a mealy-mouthed excuse about tied hands. But, in the face of their indifference to congressional restrictions and established constitutional principles and law, it should seem incredulous that anything Congress did stopped them from doing what they wanted to anyway.

some nights and worry about when the next attack will occur', to paraphrase it?

These morons have to know that none of us buy this nonsense anymore.

And, I am loving all of the callers on CSPAN who mention the fact that illegals continue to pour over our borders. How much longer can * co. cont to think that the sheeples feel safer??

and lie awake at night wondering if there is a dog.

It does say something about how safe we are NOW with the Patriot Act in place if the DHS Secretary lies awake at night worrying. If we aren't safe with it, how less safe will we really be without it?

for the inevitable terror attack.

Shameless.

jingoistic appeals to patriotism