The Patriot Act passed a mere 45 days after the September 11 attacks with virtually no debate or discussion. Now, thanks to this legislation and other White House actions, the government can conduct secret ""sneak and peek"" searches of your home without immediately notifying you, can get a list of the books you have obtained from your local bookstore and require your bookseller to keep this hidden from you, can keep a file on which churches you attend and the medications you use -- even if these activities have nothing to do with the fight against terrorism.
In response to this vast overreach in government powers, several Members of Congress will soon introduce bipartisan legislation to fix problems in the Patriot Act without weakening any of the new authority it provided to fight terrorism.
This legislation -- the Security and Freedom Enhancement (SAFE) Act -- is being introduced this week by Senators Larry Craig (R-ID), John Sununu (R-NH) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). It would surgically add key checks and balances, like court review, on some of the Patriot Act provisions most prone to abuse.
Take Action! Urge your Members of Congress to support corrections to the USA Patriot Act and other domestic surveillance powers. Congress must act to ensure government powers adhere to the Bill of Rights.
The Patriot Act broadly expanded government access to secret search warrants. This allows law enforcement agents to break into your home or business, root around, seize property and delay telling you for an indefinite period. The new SAFE Act would allow these warrants, but ensure that they are only used when notice of the search would endanger somebody's health, cause the destruction of evidence, invite witness tampering or result in somebody fleeing prosecution.
The SAFE Act would stop the Patriot Act's infringement on free speech. The Patriot Act created a new and overly expansive definition of ""domestic terrorism"" that could apply to certain protesters, including abortion demonstrators or anti-war protesters. The government should not be able to label protesters as ""terrorists"" without proper justification. The SAFE Act would link this power to specific terrorism crimes to reduce that risk.
In 2003, for the first time in history, the American government used more secret intelligence wiretaps-which come with fewer checks against abuse-than criminal wiretaps. To combat this trend toward secret eavesdropping and spying, the SAFE Act would include new reporting requirements. This is critical to ensuring that the government does not abuse its counter-terrorism powers.
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