The USA Patriot Act needs scaling back, not the expansion proposed by the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Congress overwhelmingly approved the USA Patriot Act just six weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as a way to do something — anything — to fight terrorism. The law broadened federal investigators' ability to troll through private business records or search the property of Americans.
But 16 provisions are subject to expiration Dec. 31, triggering a new round of debate about the law. The act has done some good, such as breaking down walls between investigating agencies and matching investigative tools to modern technology.
But several new investigative powers are overreaching and should be changed to allay valid civil-liberty concerns. Sens. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Richard Durbin, D-Ill., proposed the Security and Freedom Enhancement Act (SAFE) to do just that
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