Patriot Act And Beyond

Is the U.S. Patriot Act an invaluable tool in the fight against terrorism or is it a serious encroachment on the civil liberties of law-abiding Americans?

Or is it both?

Passed in the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Patriot Act authorizes so-called “roving wiretaps” and allows law enforcement greater subpoena power for e-mail records, among other things.

An understandable response at the time, the Act was seen as a necessary and important component of the fight against terrorism.

But what seemed necessary then now seems to some to be an overreaction — an assault on civil liberties that undermines the fabric of what our country stands for. The ACLU has filed suit against the act, and more than 100 cities have passed measures ranging from condemning the Patriot Act to fining local officials who cooperate with federal agencies on investigations or arrests as a result of the law’s powers.

Disagreement isn’t always a bad thing. Maybe it’s time we had a broad-ranging national discussion on exactly where to draw the line between civil liberties and the fight against terrorism.

It could be we made some decisions in a hurry that, with the luxury of hindsight, we realize now should have incorporated more discussion and public debate. That’s how we decide things in our free political system — and something we can’t let the terrorists take away.