Now is the time to mail your U.S. representatives and senators a yellow sticky note that says, "Hey, remember to read that Patriot Act all the way through."
You could complement this with a nice little letter asking them not to renew it, should they find any of your civil rights are being violated.
They already are getting a push from President Bush to do the opposite. During the swearing in of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Bush made a point to urge Congress to renew the act, which has been widely criticized by civil liberties groups.
During his speech, the president pleasantly reminded Americans not to "allow the passage of time or illusion of safety to weaken our resolve in this new war" on terrorism. That's right, America, don't think for a second you are safe. The president has it under good authority - the same authority who thought there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - that the war on terror is still alive and kicking, poised to strike from the shadows.
Established in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the 342-page Patriot Act primarily increased the power given to law enforcement to investigate domestic terrorism. These powers, said to be vital to preventing "domestic terrorism," generally grant police the right to forego search warrants and secretly dive into people's personal lives, regardless of substantial evidence, in the name of security.
Regardless of where you stand on the act, the fact is it also has led to unjust detainment and interrogation of many Arab and South Asian immigrants for little or no reason. The government secretly held many of those detained for weeks or months, while barring the press from court hearings.
As the time draws closer to when a renewal of the act is being considered, it's due time to take a fine-toothed comb to it and tear it apart, page by page. Members of congress need to put on a pot of coffee, their spectacles red, white and blue boxer shorts and consider if all these safety provisions are worth compromising civil rights.
Shortly after Sept. 11, people's senses were stung. A survey conducted by the First Amendment Center, a group that works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms, found the nation evenly split when asked if they agree or disagree with the statement: "The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees." Congress quickly ratified the Patriot Act, with the fear of future attacks in mind.
If the survey is any gauge of social climate, the 2004 survey found that 65 percent of people disagreed with the aforementioned statement. People are calmer now (a good thing) and thinking more clearly. Perhaps, if Congress lets the "illusion of safety" linger for a moment, it might come up with a few questions to raise.
It's not that the act should be done away with entirely. As public opinion seems to hold, there are some good aspects of it. Let's just hope Congress takes the time, this time around, to figure out what those are.
