Concerns Over Patriot Act Grow
As the second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks approaches, the Bush administration's war on terror has produced a secondary battle: fierce struggles in Congress, the courts and communities such as these over how the war on terror should be carried out. At the heart of this debate is the USA Patriot Act, the law signed by President Bush 45 days after the terror strikes that enhanced the executive branch's powers to conduct surveillance, search for money-laundering, share intelligence with criminal prosecutors and charge suspected terrorists with crimes. As Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Bush administration continue to assert the necessity of the Patriot Act, and increasing number of individuals and organizations, including EPIC, are voicing concerns over the power the act bestows upon government and the secrecy in which it operates.
Fierce Fight Over Secrecy, Scope of Law
The Washington Post, September 7, 2003
