From the conclusion of the Senate Investigative Committee entitled
"
Senate Panel Examines Administration’s Use Of USA PATRIOT Act And Erosion Of Civil Liberties"
Quote:
The Administration has attempted to defend its unprecedented levels of secrecy and unaccountability by repeatedly citing 9/11 and terrorism. But their own actions threaten to erode the very liberty and democracy that the terrorists are attacking.
The civil liberties entrusted to each generation of Americans are ours to defend, but they belong not only to us but to every generation that follows. We are benefactors of the freedoms we have inherited, but we are also their stewards. Our children and grandchildren will look back to see whether we were diligent when we were tested, or whether we were silent. Others around the world, including, right now, the people of Iraq, will also take note of how vigilant we are in defending the freedoms of our own democracy.
Our civil liberties were hard won, but they are easy to lose. And once we give them away, they are difficult to reclaim. Benjamin Franklin said those who would trade their freedom for security deserve neither.
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http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200311/111803.html