The Patriot Act renews

Everyone remembers the awful imagery of that fateful day, September 11, 2001. Four years later, it still sends chills up the spine. Suddenly the US was at war with a new enemy, a villain much different than we'd faced before. An enemy without a nation.

To help us fight this new type of war, Congress passed the Patriot Act, legistlation that broadened law enforcement abilities and dramatically reformed the ways we could legally gather intelligence. A sweeping reform of the "way we do business" when fighting terrorism, but also unfortunately, giving the government more authority to act as Big Brother. As a guarantee our civil rights would be protected, and as insurance that nothing was passed as a frightened knee-jerk reaction in an time of incredible duress, the Patriot Act was set to expire at the end of 2005.

Yesterday the Senate approved extending the Act for another six months.

The Fourth Amendment states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Among other things, The Patriot Act, in a rather un-Patriotic way, allows the following:

1. This law provides for indefinite imprisonment without trial of non-U.S. citizens whom the politically appointed Attorney General determines to be a threat to national security. Note that at least two U.S. citizens, Yaser Hamdi and Jose Padilla, have been designated as "enemy combatants" and imprisoned without trial - so don't say it won't come back to haunt citizens.

2. The government is not required to provide detainees with counsel, nor is it required to make any announcement or statement regarding the arrest.

3. Law enforcement agencies are now allowed to obtain a warrant and search a residence without immediately informing the occupants, if the Attorney General has determined this to be an issue of national security.

4. Intelligence gathering is now allowed at religious events.

And now Congress has extended the Act. For some reason, I don't feel a lot safer.

I guess Big Brother looks a lot like Uncle Sam.