mr. chairman , i rise in support of the amendment , but i do not believe it is a good enough cure to make this sick legislation well . 
i believe that most of what america needs to know about the patriot act is reflected in its deceptive title . 
its authors deliberately designed a name to question the patriotism of anyone who questions them . 
are you for patriotism , or are you against patriotism ? 
are you with america , or are you against america ? 
the american patriots who declared our independence in 1776 were true patriots who risked their lives in order to secure our liberties . 
true patriots defend liberty . 
real patriots do not surrender our freedom , unless there is absolutely no other way to protect our lives . 
patriots demand accountability , restraint , and judicial review of encroachments on the freedoms that make our country unique . 
while some portions of this proposed renewal of the patriot act strike the right balance , other provisions simply strike out . 
we must balance the demands of keeping our nation secure with the freedoms that we cherish . 
we must not sacrifice our democracy in a misguided attempt to save it . 
wrapping this collection of misguided policies under the rubric `` the patriot act '' is a true mark of how really weak the underlying arguments are for this measure . 
surely we can secure our families ' safety without becoming more like a police state , which would deny the freedoms that define us as americans . 
the dangerous road to government oppression begins one step at a time . 
it does not all happen at once . 
this bill , i believe , is a step in the wrong direction , a step in the direction of suppressing our freedoms . 
i believe that it is very important that we patriotically preserve our liberties and freedoms as americans by rejecting the measure in its current form . 
