mr. chairman , i rise in strong opposition to the patriot and terrorism prevention reauthorization bill . 
this bill tramples on the bill of rights in the name of patriotism . 
to be patriotic means to be loyal and devoted to one 's country . 
as thomas paine once said , `` it is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from his government. '' we are all patriots today in the finest sense of the word , but just because some of us want to ensure that congress retains its legislative oversight over these draconian provisions , some will call us unpatriotic . 
to quote thomas jefferson , `` dissent is the highest form of patriotism '' . 
while not one of us in the chamber takes lightly our oath to protect and defend the united states , the permanent extension of the patriot act , as the expense of our civil liberties , will not in and of itself make our country safer . 
i voted against the original patriot act that was hastily passed in october 2001 . 
the same concerns regarding the abuse of power still exist . 
with such broad , sweeping provisions as roving wire taps and sneak and peek searches , congress must retain its ability to exercise legislative oversight to ensure the civil liberties of the people are upheld . 
the provisions of the misnamed patriot act should be reauthorized periodically , not made permanent . 
this administration consistently hides behind the fear of terrorism to achieve their legislative agenda . 
in this case , they are trying to convince the american people that giving up their civil liberties is necessary to combat terrorism . 
my constituents remain unconvinced . 
in my district , the local governments of pacific grove , salinas , santa cruz , and watsonville , california have all passed resolutions expressing their concerns with the anti-privacy and anti-liberty portions of the patriot act . 
mr. chairman , homeland security means protecting the civil rights of americans . 
