mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time .  mr. chairman , i strongly support the usa patriot act of 2005 .  the continued threat of a terrorist attack in the united states and this month 's terrorist attacks in london remind us of the need to prevent , investigate , and prosecute all terrorist acts .  the patriot act was a long-overdue measure that enhanced our ability to collect crucial intelligence information on the global terrorist network .  it passed by a margin of 98-1 in the senate and by a margin of 357-66 in the house .  even the american civil liberties union last april said , `` most of the voluminous patriot act is actually unobjectionable from a civil liberties point of view .  the law makes important changes that give law enforcement agents the tools they need to protect against terrorist attacks. '' many of the tools of the act provided to law enforcement officials have been used for decades to fight organized crime and drug dealers .  they have been reviewed and approved by the courts and found constitutional .  for instance , prior to the patriot act , the fbi could get a wiretap to investigate the mafia , but they could not get one to investigate terrorists .  well , what is good for the mob should be good for terrorists .  america is a safer country today than before september 11 because of the patriot act .  giving the department of justice , the central intelligence agency , and the fbi information-sharing powers enabled law enforcement officials to disrupt terrorist cells in new york , oregon , florida , and virginia .  since september 11 , 2001 , over 200 people charged with crimes stemming from international terrorist investigations have been convicted or have pled guilty .  the patriot act helped also investigate and apprehend an individual who in texas threatened to attack a mosque .  mr. chairman , our success in preventing another attack on the american homeland would have been much less likely without the patriot act .  law enforcement and intelligence agencies must continue to have the powers they need to protect all americans .  