mr. speaker , the patriot act was passed in october 2001 in response to the horrendous terrorist attacks on our country .  its aim was to give the women and men of our law enforcement community the authority and tools needed to prevent future attacks and save and secure the lives of american citizens .  there is no question , mr. speaker , that many of the provisions of the patriot act have been useful to law enforcement and have helped to prevent terrorist attacks and secure our nation .  but we must also be vigilantly aware that some of the provisions of the patriot act have the potential to be abused and violate the civil liberties of innocent american citizens , the same citizens it is meant to protect .  congress understood this when it passed the patriot act and required that 16 provisions of the act be made to sunset , forcing us to revisit them .  i am very proud to be standing here today with the opportunity to debate the fine balance that must be struck between security and civil liberties .  the acts of september 11 were not the only events in our history where our nation 's leaders were asked to strike this balance .  during world war ii , under the banner of security , the civil liberties of 120 , 000 japanese americans vanished .  i clearly know how deeply this affected my parents , both american citizens born and raised in this country .  mr. speaker , once again we are in a time of crisis .  i implore all of us to proceed with caution .  it is this type of bill , one that affects the most cherished rights we have as americans , that requires constant and vigilant oversight by congress .  that is our duty .  the surest way to ensure this oversight is to place sunsets on those provisions of the legislation that can be abused .  unfortunately , this bill places sunsets on only two of the original 16 provisions , making the rest permanent .  i also have concern about what this measure does not address , the ability to secure library records and allow sneak-and-peek searches .  these provisions are wrought with great potential for abuse .  mr. speaker , the civil liberties of the american people are too important and the potential for abuse too great for us not to place sunsets on all of the 16 provisions .  like our constitution , our liberties are a symbol of america .  the freedoms in our country are known throughout the world .  what we do today sends a message throughout the world .  we here in this body have a sacred responsibility to protect what our nation stands for .  we are certainly responsible for the safety of this nation , but we are also certainly responsible for shaping the laws that determine what it means to be an american .  mr. speaker , all of us agree that we must do all we can to secure and protect the united states , but we must also be mindful of those rights and privileges upon which this great nation was founded .  