Posted on: Thursday, August 21, 2003

EDITORIAL
Patriot Act: More than blind defense

No law is successful unless there is substantial and continuing respect for it among the community it impacts.

That thought is clearly on the mind of Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, who has launched a nationwide tour designed to shore up public support for the USA Patriot Act. That's the law passed in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks that gives unprecedented new powers to federal law enforcement in its battle against terrorism.

Ashcroft cites polls saying a majority of Americans believe in the Patriot Act and believe it is a useful tool against terrorism. And indeed, most Americans would agree that the threat of domestic terrorism is a serious matter that requires extraordinary efforts to beat it back.

But within that large and general framework are a number of specifics that should be troubling to every American:

Federal agents snooping around in libraries to see what people are reading; proposals to give the feds unlimited access to the Internet activities of all citizens; rules that allow for unlimited confinement of suspected terrorists without access to lawyers and other civil protections; and ... well, you get the picture.

Three states — including Hawai'i — have passed resolutions opposing at least part of the Patriot Act.

Unusual times call for unusual measures. And Ashcroft is more that welcome to mount an argument for the Patriot Act and all its provisions. But unless the law is shaped in a way that is acceptable to a majority of Americans, political support for the act will erode to a point where it may do more harm than good.