USA Patriot Act powers prompt second critical look

The act was hurriedly signed into law with overwhelming approval within six weeks of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington — without hearings or without being marked up by a congressional committee.

Particularly troubling to Feingold is a business records provision that gives the FBI new powers to subpoena records in its investigations of international terrorism.

“The subpoenas are obtained from a secret court, and the records sought don’t even have to be records directly connected to a suspect in such an investigation,” Feingold noted.

“We now know that bookstores and libraries have received such subpoenas asking for the purchase or lending records of their patrons. It is a truly frightening day in America when bookstores are considering destroying their records so when the government comes knocking at the door to find out what their customers have been reading they will have nothing to turn over,” he said.

Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), another member of the committee, said he has heard anecdotal stories about misuse of the act. But he added that there’s a need for more concrete evidence about what’s actually happening.