Chertoff is the author of the patriot Act
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/12/chertoff_new_homeland_security_czar/
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Chertoff Says New Laws Needed
At a speech before the Heritage Foundation this week, Homeland Security
Secretary Michael
Chertoff said the U.S. needs to have a “nonpoliticized, serious
discussion” while writing new
laws to define the best way to combat terrorism.
Chertoff said that once laws are written, the public should not
second-guess government actions
and claim that federal officials are overstepping their authority. He
decried critics who make
such accusations, despite the widespread pubic calls after the September
11, 2001 attacks for
the U.S. government to do more to protect the country. Chertoff further
said U.S. society needs
to come to a determination as to what are acceptable authorities for the
U.S. government versus
what violates people’s rights.
If the public limits what the government can do, it must accept that the
risk of terrorist
attacks may increase, he said. If the public gives the government greater
authorities, it
should not criticize the government for using those authorities at a later
date.
Chertoff called U.S. laws “woefully inadequate” in the context of current
technology. He said
the most significant step American society needs to take is adapting laws
to the 21st Century
challenge of fighting terrorism. Changes in technology have created unique
challenges for the
government when it comes to intercepting communications, as well as
collecting and analyzing
information found in the public domain according to Chertoff.
Link http://www.blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=6466
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