Sensing the Eyes of Big Brother, and Pushing Back
By TIMOTHY EGAN
Published: August 8, 2004
....In the last two months, a small window has opened into just how the government may be using the most contentious parts of the (Patriot Act), and it has revealed enough information to stoke fresh fears in civic forums, in Congress, the capitals of four states - Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont - and among librarians.
The law, passed overwhelmingly in Congress just 45 days after the terrorist attacks, is a grab bag of enhanced police and prosecution powers. In the presidential campaign, it serves as bumper-sticker fodder for opponents, and a centerpiece of President Bush's effort to show he has responded aggressively to domestic terror.
In fact, most of the fine points in the 342-page law have generated minimal debate. But at least two parts have caused a furor across party lines.
One provision empowers the authorities to search people's homes without notifying them at the time. That provision may have been used by federal agents to rummage through possessions of Brandon Mayfield, the lawyer from the Portland, Ore., area suspected and later cleared of a connection to the bombings in Madrid earlier this year, said his lawyer, Steven T. Wax.
Another clause, granting the government authority to go through personal library, business, medical and other personal records, may have been used in another case, though federal documents make it unclear just what the purpose was....
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/08/national/08patriot.html