Department of Justice Plugs USA Patriot Act

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"The Department of Justice is going on the offensive against critics of the USA Patriot Act," PR Week reports. Civil liberties advocates criticize the legislation for removing checks on law enforcement and undermining Constitutional rights, prompting some state and local governments to pass resolutions condemning the act. "Attorney General John Ashcroft and department spokespeople are now aggressively speaking out to the public and the press with an eye toward setting the record straight," PR Week writes. "Ashcroft used a trip last week to Alaska, one of the states to pass a resolution against the act, as an opportunity to speak out on the issue. He said it was understandable that the public would be concerned about invasions of privacy, but countered, 'We use these tools to secure the liberties of our citizens. We use these tools to save innocent lives.'" The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), however, says that insufficient surveillance powers were not the reason government failed to detect terrorist activities that led to the 9/11 attacks. "The [Congressional report on 9/11] shows that these new powers were not needed and that instead the government must effectively use those already at its disposal,