The Patriot Act

"WASHINGTON — The FBI issued thousands of subpoenas to banks, phone companies and Internet providers last year, aggressively using a power enhanced under the Patriot Act to monitor the activities of U.S. citizens, Justice Department data released late Friday showed.

The report given to members of Congress was the first to detail the government's use of a controversial form of administrative subpoena that has drawn fire because it can be issued by investigators without court oversight.

The Justice Department report also disclosed that its use of electronic surveillance and search warrants in national security investigations jumped 15% in 2005."

Funny. They seem to be using this statute more. One would think, if the Global War on Terror is going so well, why would this be?

One answer, of course, is that this is why there has been no new attacks. Another answer would be that, perhaps, the war in Iraq has made this necessary. At any rate, it is troubling on multiple levels...