• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Politics / Govt / Rowley says Patriot Act not as bad as critics charge

Rowley says Patriot Act not as bad as critics charge

February 17, 2004 By admin

An F-B-I agent who revealed that her agency overlooked signs of potential terrorist attacks prior to 9-11 will speak this weekend at the University of Iowa. Coleen Rowley is a graduate of the U-of-I law school and told reporters Monday in a conference call that her upcoming speech will focus on the Patriot Act. Rowley says the Patriot Act, passed after 9-11 to help in homeland security efforts, has drawn some undue criticism. She says it’s become a symbol of people’s criticism of the government, oppression and potential violation of civil liberties. But, she says when you look at it, there are over 100 provisions, and many of the provisions are not controversial. Rowley says parts of the Patriot Act aren’t even new. She says some of them do not broaden what was already permissible and regularly done under “garden variety criminal law.” Rowley says one of the provisions that’s draw too much criticism is the right to investigate library records. She says such a search is not something that ever really proves useful to investigators.She says there’s one example in prior history of the F-B-I going to the library to check reading records — the Uni-bomber case, and she says that made perfect sense. But she says you have to look long and hard to find other cases because it’s not a very good investigative tool. Rowley says part of the problem has been the lack of discussion on the issues by Attorney General John Ashcroft. Rowley cites the library situation again, saying if the Attorney General had come out sooner and said library records were rarely used — it wouldn’t have become such a big issue. Rowley was asked if she’s gotten flack since she spoke out about problems in the F-B-I. She says she hasn’t, and says her memo went throught the standard pre-publication review before going out. She says that’s a good sign and when she talks to civil libertarian groups she uses that as an example of how the system is working. Rowley says it probably has become tougher to give her flack if someone wanted to after she was on the cover of Time magazine. Rowley was named Time’s 2002 co-person of the year for speaking out on the problems she saw in the FBI.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Politics / Govt

Featured Stories

Grundy Center man sentenced to life for killing State Trooper

Jodi Husientruit remembered 27 years after she disappeared

Iowa Supreme Court rules in Mahaska-Marion County regional airport dispute

Pheasant harvest and hunter numbers both up this year

Iowa Supreme Court overturns ruling creating constitutional abortion right

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 7/4/22

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 6/27/22

AJ Green signs with Milwaukee

Iowa to host Georgia Tech in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Iowa State adds a defensive back

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC