You imply that Section 215, the so-called "library" provision, grants widespread authority to seize Americans' records with little or no reason. A look at the law itself shows that Section 215 is actually narrowly defined and can only be used in the context of a national security investigation, to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a United States person, or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities.

It simply cannot be used to investigate ordinary crimes or domestic terrorism, and it expressly provides that the FBI cannot conduct an investigation on a United States citizen solely on the basis of activities protected by the First Amendment.

You also claim that the reauthorization bill was pushed through the House of Representatives while discussion and dissent were silenced on both sides of the aisle. In reality, debate has been ongoing since April 2005, with the Department of Justice participating in 18 hearings, 16 of which were open to the public, and providing 32 witnesses.

As House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., acknowledged, the legislation passed by the House is based on four years of extensive oversight consisting of testimony, Inspector General reports, briefings and oversight letters.

After that careful examination and thorough debate, the act was overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 257-171.

The USA Patriot Act is a critical part of the war against terror, and it is necessary to help protect America from another terrorist attack. By approving the USA Patriot Act reauthorization, the House of Representatives has taken a strong step toward ensuring that we have the tools to do just that.

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Paul M. Warner is United States Attorney for Utah.