Less than a week after the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the USA Patriot Act was introduced in Congress. A month later, the law passed the Senate by a vote of 98 to 1. A frightened nation had demanded protection from further attacks, but it certainly got more than it asked for. Russell Feingold, the only senator to vote against the law, called it "on-the-fly legislation unlike anything he had ever seen." In its haste to protect our great nation, Congress has suspended "normal procedural processes, such as interagency reviews and committee hearings" and "many provisions have not been vetted for constitutionality, lack of oversight judicial and their potential for abuse. Ninety-eight senators were willing to ignore key civil liberties issues contained in the 342-page law. The lone dissenting vote, Wisconsin Senator Russell Feingold, said our battle against terrorism would be lost "without a shot being fired" if we were to "sacrifice the freedoms of the American people." Feingold duly defended American civil liberties at the risk of his career, truly exemplifying political courage as defined by John F. Kennedy. Feingold's position as the only senator to voice opposition to the Patriot Act was not without controversy. Despite all the difficulties, Feingold never questioned his choice and in fact said it was "probably one of the best things he ever did." Feingold acknowledged that he agreed with much of the Patriot Act, but found that some provisions "trampled on constitutional rights." He said that as an elected representative, he took an oath to the Constitution that "was not an oath of convenience" and demonstrated unwavering dedication in his fight to defend...the middle of paper..... Patriot Act Book - 77 http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/feingold-book-details-his-lone-no-vote-on-patriot-act Privacy - The Surveillance Powers of the Patriot Act violate privacy - pg 23Sen. Feingold's speech http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/22/feingold-voting-against-the-patriot-act-one-of-the-best-things-ive-done/ http:/ / www.c-spanvideo.org/program/184109-1 http://www.jfklibrary.org/Events-and-Awards/Profile-in-Courage-Award/About-the-Book.aspx http://www . jfklibrary.org/Education/Profile-in-Courage-Essay-Contest/Curriculum-Ideas/Curriculum-Appendix-2.aspx http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/11/politics/campaign/11wisc.html ?_r=2& http://search.proquest.com/docview/203371843/142AA0E96894A65B0C0/19?accountid=40798 http://search.proquest.com/docview/433229998/142A9FFB38569252EDA/11?accountid=40798 http:// search.proquest.com/docview/421692170/142A9FFB38569252EDA/9?accountid=40798