House and Senate negotiators have reached a deal that would extend certain Patriot Act provisions, but the bill may face a challenge in the Senate, where some senators have threatened a filibuster. If the bill is not approved by the end of the year, some provisions that aid law enforcement and intelligence agencies in fighting terrorism will expire.

“The last thing law enforcement agents need is an ‘authority gap’ when they don’t know what they can legally do until new legislation is passed,” write James Jay Carafano and Alane Kochems. “The terrorists are not going to take a break over the holidays.”

With Congress on the brink of passing this important legislation, it is an opportune time to review the Patriot Act. The act has been the subject of controversy and has more than its share of critics. However, much of the criticism is based on misinformation. The Heritage Foundation’s Patriot Act Reader explains the law and what it does and does not permit.

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Read The Patriot Act Reader edited by Paul Rosensweig, Alane Kochems and James Jay Carafano

See Also Congress Poised to Pass Patriot Act Provisions by James Jay Carafano and Alane Kochems

Some words get a bad reputation they don't deserve. If you call someone an "ideologue," he'll probably be insulted. But if the idea is good, where's the shame?

Like most conservatives, I'm an ideologue, devoted to the idea that Washington should spend less, tax less and be less involved in our lives. But the opposite is happening. Washington is spending more and more, and that spending is being prodded by a group known as "K Street conservatives," named for the Washington street many lobbyists call home.

Worries about terrorists shooting down commercial airliners with shoulder-fired missiles are justified. Shoulder-fired missiles (in military terminology, man-portable air defense systems or MANPADS) are easily obtainable around the world and have been used by terrorists to bring down civilian aircraft. Technologies to defend against MANPADS are in various stages of development. These countermeasures work by jamming the incoming missile’s guidance systems, diverting it from its intended target.