The Patriot Act: Business Balks

It's joining critics who seek to curb the law's wide-ranging investigative powers. And Capitol Hill is listening

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November 10, 2005 at 5:00 AM UTC

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By Richard S. Dunham

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman loves to remind visitors of Sin City's oh-so-discreet tagline: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." But since the New Year's celebrations ringing in 2004, he has had to modify the motto. Fearing a terrorist attack, the FBI descended on casinos, car rental agencies, storage warehouses, and other Las Vegas businesses with sheaves of "national security letters" demanding financial records covering about 1 million revelers. Startled business owners who questioned the action were told they had one choice: cough up their documents or wind up in court.