<P> The following are controversial invocations of the USA PATRIOT Act . The stated purpose of the Act is to "deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes ." One criticism of the Act is that "other purposes" often includes the detection and prosecution of non-terrorist alleged future crimes . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Main issues </Li> <Li> Timeline </Li> <Li> Summary of attorneys </Li> <Li> Documents </Li> <Li> Congressional hearings </Li> <Li> List of Dismissed Attorneys </Li> <Li> Complete list of related articles </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> </Table>

One criticism of the usa patriot act is that