Anyone else against the "patriot" act?

Question

Taking away our rights in order to protect them makes perfect sense huh? Each day that we stand ignorant and unwilling to protect our rights is a day further toward us losing them completely. While we sleep you can trust the government is hard at work stripping the constitution to nothing more than an overly amended napkin so that when they want us under a thumb it can easily be done. We will not be put down without a fight.

Answer 1

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

I'm a lot more afraid of my government than I am of the extreme islamic terrorists.  I'm probably more likely to be harmed by the government than an extreme Islamic terrorist.

Right now, the government is using the fear tactic to strip away our civil liberties.  If anyone has read 1984, it was the same in that book.  The government used the fear tactic and was constantly "at war" with another country.  The thing that scares me the most about the patriot act is their definition of "domestic terrorism":

(this is from the Patriot Act)

the term "domestic terrorism" means activities that-

involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

appear to be intended

1)to intimidate or coerce a civilian population

2)to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or

3)to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the US.

so technically, a large group of protesters who are trying to "influence the policy of a government by coercion" and something happens with the police and there is a fight; that is an act of terrorism.

Just a thought.

Answer 2

You need to educate yourself about the very real threat of Islamic Extremism.  Just today I learned on a radio program on Public Radio (i.E. not one with an agenda) that in many Islamic Studies programs at AMERICAN Universities, college students are being taught that Jews and Christians are apes and pigs.  No wonder the terrorists can kill so easily with no remorse; imagine what they are taught in the Madrasas of Islamic countries.  Wake up my friend.

Answer 3

It was a misguided attempt to fight terrorism. Something had to be done. I agree they went too far. Every right they take away is another freedom you lose. The loss of our freedom is what the terrorists want.  They still win. We must be vigilant in watching for them, but not at the expense of our freedom.  Empowering a citizen to act against terrorism would have a greater effect than phone tapping (which they do anyway, the difference was what would be admissible in court) They need proof in court. Criminals are protected by the law better than you are. It isn't about conspiracy, How do we protect ourselves from them? Instead of taking the weapons away, how far would those terrorists have gotten if half the plane was packin' heat? (carrying guns, I know, I watch too many movies, LOL)

Answer 4

Aren't you afraid the black helicopters are going to come for you?  Just posting this shows you don't really believe what your saying.  If you did you would only tell your college professor and worry he did not turn you in!

The only ones afraid of the Act are 1.  Terrorist 2. Perverts 3 and Democrats.

Some may say they are all the same.

Mr Looking:  You hit almost every cliche ever written but you did miss the Ben Franklin quote " ... deserve neither security or freedom".  What have you lost and where were the Democratic saviors?  Oh they voted for it!

Answer 5

Any real patriot is against the phony Patriot Act.

Bush played this one for global supremacy and guess what, Americans trusted him and fell for it.

Time to take the country back from Bush's rich foreigner friends who are stealing us blind.

Answer 6

Totally and completely against the Patriot Act.  

I remember growing up and being told how terrible the Soviets were for their iron grip of fear and persecution of people who wanted to speak their minds.

Our government is now the one who listens to our telephone conversations and monitors what websites we visit (it is true, it happened to my niece's husband who is an upstanding U.S. citizen).  One doesn't need to be a conspiracy theorist to know that our rights are being stripped away.

Ugh.  We needs to stand up for ourselves.  Now.

Answer 7

Do an experiment. Do away with the Act as the Libs demand. See what comes. If we are not hit hard, then the Libs were right.  

Answer 8

Are you guys crazy ??? ( not the poster but the two people two replied )

Your country has been for *SO LONG* consider the standard for 'best acceptable behavior' but now it's the standard for 'what ever TF you can get away with'

A strong country *IS BUILT ON STRONG PEOPLE* stripping their rights away makes *THEM, AND THE COUNTRY WEAK*

*Hey* question ...... Why do the 'Islamic Extremists'  always talk about the war crimes Israel has committed upon their Arab neighbors ...

*BUT* instead the *US* says 'Their trying to destroy our freedoms' ... HINT: because the US government *NOT THE ISLAMIC FIGHTERS* are destroying your freedoms. ....

*THEY'RE THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT CAN !*

Fighters for Islam *CANNOT* destroy your freedoms and rights *ONLY YOU - AND YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT CAN* *PERIOD*

Blowing things up, freaking out and committing suicide are the acts of a people *THAT HAVE NO OTHER RECOURSE*

I know this will rub *MANY* people the wrong way, but you SHOULD NOT BE ASKING WHAT YOU MUST GIVE UP, ESPC WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR FREEDOMS. INSTEAD YOU SHOULD BE ASKING WHAT CAUSED THIS AND HOW DO WE FIX IT !!!!

The Founding Fathers values, are as valid as they where then, as they are now. Politicans are *ALWAYS* trying to talk is into surrendering our rights 'for a short time' but it's *NEVER* for a short time and it's *NEVER* until either external war & defeat, or civil war that the citizens get these *RIGHTS* back !

You wouldn't trust a Mayor that can't even speak a sentence why trust Bush ???

Incidentally, until the 1900's and the 2000's a PATRIOT has always been considered SOMEBODY THAT CORRECTS HIS COUNTRY WHEN IT ERRORS *NOT* somebody that insists it's country should 'follow through', 'carry one' or 'surge' towards an idea and 'goal post' that's *CONSTANTLY CHANGING*

I'm from Canada .. but I feel for you ... and I fear the result of your unwillingness it impeach Bush ....

For the last 100 years the world has always look at the US as the 'shining beacon' for human rights. But... in that last 8 years ... it's become  the byword for corrupt goverments ... and they say 'if they can do it we can do it' and *THIS* is a risk, and a tragedy for the *ENTIRE WORLD*

The entire world looked up to you, but now, ironically only the Islam-o-fascists that your supposed to be protecting the world from - alley with you ...(coughcough .....Saudi's, p**i's, Iraq and *MANY OTHERS*) but you have to ask yourself when only torturers and rapist stand up by your side - are you doing the right thing ???

The world is getting tired of this - and it's showing in the *DEPRESSION* of the economy ... and this won't be a recession ..... *NO*  it's going to be a depression ... that the *REST OF THE WORLD DOESN'T SHARE* ...it could also be called a 'correction' but either way there's going to be hard a sudden lowering of the 'standard of living' in the US

*WHY* because of mistakes ... and unless these mistakes are corrected their going to destroy both your country, mine and *MANY* others.....

I pray that you'll finally start voting ...

I pray *NOT ONLY* that you'll vote ...

*BUT* you'll vote for *CHANGE* not a 'different version of the same'

In a large part .... the future of the world rests in your hands ...

*PLEASE* vote for change ...

*PLEASE* vote for freedom

and

*PLEASE* vote for somebody that isn't 'bought and paid for' by foreign countries which *DON'T* gives a RATS *** about North America ...