http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/29/patriot.act.ap/index.html

Yes, no, maybe?

Here's hoping that SAFE makes it. *raises a glass*

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I read an article in the campus paper about this big like justice department investigation into the patriot act, finding that, basically there have been no abuses of it as of yet. Apparently the vast majority of the complaints received about it, were from prison inmates who got harrassed by other inmates for being whatever race or whatever. That's what i remember at least.

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I find that interesting, Dormouse.
Did the article mention whether the Patriot Act helped the government find actual terrorists?

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yes... SAFE is my new best friend. Although there havent been huge abuses under the Patriot Act, it's still a piece of legislation the American Congress shouldnt have even thought about.

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please

It hasn't been abused, yes. But it could be. and that whole possibility makes the P-Act completely illogical.

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Aye!

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The future is here, and all bets are off.

Patriot Act is one of the worst pieces of legislation (not to mention it's grossly unConstitutional) Congress made. It was a vote getter when the American public was a little unnerved.

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I certainly hope that it gets a large majority in the legislature... If the vote on it is almost unanimously yes, Bush may still veto it (ignoring pressure from the capitol), but his veto will still be overridden.

So far, I don't think the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act has been noticably abused. On the other hand, it really hasn't been a major factor in catching any terrorists yet.

The fact that it COULD be abused is reason enough to put checks on it. It doesn't matter if terrorism is eliminated, only to leave the United States its own people.


That is likely to be an outright lie. If we assume that the USA PATIROT act HAS aided the "War on Terror", it will still be helpful even if its potetnial to be abused is limited.

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It has been abused, and parts of it have been ruled unconstitutional. I strongly believe in and support any legislation that increases our right and decreases the governments ability to spy on us.

There's one thing they forgot - the sep. 11 hijackers were not american citizens, and nothing in the "patriot" act would have "saved" us against them. No amount of spying on our own countrymen would have fixed/solved that problem. No amount of wiretapping, internet traffic interception, or taking over of ONSTAR vehicle safety features would have made a lick of difference. Hell, the implements they used to hijack the planes were perfectly legal to carry (and still should be, IMO).

I have no problem with the Patriot Act, and see no need to change it. I do not understand you people who complain about it, but are doing nothing wrong. If you're not doing anything illegal, then why do you care?

What do I care if John Ashcroft's boys monitor what books I check out from the library, what I buy at Home Depot, or what I'm writing right here on the Internet? I'm not doing anything wrong, so why should I care?

Because it violates my privacy? Many people who complain say they "don't want John Ashcroft reading their mail," for instance. Well, first off, Mr. Ashcroft himself is not reading the love letters you sent to your boy/girl friend over e-mail. The government has hundreds of workers and computers that look for specific keywords, if the medium you are using is the Internet. It's not like Ashcroft is going to sit there giggling to himself about the personal messages you sent.

Therefore, if you are doing nothing wrong, then it shouldn't affect you. I'd rather let Ashcroft's boys scan the e-mail messages and book purchases I've made, rather than have another 9/11 happen.

A lot of you say that it hasn't even done anything to stop another 9/11. Just how would you know? Another terrorist attack has yet to happen (knock on wood), and that could be from either two causes. Either it just so happens it hasn't happened yet, or maybe the Patriot Act has actually prevented something. Just because the government doesn't tell you they've prevented a terrorist attack, for instance, doesn't mean they haven't. A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes that the average American knows nothing about. Therefore, I'll give the Patriot Act the benefit of the doubt and let the government do it's best to prevent another 9/11.

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That's generally bad logic. That's what people in Nazi Germany, and in America during both red scares said.

Like everyone said, it's not about the now, it's about the "whats next?"

Look into a peice of legislation called the Espionage ans Sedition Acts during WWI.

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boba: We appreciate our Constitutional rights, which is precisely why we don't appreciate the Patriot Act. The 4th and 9th Amendments and dozens of Supreme Court decisions established our rights to privacy and our freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Fortunately, Constitutional rights aren't revoked because some people can't understand them.

People are inherently corruptable. Permitting unrestricted government surveillence is giving too much power to individuals who will inevitably misuse and abuse it.

*cough*nightwatch*cough*

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