Is it worth the government walking all over American civil liberties in order to feel slightly safer?

Question

Are minor protections worth the shredding of the Constitution?

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” ---Benjamin Franklin

Answer 1

These civil liberties are created for a purpose.People who don't see anything wrong with giving some up now don't realize the next government,the one after that and so on will have the same rights.And just for the sake of argument let's give president Bush the benefit of the doubt and believe he's a man of honor and respect and can be trusted with the new powers he obtains like this.Even if that is the case no one can be sure the next administration and the ones coming after it will act with the same integrity.That's why it's wrong to give up civil liberties and uncontrollable power to the government.This is not only about the Bush administration,even if they don't abuse those powers,the opportunity is created and who knows who will be president in the coming decades.

Answer 2

Security is neither worth the sacrifice of liberty, nor limited to such tactics. With an effective identification system, we could so much more effectively advance security and protect American privacy and civil liberties at the same time. The electronic, bio-ID system would be prone to major civil liberty infringements if individual privacy were not strictly and absolutely defended on every level and in every circumstance. Unfortunately, we have allowed government to violate privacy so much that it typically knows more about you then your own family does.

BTW, I love that Benjamin Franklin quote. So beautiful, simple, and true!

Answer 3

The Supreme Court has already thrown away the Constitution. It no longer conveys the original intent of our founding fathers. Do you think they would want the 1st Amendment to be stretched to include instant access to pornography. Access to websites that show 18 year old girls having sex with animals??? Do you think they wanted the right to bear arms to include automatic weapons with cop-killing bullets???

Say what you want about the right, but it is the left which contorts the Constitution to satisfy their own agendas. The champions of Civil Liberties, the ACLU, is the best example of this. They are defending a group of pedophiles saying it is their Constitution right to have sex with young boys and to view pictures of this....lol. The leftist make me laugh.

Answer 4

NO its not worth it, I hate the fact that people feel the need to protect us from ourselves.

And for all those that say they will gladly give up some of there civil rights to feel a little warmer. Well when dont cry when there is no left to notice when the goverment comes to lock you away.

Answer 5

purely delusional people have faith in the "conflict on Terror". Terror is a subjective thought with out purpose meaning. those people are maximum comfortably to sacrifice their civil liberties and start up pointless wars.

Answer 6

Which civil liberties have you had violated? Not what you see on the news - your personal experiences. I keep hearing this is happening, but have yet to find a single person who has had his or her rights violated.

If you're referring to the phone taps, don't call any recognized terrorist organizations. What's so hard about that?

Privacy is only an illusion these days anyway. If someone - ANYONE - wants information about you, they'll get it.

Answer 7

Yes. We aren't talking about huge things here. We aren't walking into some Orwelian future or anything. We are talking about small sacrafices, to potentially save lives. I don't care if they have the right to tap my phone, if they want to listen to my conversations, allow them. If they catch one terrorist because of it, it is worth it. The P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act is needed in this day and age. Plus these things aren't shredding the consitution. The consitution didn't allow for women to vote, or slaves to be free, although "All men are created equal", the should've said "white christian men". Was the consitution shredded with the emancipation proclimation? Because Ben Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson didn't want black men and women free. So did Abraham Lincoln spit in their faces? No, because as things change so do our laws, and our consitution, and this is a new chapter in our history and things need to change.

Answer 8

The terrorists We the People must fear and hate the most are the ones in DC, lining their pockets at the expense of the taxpayers. Interventionist foreign policy and warmongering yes-men are the reasons the US is dealing with foreign terrorism, not "they hate our freedoms". The Constitution does NOT have a single clause giving the Federal Government powers to destroy our rights, even in time of war.

Answer 9

No one is "shredding" anything.

Your entire life, and mine, the government has had the power to open our mail and listen to our telephone calls. The issue is the warrant, and your attorney can still raise it.

And if you commit a crime, are convicted, and have exhausted your appeals, your habeas corpus rights are intact.

Probably shouldn't expatriate yourself if you are planning to become an enemy combatant, however.

Answer 10

If the right had their way the constitution wouldn't even exist