Are we losing our freedom in the US?

Question

How many of you know that by 2009 youwill be required a passport for any form of public transportation be it train, bus, plane or boat? Not only phones are being tapped but your internet as well? This isnt conspiracy theory either.

Freedom of speech? only as long as it doesnt offend someone

When are people going to voice out enough is enough already. You can only protect a country so much before it is no longer a democracy.

Answer 1

Tony,

Thanks for asking such a very important question. I believe that we slowly are losing certain freedoms. Our government acted in such a knee-jerk manor following 9/11 that they were unafraid to shred the constitution just a little bit.

The Fourth Amendment reads, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

The USA Patriot Act clearly violates this with their warrant-less wiretaps and sneak and peak searches. Am I afraid of the Government doing it to me? No. I'm not a terrorist or an enemy of the state, so I don't think they would tap my phone or search my house without serving me a warrant. Yet still, "Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely." Now that they have the unchecked power to perform these constitutionally forbidden acts, what is the stop them from using it on anyone that they want, whenever they want? What if they start to define War Protesters as Enemy Combatants? The government can identify anyone that they want as an enemy of the state. Just look at Jose Padilla; A US citizen being held as a enemy combatant. Regardless of what Padilla did, he is a US citizen and is guaranteed Habeas Corpus by the constitution. The suspension of Habeas Corpus can only occur when the President declares Martial Law (which is a scary thought).

The Bill of Rights exists to put a fence around the powers of the Federal Government. When the Federal Government steps over this fence or tries to go around the fence in any way, then they are violating the Rights of Americans. All three branches of the Federal Government swore to protect and defend the Constitution. When one branch gets out of hand, it is up to the other two branches to put it in check.

Until recently, with a spineless Republican Congress and a Republican President, the Judicial branch was our only hope to protect the Constitution from an over zealous Executive branch. Now that the Democrats (who are no better than Republicans) are in power, hopefully there will be more checks on the Executive branch, simply because of their resent towards the Republican Party.

I think a strong 3rd Party will do a lot to help curb the violation of rights by the Federal Government.

Answer 2

I firmly beleive they have crossed the line. We are loosing our freedoms. When making any law you have to look at all sides and how those things can be used and abused and threaten out freedom. In the aftermath of 9/11 and the fear and anger we felt.....heck we supported everything if we thought it would make us feel safe. What we didn't consider is how those very things could be used against us.

Now you can't enter a bank on a cold day with a ski mask.....but you can wear the Muslim garb. Now what is going to stop a non-muslim from putting on those clothes and committing a crime?

You have a college professor teaching about the requinquesa (or what ever it is) and you have protestors holding signs saying they are taking their country back and kill the gringo........but that's ok. Yet a high school girl says kill Bush on a my space account....not lets kill him....just something posted in anger because of her thoughts on the war and the FBI is there to see if she's a terriorist.

Let's see.....we have a meth problem. So they make people like me who have severe allergies and mothers in some states who used powdered formula.....have to sign in and show an ID since these are things used to make "meth"...you are tracked and on a list and you are limited as to what you can get ,but the meth problem is alive and well and comming over the border and they won't secure it. The meth problem hasn't decreased a bit but it sure makes life a pain for those who need those things.

You can't buy stuff in some stores without a "card" to get the items on sale. So they have a nice little registry of your personal buying habits. Frankly....it's nobodies business what brand of toliet paper I buy. I don't get coupons in the mail from those companies for their items.......so why do they need it?

They have made smoking about a criminal offense....but they do nothing about the other chemicals in the air that can cause cancer as well. Smoking isn't the soul cause of all lung cancer. Now they're after trans fat. Why don't they gear some efforts on their genetically engineered foods and hormone pumped cattle coz this global obesity has come to pass more and on a grander scale from children to adults since these tainted foods have hit the global market. Trans fat has been around alot longer and eventhough they aren't 100% healthy.....they aren't the total culprit. It's my choice when you give me one. They are doing things and making it where we don't have a choice anymore. What....now in 20 years they suddenly discover they were wrong? Like I trust their record on safety.

They have made it to where police don't have to knock anymore. Now when someone is barging in your door....how are you to know if it's real police, or people dressed up as police ready to harm you? We've had alot of home invasions and robberies from posers of law enforcement.

Business can put "must speak Spanish"...but you can't put "must speak English".

A kid can get searched and busted for 2 asprins at school because of 0 tolerance on drugs......but they're neglagent to bust an illegal border drug guy unless it's over 500 lbs of illegal drugs.

Ya.....our freedoms are quickly slipping away. All for our own good you see.......right......but they won't inforce other laws that actually protect our safety and security. Lords knows ya don't want to "offend" anyone.

Answer 3

Big Brother is here in full force. Don't leave home without your passport id, make sure your children have their chips implanted, or you'll be shipped off to the detainment camps and held indefinitely!
Can you see it now? Anyone can be made to show ID at any time. The masses will be living in a real world jail, constantly living in fear of being arrested for not having ID.
It is very ####ed up. Civil liberties are being destroyed in the name of democracy and fighting the terrorists.

Answer 4

We have an opporunity to change things in this country including whether or not we will lose our righrs as a citizen. Many people choose not to excerise that right. It called voting. Call, and ask questions. If you do not like what you hear, vote for someone else. Let candiates know how you feel. Write the national parties. Work on campaigns. If you really want a change or believe in what ever it is you are working for..

Answer 5

That train has already left the station. Fear always allows the powerful to gain greater control over the masses. It won't be long and they'll be inserting microchips under our newborns skin to positively identify them - oh they'll come up with a wonderful reason for that to be sure. Then they'll know where everyone is at every part of the day and herd us around like cattle. After all big brother knows best right? So where are you moving to?

Answer 6

Neither. Technology increases the efficiency of our work. Our freedoms are unaffected by technology alone. And machines replacing workers can be a good thing. It creates a powerful incentive for such people to invest their time and resources into satisfying labor demand in other sectors of the economy, or even develop new skills so that they can become qualified to design, build, and operate such machines.

Answer 7

Yes you are and the same is going on in Britain but don't worry, it is all for your own good - not! You'd think it would be enough to brainwash people with the media but the powers are obviously determined to push home their advantage and unortunately technology is getting so good they can monitor every aspect of our daily lives with ease - CCTV, credit cards, mobile phones etc.

It's time you Americans exercised your right to bear arms as it was intended but then you lives are far too comfortable for that right?

Answer 8

Well come to the history in making. We are going back to the times where powers such as Stalin, Hitler, the Bolshevicks inherited totalarium in the state of the nation.
It's so pathetic. Isn't that proof enough that the Bush administration is sliding closer and closer to tyranny?
I think we ought to impeach that jerk for throwing us in a war that we did not want in the first place. For the darn administration that say's no at all, and just follows to every thing they are doing. it's so sad and so pathetic.

Answer 9

you betcha...you failed to mention House Bill 1, Section 220 which is so the government can fine Americans for contacting them about bills in congress if we you are a member of even the smallest grassroots organization...so much for Freedom of Speech.... argument is they received too much input from Americans it was overwhelming....poor babies...what ever happened to the will of the people?

Answer 10

You'll only need a passport when you return to the country after leaving it. It's been the same in most countries for years.

If you talk to Al-Quaida your phones will be tapped.

The freedom of speech is being stifled by our PC culture, not the government.

Just relax...