Now what do you think of the Patriot Act? Originally it was a good idea to catch terrorists. But now....?

Question

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20070309/D8NOU1B84.html

"In 1986, Congress first authorized the FBI to obtain electronic records without approval from a judge. Called national security letters, these demands could be used to acquire e-mails, telephone and travel records and financial information, including credit and bank transactions.
The letters could be sent to telephone and Internet access companies, universities, public interest organizations and nearly all libraries, plus financial and credit companies.
Originally the FBI could obtain records only for people suspected of being agents of a foreign power. In 1993, that was expanded to cover records of anyone suspected of communicating with foreign agents about terrorism or espionage.
Patriot Act in 2001 eliminated any requirement that the records belong to someone under suspicion. Now any person's records can be obtained if FBI field agents consider him relevant to a terrorism or spying investigation."
Relevant with NO PROOF..

You would think that would be enough to let them spy on anyone they wised but no. To make matters even worse, they went on to do some spying illegally. Caught by one of the governments branches (Justice Department's Office of Inspector General) it is now public that they went beyond being able to spy without warrant or permit. I am amazed that ANY bbranch of the government had the guts to speak out against all the crap that is going on within this government of ours.
PEOPLE IT IS TIME TO RETHINK HOW MUCH AUTHORITY WE ALLOW THOSE WHO "GOVERN" US.
If don't rein them in and hold them accountable soon we won't dare to speak out against them. Hell, they are probably sending a big, black suburban to my house as I type.

PEOPLE PEOPE, READ AGAIN
They don't even need probable clause to get your phone records, emails, bank records, etc. They only need to decide they want to check you out. Even though you say you have nothing to worry about if you are innocent, why would you want your government to have the right to read your mail, check your phone records, snoop into your finances.
YOU ARE FOOLISH TO THINK THESE ABUSES ARE OKAY.
"Those who would trade security for freedom deserve NEITHER"

Bettter wake up before it's tooooooooooo late

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20070310/D8NPALB00.html

Answer 1

President Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what You can do for your country". Today, More than ever citizens are asking more and more from the government.

I remember when I was a child, all the kids in the neighborhood would run around, unsupervised playing until it was time to go to bed. Now, they can hardly go school without being subjected to being bullied, harassed, etc.

Back then, the majority of people respected life and country. Now we find ourselves in a time where a few hundred dollars is all it takes to change this mind set.

As citizens, we need to become more involved in our government. Many times people only want to know the monetary cost of decisions that are being made while not realizing that the cost can be much higher.

I believe that the patriot act is the beginning of our freedom being taken away as nation. Put another way, it is prejudice at the highest level. As we give our leaders more and more control without checks, it will be taken away from us by more and more laws.

Before 911, by their own admission, the FBI knew of what was about to happen and failed to act, perhaps because they didn't think it would be possible, or they didn't want to go out on the limb and loose their jobs. It Kinda' reminds me of Pearl Harbor, where no one wanted to believe of the forthcoming attack. Oh well, we voted for them, now we have to live with their decisions...

I guess the bottom line is that now every citizen in our nation is now under scrutiny as being a terrorist.

Answer 2

National Security Letters were specifically limited to areas not protected by the 4th Amendment warrant requirements because there was already no reasonable expectation of privacy.

The 4th Amendment requires a warrant for all searches -- except where it doesn't. One area where it doesn't is a search when you are arrested, or a pat-down for weapons, or certain exigent circumstances.

OR where there is no expectation of privacy -- such as in a trash can, or in the middle of field, or in public records. The National Security Letters allow for searches of public utility records. So, the requirement that someone be suspected of a crime was a self-imposed limitation, not a constitutional requirement, and thus Congress could remove it.

The problems that recently came to light are where the FBI was exceeding even these limits, and accessing information that does require a warrant. Same as the problem with the NSA warrantless wiretaps, which are also in violation of federal law.

Many people seem to think that it's OK to break the law to catch criminals or terrorists. But that's not why this country was founded, and that's not how our legal system works.

If you think the lines be drawn differently, then lobby to change the laws. Contact your Congressman, write editorials, work to get the laws changed. That's also how our legal system works.

Answer 3

I think it is a good thing because if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about