Can you show where any lives were saved by the use of the PATRIOT Act?

Question

If not, please explain the value of its continued use.

Please - show a direct link. The reason I ask, is the with the Ft. Dix 6 and the latest, all were done without the need for the provisions of the PATRIOT Act. Good, solid law enforcement work.

It's not about how my life is negatively effected - that's not the question.

Answer 1

The people who are giving the PA so much credit, such as Kim, have not explained why the PA made a difference. In the case of the JFK plot my question is simply did law enforcement use any techniques / methods that were available outside of the Patriot Act? They could already wire tap provided they had a court order. They could already place operatives under cover.

Answer 2

nice...ask for a black and white answer to a gray question.

You know very well that no one can factually give you a number purely because of the confidentiality of the Patriot Act and the results of it's applications. One could argue that the Fort Dix 6 and the foiling of this JFK Airport plot are very clear examples, but without having the ability to delve into the details and actual facts of each case, it's impossible for Average Joe Public to go and check this out. (to the best of my knowledge) Besides, there will always be a group of people who will eternally insist that this is, in fact, a ploy levelled by Rove, Bush and Cheney to scare America into gray wardrobes and burning our books.

HOWEVER, there seems to be a growing number of people who feel that the Patriot Act is in direct volation of Americans' Civil Liberties. If that's the case, then there indeed should be mounds of evidence supporting the fact that, say, the government is listening to your phonecalls. So far, I have not seen one factual claim or worthwhile accusation worth looking into where the US Government is in direct violation (or even just being caught) prying on innocent Americans.

So, in turn, I ask you. How many innocent Americans have been killed or directly affected by the Patriot Act and can be proven to have had their rights stolen from them, or their freedoms stripped.




I'll check back for an EDIT.

Answer 3

Can you show how your life has been negatively impacted by the use and implementation of the Patriot Act? Exactly what rights of yours have been violated? What were you doing a few years ago that you're NOT allowed to do today? I hear people complaining about the Patriot Act all the time in Yahoo Q and A but nobody can explain this!

Answer 4

SEveral times. Most of the time we will never hear about it. But, publically? The most recent time was those 4 guys charged with blowing up the fuel area near JFK airport in a residential area. Because of listening in on conversations and alot of other leg-work by the FBI...they saved several thousand people from being killed in New York City again. The Patriot ACT, for the most part, works!

Answer 5

There have been 2 major terrorist activities that were curbed because of the Patriot Act. There was on in FL where the terrorist were caught trying to purchase illegal weapons and a second where they were trying to attack a military base in the northeast.

I would say that until our enemies start acting more civil and to that end more human, then we will have to give up some privacy and rights to protect the freedom we enjoy.

I would rather give those few things up and still be alive than to keep them for a short period of time till I was murdered by some terrorist.

How about you?

Answer 6

I wish there was a way to ban Kim. She is by far the most useless ever on here...anyways.... Well Nixon resigned over what Bush uses. If there was a patriot act when Nixon was in office he would have had no problems. But since he was found guilty and was going to be impeached for the same thing Bush uses on a daily basis, you can see the hypocriscy of the act itself. I do not believe it has saved even one life unless you consider providing stock tips to the rich so they don't lose all their money saving a life, than it has.

Answer 7

Fort Dix. And also they stopped a band of Somalis from blowing a mall in Columbus, OH.

Answer 8

No, the terrorist plot to blow up JFK was foiled because the people planning it talked to an undercover cop, and the Fort Dix attack was thwarted because a clerk saw a video.

Answer 9

there is no value to any document that strips any human no matter muslim jew or christian of any rights they have or should have. we have become an imperialistic almost dictatorship in this country. where the politicians ignorance and even our own sometimes creates a level of fear that allows stuff like the patriot act. and they name it something like patriot act so that no one dare vote against it because they might be labeled a terrorist.

Answer 10

That would force us to infiltrate government intellegence. I know it's hard for you to understand, but you will probably never know of the intellegence communities' many successes, but will be widely informed of it's failures.