What rights are people afraid they will lose with the Patriot Act?

Question

Besides the fact that they can now listen to phone call overseas I don't get it. Please be exact.

Answer 1

The Military Commissions Act, passed in September 2006 as a last gasp of the Republican-controlled Congress and signed into law by Bush that Oct. 17, made significant changes to the nation's judicial system.

The law allows the president to designate any person an "alien unlawful enemy combatant," shunting that individual into an alternative court system in which the writ of habeas corpus no longer applies, the right to a speedy trial is gone, and justice is meted out by a military tribunal that can admit evidence obtained through coercion and presented without the accused in the courtroom, all under the guise of preserving national security.

Habeas corpus, a constitutional right cribbed from the Magna Carta, protects against arbitrary imprisonment. Alexander Hamilton, writing in the Federalist Papers, called it the greatest defense against "the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.

Answer 2

Due to the constant threat of terrorist cells operating inside the UK and the United States, the NSA monitors ALL incoming and outgoing email traffic, searching for key phrases or words in the conversations. If one of these words or key phrases pops up anywhere in the email, regardless of whether its incoming or outgoing, the email message is automatically rerouted and then monitored further to determine is this is a code, a potential threat or if it can be used to find other secret terrorist cells that have been operating below the radar.

Cell phone traffic is also monitored, as well as all fax transmissions. Some people say that no one can monitor a fax transmission, but they are incorrect. The beeps made by the fax machine when sending a transmission can be recorded on tape and then replayed and broken down beep by beep til their is an actual written converstation to be reviewed.

The Patriot Act, is this country's way of strengthening our interior as well as exterior security, so that terrorists can be detected and located before they commit any of their terrorist acts against American's or British Subjects.

It is a necessary method to help America stay prepared and I fully support this Act, regardless of what others may think of it or about me for supporting it.

I am afterall, a proud American Citizen that supports my country in its war on global terror.

Thank you,

Answer 3

The right to say I'm free.

When my government starts listening to what I say on the phone, believes it has some right to look at what books I check out, watches what I do on the internet, etc... I know that we're not free anymore. Republicans always tell me that terrorists hate our freedom. Apparently the writers of the patriot act do too.

It's not a matter of me specifically feeling like I'm not as free, however. It's a matter of not feeling like the government has ANY right in getting into my life as an American citizen. I believe the government should stay out of my life and be small and just do a few basic tasks. Small government republicans don't exist anymore, however, they just THINK they're for small government.

I don't believe it's my government's right to do what the patriot act allows it to. It's unconstitutional.

Answer 4

I guess the scariest thing for me is that the Patriot Act gives the government the right to place Martial Law into effect whenever it wants to. Under Martial Law, it states that all of our constitutional rights can be suspended because the government is doing it for our own protection. In an extreme example, the government can use any excuse they want, institute martial law, & be able to take our land, family, or literally, our lives away, & not be held accountable because it was deemed necessary to keep order/security for the masses.

Answer 5

I am not sure what rights the average person would be afraid of losing. If they are not involved in illegal or terrorist behaviors, most have nothing to worry about. Most "rights" could be taken away in a heartbeat without the act anyway.

Answer 6

Right to be secure in my home, my person and papers. There's a section in the Bill of Rights that this statute violates. Our Fathers fought a revolution over the principles underlying the Bill of Rights, and the Patriot Act tramples those rights.

Answer 7

Well some people see it as a slippery slope towards dictatorship or whatever. Other people are afraid cause they commit crimes and talk about them on the phone or in the houses or whatever. Afraid that they'll get caught, so they complain.

Answer 8

Any privacy we have left. If you don't want to understand, you wont. However, there are still freedoms that are worth protecting. The freedoms that have been taken away already we done without consent of the American people and was handled very subversively. It is not directed against terrorists but against American citizens. That is why we lack any trust in our elected officials.

Answer 9

Well i guess liberals are afraid they will lose the right to talk with terrorists overseas.

Answer 10

all of them.