Do you think the Patriot Act invades our privacy too much for its intended goodness?

Question

Thanks for all the 1st 15 responses!
The rumors I've heard scare me, like makes me think of orwellian government.
But I probably should read the act, if I can understand it. Any links to it would be welcomed. And to those who aren't worried about it because they have nothing to hide; have you ever heard of mistakes with a just a little information.

Answer 1

The Patriot Act suspends habeus corpus. Given how many people have fought and died for that essential guarantee of personal liberty since 1215, and given that there was no continuing attack in place against our public safety, I submit that the entire piece of legislation was ghosted by Chicken Little.

When the government can hold a citizen without trial for an indefinite period we are not a free society. Once a government can do so, it is inevitable that the power will be abused.

Answer 2

Having actually read it, and cross-referenced the various existing laws that it amends, I can state positively that it does not.

There may well be a case to be made that the underlying laws that it alters and amends were themselves a potential invasion of privacy, but the Patriot Act actually doesn't do a whole lot by itself.

Look, most of us already have a cell phone. Without the Patriot Act, the federal government could get a wiretap on our cell phones, IF they could show Probable Cause. What they could NOT do without the Patriot Act is get a warrant today that is valid on the phone I buy tomorrow.

I'd really like to know how many people that aren't actively changing cell phones on a daily basis really think that's an additional intrusion.

* I doubt the founding fathers would shudder about the Patriot Act. They'd still be shuddering about the entire concept of the IRS, and be trying to figure out where the DEA fit into the Constitution they wrote.

Answer 3

Yeah, especially when the latest court ruling came out and it was revealed that the Patriot Act has been used to spy on and search the homes of American citizens with no warrant or judicial oversight.

The reason he was a suspect? Well even though he's practicing law, was honorably discharged from the military as an officer, and has ZERO criminal record, his fingerprint was one of the 20 closest U.S. matches in the FBI database.

If you're O.K. with the government following you around town, bugging your phones, and digging through your closet just because your fingerprint fell in the "maybe" category, you have no idea what freedom means. I wouldn't even feel bad if the SWAT team showed up in your front yard, I mean - you have nothing to hide, right?

Answer 4

Yes,
Many of the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act were actually taken from defeated legislation that was proposed prior to 9-11. The USA PATRIOT act amended 26 acts of congress and was passed in less than a month, without meaningful debate.

Many of the provisions were struck down previously as unconstitutional before they were included in the act and passed as a knee jerk reaction to 9-11.

It achieved the intended consequence of allowing the Executive branch a level of power that would make the framers of our government shudder.

Answer 5

Evidently It does. Everybody is terrorized about the interventions of the phones. Terrorists will use some code language to speak in the phones. What is bad is the arrest and confining of suspects for long periods of time without the usual judicial procedures and the use of secret jails in different countries.
No, my friend winter_ n, I did not copy my question from anybody.
I feel concerned about the things the politicians are doing to get control of the common citizen.

Answer 6

My concern isn't about what the Patriot Act is doing now, its what the government is going to do with the provisions allotted to them in the Patriot Act, after the next terrorist attack.

By allowing such a wide range of sweeping powers to spy on Americans, we are eventually going to trade our freedom and liberty for total government control and security.

And at that point and in the words of Ben Franklin, we won't deserve either.

Socialist America, here we come!

Answer 7

If you think the patriot act won't be used for routine, non-terrorism related criminal investigations, you are living in a freekin' fantasy land!!!!!!!!!

That peice of legislation is the best thing that ever happened for law enforcement. I can promise you if there is a murder or bank robbery or other serious crime they are having a hard time with, they will crawl beneath the veil of the patriot act in a New York heartbeat!!!!!!!!

I'm reasonably sure they won't be looking at you if you got nothing to hide, but if you are a criminal, they will use that Patriot Act without hesitation,

In ain't right..... it ain't legal.... it stomps the constitution right into the dirt..... but, it does not matter.

Thats the post 9/11 fallout.

Answer 8

Yes. More efforts were needed to secure our liberties and set terms we could all agree constituted a legitimate loss of rights that are otherwise afforded under the constitution. One specific provision, often proposed by liberals, is that any intelligence gained using wire tapping etc... had to go through FISA within 2 weeks after surveillance took place. This would create a paper trail to serve as checks and balances within the system, as opposed to no one knowing who's watching what and what it's for.

Answer 9

Absolutely. for those in the so-called land of the free are among the most controlled people on the planet. It will get worse if you - the people - don't do something about it.

Answer 10

Really we don't have any rights when it comes down to the patriot act, they can just about do anything they want.