Should the U.S. get rid of the Patriot Act?
361559
yes! it is so unconstitutional! its just like the alien and sedition acts of the past! remove it now!
154150
Absolutely. The USA PATRIOT Act violated the amendment. As did Bush's wiretapping.
839937
I think that if you change the constitution in any way to suit the terrorist threat then the terrorist have won. While maybe not a threat from this president it could be in the future and I know I would not like the gestapo knocking down my door and taking me away and locking me up without due process. This is an awful law and people who say it is all right to change the constitution are traitors to the American way of life. Our freedoms are precious and should not be written away without a fight. I hope that even with the Supreme court being a right wing majority that they will throw this law out as being what it is and that is unconstitutional.
872660
The Patriot Act itself only intrudes on some areas of privacy. That's bad enough, but it doesn't, in and of itself, take away any constitutional rights.\n\nThe problem is that many in power (at least, as of Monday) felt that constitutional protections can and should be ignored, if they might possibly result in people being safer. However, that's unconstitutional, by definition. \n\nWe only have those rights we can defend. And only those freedoms we choose to defend. Once we have abandonded those rights and those freedoms, they are lost. Once, and for all of us.\n\n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\n\nIn honor of Pastor Martin Niemöller:\n\nFirst they came for the 6th Amendment, but I hadn't been accused of a crime, so I didn't object to denial of counsel.\n\nThen they came for the 4th Amendment, but I wasn't talking to anyone overseas, so they wouldn't be monitoring me.\n\nThen they came for the rest of the 4th Amendment, but I only called my mother, so there was nothing suspicious in my phone records.\n\nThen they came for the 1st Amendment, but I never associated with criminals, so I didn't worry about being convicted purely based on what other people might do.\n\nThen they came for the 14th Amendment, but I never really understood the rules for Due Process (and wasn't allowed an attorney), so I didn't object.\n\nThen they came for the rest of the 1st Amendment, but I never told anyone about what the government was doing, so again I remained silent.\n\nThen they came for the 5th Amendment,  ......  and I no longer had the right to remain silent.
23409
Very doubtful today, what with the Patriot act, Homeland Security, Governments fear of new and alternative life styles, things, and people striving for need or greed in general everyday life. If we tried to be Utopian, Washington would shut us down. I know, I know I am a paranoid, but look around your world.
1126763
Do you really think it's necessary? I don't, I think upholding our freedoms and civil liberties is pretty important, and worth the risk by most people's reckoning, I think the best way to fight terrorism is to have better control on who/what comes and goes in or out of our country, and not to do business with countries that give the money to support that garbage in the first place...oil's an issue in this question, and if more people were cognizant of the relationship between pressure on the throttle and money flowing to countries that support this kind of thing, I'll bet a lot of people would drive a lot slower....but, at the end of the day, there's people that don't like America, for whatever reason, and I'd just as soon see better border controls to keep em out. Including the airports...
1104750
Just in case you were too stupid to catch it, that article is referring to the Patriot Act. Also know as "The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001" < If you think that is bad... well, you shouldn't be starting any political arguments.
173720
Not necessarily.  If someone were stupid enough to ask how to make a pipebomb, and someone gave the right answer, most voting Americans feel the government should get to know.  It doesn't mean that the government hires people to search this particular site since Yahoo has quite a few documented instances where they handed people over to the government just for merit points.  It's happened a few times in China, and if it happened in America, no one would know, because THAT is part of the PATRIOT ACT.  PATRIOT ACT is capitalized because it stands for something, and THAT would make a good question.
142252
The Patriot Act did not create any new laws, only consolidated existing ones, so terrorism has nothing to do with it.  The government, with reasonable premises and a sometimes a court order, can pull IMs and phone logs for a number of reasons, just being that they believe you or her were involved in any crime they are investigating.
1047285
The Patriot Act is a Constitutional emergency measure taken in a time of war.  It is NOTHING compared to the curtailment of liberties we experienced back during WWII, when Americans understood that 'loose lips sink ships' and were glad to see anyone blabbing arrested.\n\nEnemies benefit when we impose artificial barriers to their detection or when we fail to prosecute information leakers for Treason.\n\nBack during WWII the Press was not allowed to report on a great many things, especially anything that would give enemies feedback on what effect their operations were having against Americans.  Hardly anybody even knew of the Japanese fire-bombing attacks all across the US mainland.  Why?  Because the Press was trying to help the US win by denying the enemy any useful information.\n\nI think we have not gone far enough in detecting internal enemy activity or in putting the muzzle on the press.\n\nWar is a contest of will.  The ENEMY will try to discourage you from persisting in war.   Just look at who is trying to demoralize Americans today, working through our own press and hiding behind 'freedom of speech', and you will know who America's internal enemies are.  Look who defends the 'rights' of enemy combatants captured and held in detention.  Look at who trumpets any misdeed by our troops yet says little that might anger Americans against the enemy.  Look and see who serves the agenda of the enemy.\n\nMainly, Leftists.  Socialists.  Democrats.
1173224
For the record, we did not get to vote on the so-called Patriot Act.  And as you so correctly point out, there is nothing patriotic about it.\n\nThose who have fought to defend our Constitution must be spinning madly in their graves now, knowing what the American public is currently tolerating in the name of "security."  \n\nThey are in no sense patriots who tamper with our system of justice.  "True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else."  Clarence Darrow
139185
The nation is so polarzied that we can't debate we can only fight! I think that it should be called the Unpatriot Act. It gives the goverment to much power to snoop on people. There needs to be a way to protect America without impinging on others rights and freedoms.
887602
Federal law does override/preempt state law, under the Supremacy Clause.\n\nBut the Patriot Act only grants authority to share information that otherwise exists between law enforcement agencies, and to grant access to information that is otherwise kept.\n\nWhat some cities have started doing is refusing to collect the information, which there was no legal requirement that they collect. Because the information doesn't exist, it cannot be taken by the federal govt under the Patriot Act. So, if the federal govt wants that private information, they have to go get it themselves.\n\nIn other words, the cities had to choose between spying on their residents, in the name of security, or backing off and not collecting some types of information. Some chose to back off, rather than contribute to the govt monitoring. It's a gutsy choice, and it's tragic that the federal govt forced them to make it.
3176
I am not a Republican, but I play one on TV...:-) Seriously, I believe that they feel trading some freedom for more security is a wise policy.  I understand the need to feel safe, and I am generally in favor of measures that increase our security.  However, that does not extend to the Patriot Act, which I see as a slippery slope away from what America is supposed to be.
1068048
You nailed it.  Look at what has occurred in the last 5 years since 9/11.  Patriot Act- it has compromised our rights as American citizens giving the government the right to impede on our privacy. The Iraq war- 2500 US military deaths and thousands of wounded, 450 billion dollars that could of gone to other social, education needs.  Our Political Climate- Have we ever been so divided (like a wedge being driven down the middle of our country)  Social Values-  When has freedom ever been so compromised.\n\nHas our enemies won?  I wouldnt say they have won but I would say they are winning the war.
1127801
it completely and utterly baffles me why people accept the patriot act. with one sweeping legislation, freedoms of americans are obliterated it is uncautionable why it is just acceptable for so many to take away rights that were so hard fought to achieve there is a  lot of blood that was shed for those very rights and they are just giving those rights so easily. the patriot act is bordering on dictatorship and americans need another revolution to fight off their oppressors.
1024685
yes! yes! oh thank god someone out here has a brain! not only the patriot act though, adding an amendment is another problem, he's changing the constitution, the very thing this country was based on because he is a homophobe! freedom is being taken away from americans and i can't take it any longer! down with bush, up with freedom!