summery of the USA Patriot Act?
953674
Control the people in order to protect the rich elites' power and privilege.\n\nThem rich folk sure are scared of the people.
421564
No, the Department of Homeland Security was formed by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which is seperate from the Patriot Act.
847435
patriot act-  the NSA can pretty much record whatever they want.
259660
No, I don't support it.  I haven't had the time to read the entire act, but I've read parts of it, and I've read various summaries.  It gives the federal government FAR too much power, and really does nothing to stop terrorism.  \n\nFor anyone who talks about how there hasn't been an attack on US soil since 9/11, when was the last one before 2001?  That would be the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.  Yeah, in the past four years, the rate of terrorist attacks has dropped from one every six years to what, exactly?  The only other terrorist attacks on US soil were in 1920, 1975, and 1993.  Yeah, we can really see the change in four years.\n\nBetween 1995 and 2001 there were three terrorist attacks against Americans abroad.  Between 2001 and 2005 there were six.  Yeah, the Patriot Act is sure stopping those terrorists in their tracks.\n\nLast I checked, all the people who orchestrated 9/11 who didn't die in the bombing are still out there.  Yeah, we catching so many terrorists thanks to the Patriot Act.\n\nTo summarize, the Patriot Act does nothing to fight terrorism but a whole lot to fight the civil rights of American citizens.
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.
170557
The Patriot Act helps law enforcement officers find and arrest terrorists more easily. It also helps in more common crimes too.\n\nUnfortunately, its liberal use of bugging is considered a violation of privacy, since it makes bugging people easy for law enforcement. On the other hand, though, the government should have no need to bug you unless you need bugging. And besides, they don't have the manpower to bug everyone.\n\nThe government can spy on people anyway, or bug them, so it makes little difference. Now it's just easier, faster, and safer for cops. Privacy is nice, but I prefer to be alive and have a tiny bit less privacy.\n\nTo the person below me: it is not at all a false sense of security, because the Patriot Act's greatest impact is on law enforcement, not crime prevention. Putting NYPD officer at every large building and subway station is false security. But making it easier for FBI agents to collect evidence to convict criminals is not false at all.
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.
723265
I have one right now and you have to have a current address in that same area. They do a spying check now with the Patriot Act. Mail service is part of the Act. They made me fill out a form, and did a background check on me and, I have had my box for 10 years.
574647
im afraid of that.  they called it the patriot act so we wouldall feel bad for hating it?? huh?? well i dont feel bad.  thats just creepy.  just think about it.  you could be being watched right now, and not know it, and thats not even against the law because its the law thats doing it...its not fair. were gonna all feel like prisoners soon.
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.
166012
One of the most confusing documents ever written that takes away many civil liberties by using the fear of terrorism. Here's just one section of the act... can you figure out what the hell it says?\n\n Section 2516(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--\n\n    (1) by redesignating paragraph (p), as so redesignated by section 434(2) of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-132; 110 Stat. 1274), as paragraph (r); and \n\n    (2) by inserting after paragraph (p), as so redesignated by section 201(3) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (division C of Public Law 104-208; 110 Stat. 3009-565), the following new paragraph: \n\n`(q) any criminal violation of section 229 (relating to chemical weapons); or sections 2332, 2332a, 2332b, 2332d, 2339A, or 2339B of this title (relating to terrorism); or'.
328382
A matter of weeks, maybe days. If Bush chooses to ignore the protections in the PATRIOT Act - which he has signed an affidavit saying he has the right to do - then there will be no protections, given how cowed everyone has been about taking him on regarding the NSA wiretaps.
543888
i know from my time in the navy you can be court marshaled for saying corrupt things about the president and any other high ranking officals. if i remember it right its borderline treason, which according to military law you can be put to death for. and for those that dont know the NSA tracks everything you do on the internet, its included with the patriot act. so anything you say wrong about the president or the government is tracked and logged. and then anytime you log on it red flags your ip address so you can be tracked online.
797017
yes. all elected officials have a duty to uphold the constitution over anti-democratic laws. the Patriot Acts are profoundly un-American in part. Hopefully, the manipulation of fear to pass such crude restricitions passed with the election.
256609
Sorry, but Althea's answer is nonsense.  The government had not been running around checking all our library records.   For pity's sake, even if they WANTED to, they haven't a fraction of the resources it would take to do somtehing on such a scale!\n\n The Patriot Act does not even make any special mention of libraries (despite all the ridiculous hype).   It simply allows that, IF there's good reason to suspect you're up to something, the government can go after records from various sources (not listed, but video stores & libraries would be included, with all sorts of other places).   These sorts of provisions have been in place and used for decades to go after domestic criminals (e.g., "the mob").  The Patriot Act just allows investigators to do the same when they are trying to track down terrorists.    \n\nAnd please remember, they can't just do it willy nilly; they have to be able to show a judge that there is "probable cause".\n\nSo. . . I believe ANSWERS already IS covered, as it should be.  It just isn't mentioned by name.  And of course, if you're not plotting some sort of attack, I don't see any reason for you to be concerned.\n\n(BTW, has anyone brought forward a SINGLE instance of someone's rights being trampled under this act?)
850640
yes they do have more power than they advertise. since 9-11 the government has passed things such as "The Patriot Act" and "terror Watch". Terror Watch allows the government to essentially spy on law abiding citizens when that is forbidden in the constitution. The Patriot Act allows the government to tap phone lines and check phone records on again law abiding citizens and the ability to search        cars,homes and businesses without a warrent which is also contradictory to the writting of the constitution.
454421
Here\nhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%2B%22us+patriot+act%22+%2Bpoll&btnG=Search