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MESSAGE BOARD Terrorism and civil liberties
Are you concerned about the Patriot Act's impact on civil liberties, or do
you think the increased powers it granted to law enforcement were necessary
to fight terrorism?
Response pages: 1
Page 1 The Patriot Act's impact on civil liberties, with one exception, is overblown. As the son of a former FBI Agent and a Bureau employee for summers in high school (in other words from someone on the inside), rest assured the FBI will not overstep its limits in non-terrorist cases. Of course, a law enforcement and justice system overseen by John Ashcroft may be a little more invasive than in the past, but not enough to significantly impair civil liberties. They have too many other things on their plate right now to worry about the library and phone records of ordinary Americans. This debate has largely been driven by the Democratic candidates (one of whom I vigorously support) and is in my estimation exaggerated. However, the exception I stated above is a large one--the "enemy combatant" law which suspends Habeus Corpus (right to a fair trial) for American citizens. Zacharias Moussaoui (sp) and Jose Padilla may have been or will be American terrorist threats, but they unquestionably should receive trials and, if found guilty, be convicted in that manner. Imprisoning American citizens indefinitely, regardless of who they are, is as un-American as it gets. Scott, Medford, MA The Patriots Act is ranked up there with the Iraqi War. Both "knee jerk" reactions voted through by both, House and Senate. Yet, the Patriot Act tramples on our Bill of Rights and tosses out our Constitutional rights. When law enforcement can come into our homes, tap our phones and video/audio tape us without a warrant. The Patriots Act has went too far! The only people who like this bill? Law enforcement. Why? Because they don't have to work. And if they screw up? Doesn't matter. The Patriot Act covers that too! Time to repeal the Patriot Act. It's illegal. And doesn't fit our democracy. Kris, Westborough, Massachusetts I'm very concerned with the patriot act. It is mis named and has nothing to do with being a patrit or supporting patriotism. A better name for it would be: The 'American Constitutional Suspension Act'. There is little to no due process associated with the act. It is a free for all whether your an American Citizen or not. Wide open to abuse. An abomination. Steve, Bellingham, MA "When law enforcement can come into our homes, tap our phones and video/audio tape us without a warrant." If your not doing anything illegal whats the problem? Everyday we are on videotape..at banks, supermarkets, gas stations..etc. We are audio taped for "customer service". Unless someone can think of a better way to combat terrorists nesting in our soil I don't see how the government can single out who they think are terrorists. No matter what is done someone will always say it was wrong Adam, Lawrence MA People often say, "Unless you've got something to hide, what are you worried about?" This reaction demonstrates a frightening ignorance of history. If the U.S. Government and law enforcement had never abused their powers in the past, then perhaps I could agree. But the record of abuse is staggering. This is what makes the lack of true judicial oversight in the PATRIOT Act so troubling: when the abuses happen again, we may never even know. From way back to the Alien & Sedition Acts of 1798, to the suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War, to the Espionage and Sedition Acts during WWI, to the forced relocation and internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, to the Communist witch-hunt of McCarthy, and to the FBI's own COINTELPRO the abuse of our civil liberties in the name of "security" or "patriotism" is a long-standing pattern with our government. In each case, vocal opponents have been necessary to fight to bring the government's practices back in line with our Constitution. The misnamed PATRIOT Act should be repealed. Brian, Oakland, CA The fact that I hesitated to write my thoughts shows the Patriot Act has gone too far. What if I am deeded a subversive? Were my taxes filed right last year and will they be this year? The IRS has always been used against subversives. (Defined by anybody who does not vote Republican.) How many Left leaning internet organizations have their group mailings inspected? Would anybody be surprised if we read ten years from now that Michael Moore was tapped, spied on, and given an explosive cigar? The Right says they have not used it (yet) to inspect public readings, but Bush’s spies need not tell us at all what they are doing, so how does the librarian know? (“Patriot Act Stirs Worry”) If President Carter’s plan to bring an energy policy to America were followed, no planes would have flown into our huge financial towers in New York. But President Reagan convinced Americans that we could continue to be energy pigs, that we have the weapons to do so, and that we will never pay a consequence for our addiction to oil. The right continues to beat that drum, like a drug cartel, making billions on America’s oil addiction. Now we “liberate” by dropping bombs on a people that hate us and that we hate. We are “liberating” while using the war as an excuse to cut our own liberties. Bush flies in and out of Iraq, under extreme security, while soldiers cheer. They fight and die while he eats and flies—but not before the cameras flash. And all the while our liberties here at home diminish. Tanya , Norton No, I do not worry about the Patriot Act's potential negative impact on civil liberties. It is a necessay response to the dangerous world in which we live. What I worry about is the liberals' response to the Patriot Act. Mark, Foxboro To add to what I wrote above, what people find most insidious about the Patriot Act is its name. It is full of the Orwellian doublespeak that the administration in power is so fond of. Are there good things in the Patriot Act? Absolutely. Information sharing between law enforcement bodies and increased surveillance freedoms to focus on terrorists is a necessary benefit. Should it be amended? The answer is also absolutely. Backing of the Patriot Act is no simple left/right issue and should not be viewed as such. Scott, Medford, MA Here's my main concern......the PATRIOT Act was enacted because, according to our government, it was necessary to give more power to law enforcement in order to prevent another 9/11. However, all I've heard about since is all these intelligence reports that warned of 9/11 that were ignored. So, if they weren't using the tools already available, why should they be given more power? Shouldn't they first demonstrate a capability to properly utilize the tools they already have? Fact is, had the current administration listened to their own FBI and to the previous administration, 9/11 may have been prevented. (just to head off all you angry knee-jerk reactionaries, notice I used the word "may" and not "would") As far as the right to privacy goes, it's not about "having something to hide." That, actually, is the mentality used in the Soviet Union that dictated that people were guilty until proven innocent. The thinking went, "If they got nothing to hide, we're not invading anything." Fortunately, in this country you are innocent until proven guilty (unless you are a Muslim or you are of Arab decent as all the detentions without charges illustrate). People in this country have a right to privacy unless there is a reasonable suspicion supported by evidence that they have done something wrong. People so willing to throw away their right to privacy (or any rights, for that matter) because they aren't doing anything wrong don't deserve the rights they have anyway. The right talks on one hand about our troops protecting our freedom and on the other about giving up those freedoms willingly. That is pathetic and disgusting. Christopher, Melrose, MA The Patriot Act is a violation of our civil liberties and rights as citizens. We are reverting back to the McCarthy era and becoming more and more like Nazi Germany. The Founding Fathers would find the current administration to be a disgrace. Bob, Boston Response pages: 1
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