Typical... absolutely typical. The government will never cease until the people have no power whatsoever. The people almost deserve this too because we just let this happen over and over again.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. This Act sucks. People can argue that if "you are not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about." Sorry, I should have said can't argue.... Even if you do nothing wrong you still are giving up your rights.
The right to free speech for instance. If you become aware of a investigation on another person (regarding terrorism), you automatically have to give up your rights to speeking about it (even to your husband/wife) when the investigators tell you so.

I hope this both this Act and GWB dissapear in the next year.

Making this Act permanent is a huge mistake.

I fully agree and this act is bullshit and an excuse to give the government more and more control and power.

It's 1984 all over again.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but from what I've gathered it seems like Hollowpoint and Rev. are both Bush supporters. I would like to hear their take on the situation. Does this news change or alter their views, if at all? I'm just wondering.

I don't supposrt either really. I think Bush is the lesser of two evils. I think what he has done so far was in the best interest of the country and don't think the act should be permanent. Extend it sure but not permanently.

i sometimes wonder, what rights do we actually deserve, taking into consideration the kinds of abuse that take place... is the government even capeable of turning into our enemy if left unchecked? it almost seems like people are actually affraid of themselves- what they might do if they were left to their own devices. personally i'm not affraid of the government and i don't see what the big deal is with the patriot act, i'm allready essentially a slave to the economy and i'm constantly exposed to things that i don't like but have not choice but to tollerate. what's the difference between imaginary freedom and subliminal slavery?

To say I'm a Bush supporter is a little misleading- I'll vote for him, but I wish he leaned more on the libertarian side of the political spectrum. If I were to grade Bush right now, I'd probably give him a C+. Kerry would get a D-, Clinton a D+, Bush Sr a B- and Reagan an A-.

My main problems with Bush are his unwillingness to control Congressional spending and the expansion of the federal government, which was already far more powerful than authorized by the Constitution. I do wish he was more like Reagan (the best President in recent history), who had no problem whipping out his veto pen and was an awesome communicator who inspired confidence and patriotism. That said, I'll vote for him, since left-of-Kennedy Kerry is just another tax-and-spend, elitist liberal weasel who would further expand the federal government and work to make the Constitution even more irrelevant.

There has been much caterwauling about the Patriot Act, most of it paranoid, misleading or flat wrong. For the most part, the Patriot Act simply made it easier for law enforcement to gain information that they could already obtain. Is there potential for abuse? Sure, there always is- but since people have been (falsely) led to believe that it is the job of the federal government to protect them from all the world's evils, it's only natural that the government is going to want to make that easier. I'm still waiting for examples where the Patriot Act was used to unreasonable violate one's privacy or Constitutional rights.

As much as critics of the PA like to blame Bush and Ashcroft for it's passage, it came into law only after bipartisan approval from Congress. Note Kerry voted for the approval of the Patriot Act. Given the blame-game being played with respect to 9/11, most legislators aren't going to risk being viewed as putting the country at risk by hamstringing the Dept of Homeland Security.

I do think that the Patriot Act should be given a second look to ensure that unreasonable or unconstitutional provisions are removed before making it "permanent"... even then, no law is really permanent; they can always be repealed- though the federal government rarely votes to give itself less power.

As HP would say, "Perhaps you should be movink to a different kontry komrade?"

Hahahahaha

Extend but not permanetly extend it? Does the prospect of the Patriot Act being permanent scare you?

Scare me? Nope.

I'm not doing anything wrong and they aren't abusing it. The scare tactics are from the liberal pussies that are grabbing for anything to help get votes for their democratic pussy Kerry.

Sure a few things need to be changed or worded a bit more appropriately but if serious issues arrise, things can be changed. While those of you wearing tin-foil hats may believe the government or more specifically the gun toting part of the government has a power that can not be controlled, there are more of us than them. We CAN makes things change if the need arrises.

I doubt that things would ever come to that however, and we have a firmer grip on the government than many of the paranoid folks want others to believe.

Dude, 4/20 was two days ago. You can put down the bong already. Come back when you're coherent.

I mean do you think it can be abuse. Why risk it?

I totally agree with the Libertarian party and I am going to say this.... FUCK THE PATRIOT ACT. I'll decide what I have to hide and what I don't and I don't need anybody deciding that for me.... fuck off.

People can abuse driving. Why risk allowing people to drive?


Do you see the absurdity of your question yet?

i agree with the leader of my government and yet you suggest (indirectly) that i move to some other country.. maybe you're the one who should be thinking about relocation? there's nothing wrong with being a slave, everyones a slave to something.. maybe that was a bad choice of words, more in the spirit of "wage slave" and tollerance is not always a bad thing (or so i'm told) minor irritations (i.e. being forced to obey the law for my own protection) is not the end of the "free" world. correct me if i'm wrong ;)

i'm sorry bub, but the patriot act doesn't do anything to help with terrorism. the only terror i'm afraid of is the bullshit that bush can pull out of his ass and say that its just all part of his grand plan. thats probably what the "terrorists" say to their minions, right? the "free" world as you put it is a "free" world, where you can do whatever you damn well please w/o worrying about your basic civil rights being trampled over. thats what the terrorists are afraid of. they want power over everyone, to push their beliefs on everyone, does this sound familiar? if anyone should be afraid of the terrorists, it should just be bush. he's the most powerful man in this country right now and the "terrorists" only opposition to power in the western hemisphere. he can run and hide, but someday the "terrorists" will get him. for as high strung as that guy is i'm suprised that he hasn't had a heart attack and died yet. in my opinion he's a fucking psycho that needs restrained and dethroned before anyone else gets hurt.

why don't ya put your gun to your head and pull the trigger fuckhead