Can Patriots Survive the Patriot Act?

RightConservative.com ^ | 06-11-05 | Alan Caruba

[RightConservative]

Like everyone else I will be celebrating the Fourth of July as the birthday of our great nation, but I will be doing so with a nagging sense of foreboding about how much longer it will still be a nation that protect the rights set forth in the Constitution.

It is an aspect of politics, liberal or conservative, that those who believe in America’s historic role come together when the Constitution is threatened.

Walter M. Brasch, Ph.D., is as liberal as I am conservative. He teaches journalism at Bloomsburg University in the Pennsylvania. His latest book, “America’s Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government’s Violation of Constitutional and Civil Rights” ($24.95, Peter Lang Publishing, New York) was recently published and it documents how the Patriot Act and its enforcement should scare the daylights out of everyone.

I find myself in the company of some of the most famed liberals, Noam Chomsky and Paul Krassner, among others, recommending that anyone concerned about where this nation is currently headed, read Dr. Brasch’s book.

Within six weeks of September 11, 2001, Congress approved the USA Patriot Act. Only a few of its members had an opportunity to read its 342 pages before they cast their vote. Only one of a hundred senators voted against it, joined by sixty-six of the 435 members of House of Representatives.

[Rob_DSM]

This is really scary stuff here. I think it's time for people to give up the party loyalty and take a stand against what is so obviously wrong. The Democrats aren't worth much for the most part, but they've got it right here, as does the ACLU. This government abuse of our rights has to stop.

I knew I should have voted for Badnarik :-(

[RightConservative]

Rob, this will show you where I know stand as far as the Republicans are concerned.

http://www.nvconservatives.com

I am the executive director. :-)

We also have Chuck Muth on our advisory committee. Google him and you will find that you are not alone in your feelings about the party.

[Rob_DSM]

Thank you for the information. I will read over it. You wouldn't happen to know of any similar organization representing Texas would you?

[highball]

Terrorists are not the only ones who threaten our freedom, government does too.

Yet we will gladly give away our freedoms to the government to ensure that the terrorists can't take them away.

It's ludicrous, but we do it.

Waiting for the chorus of "But we're at war!" - should be starting soon...

[TrailofTears]

Sad day when the Patriot Act is the definition of liberty. Soon we will have no freedom left.

[endthematrix]

“He who trades liberty for security deserves neither and will lose both.”

I hate misquotes! I can't confirm this as Jefferson, but I can deny it.

Remids me of the oft attributed quotes of Benjamin Franklin:

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

I found this to help clear confusions:

"This statement was used as a motto on the title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759) which was attributed to Franklin in the edition of 1812, but in a letter of September 27, 1760 to David Hume, he states that he published this book and denies that he wrote it, other than a few remarks that were credited to the Pennsylvania Assembly, in which he served. The phrase itself was first used in a letter from that Assembly dated November 11, 1755 to the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Researchers now believe that a fellow diplomat by the name of Richard Jackson to be the primary author of the book. With the information thus far available the issue of authorship of the statement is not yet definitely resolved, but the evidence indicates it could well have been Franklin."

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

[af_vet_rr]

Yet we will gladly give away our freedoms to the government to ensure that the terrorists can't take them away.

It's ludicrous, but we do it.

That's just it - the terrorists can't take away our freedoms. They can kill thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds or millions of Americans, yet they have no ability to say "your Constitutional rights are no longer valid". Only the government (and by proxy, us) can do that.

Only we can allow our freedoms to vanish, and we are rapidly heading down that road.

[endthematrix]

Richard Jackson - An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania, 1759.

PUBLISHED By Benjamin Franklin

For Jefferson's quotes try: http://www.monticello.org/library/reference/quotes.html

[highball]

Oh, I agree. The terrorists can't take away our freedoms. But that's not what our government tells us, and that's what the people fool themselves into believing.

It's a shame.