[freepatriot32]

A group of libertarian-minded Republicans

oh thier just doing this so they can smoke weed and look at child porn while haveing sex with a hooker /sarcasm

[RightthinkinAmerican]

Some of the same people who want to point fingers that we didn't know about 9/11 in time to stop it, but they would tie the government's hands in perventing the next one. Then the finger pointing will resume - "Why didn't you prevent this!".

[NJ_gent]

I'm really at a loss for why he's fighting everyone from the left to the right to push these types of things. Everyone from the ACLU to the American Conservative Union says that much of what's in the PATRIOT ACT goes against everything this country stands for, yet the President continues to push for even further sweeping changes. It seems to me that when something you do unites people across the political spectrum against you, it's time to try something else instead.

Suggestion #1: Secure our borders and ports.

[Servant of the 9]

If the administration would accept limitations in the law forbidding any of these powers from being used for anything but counterterrorism, he could get it past.

Ashcroft lied about how he would use the Patriot Act by using it's powers for other crimes. He cannot be trusted not to do it again. Any future Democratic administration certainly can't be trusted. Anyone want to guess how Jamie Gorelick would use these powers domestically if she was Atty. General?

So9

[AmericanChef]

Freedom is fine, but what if a tougher Patriot Act saves more lives than it might hurt? I'd like to have a future to enjoy my freedom in. There's no place on earth that exercises REAL freedom, anyway - I'm sure there's a law somewhere against eating a peanut butter sandwich on the sidewalk somewhere in the U.S.

'Course, I wouldn't trust Dems with Patriot. Or Libertarians, for that matter. Too much in common there. They're both loyal to a country that doesn't exist.

[freepatriot32]

ping

[some guy in the mountains]

Some of the best news I've heard all day!

I am very much against the Patriot Act. I wasn't at first, but then I read it, and read what it changes in the law, and I compared it to the Bill of Rights. Bad stuff.

[Dan from Michigan]

The Patriot Act needs to be dead and buried ASAP. It was unacceptable then, and is now.

[paleocon patriarch]

Americans see that the underfunded Department of Homeland Security and the "Patriot Act" have resulted in unprecidented numbers of illegal aliens pouring unchecked over our borders.

You can tap our phones AFTER you mine the borders!

[snopercod]

the legislation would have given law-enforcement officials the power to compel compliance with administrative subpoenas

Do I understand correctly? The legislation would allow law-enforcement to write and enforce their own subpoenas with no judicial involvement? The U.S. Constitution specifically requires judicial approval of warrents, but I don't believe it mentions subpoenas.

Aren't subpoenas - by definition - judical calls to appear? If so, then we are transferring judicial powers to law enforcement here.

This sounds a lot like a knock at the door at 3AM.

[CWOJackson]

"A group of libertarian-minded..."

You mean like Ron Paul who voted no along with 49 Democrats on a resolution to support our troops.

Or like Ron Paul who thinks it's is equally as important to punish the guard and the people (the President and Rumsfeld) who put them in Iraq.