[Zipporah]

Harmless? Nonsense you say? Consider under the act, the power the FBI now has of search and surveillance. The undefined (infinite) detention of both aliens and citizens without any formal charges (not required), the principles of free speech and due process, no access to council. Possibly you have failed to read Supreme Court case

Possibly you have not considered Bush signing the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 which grants the FBI power to obtain records from banking institutions, without a court order nor does it need one to prove a case. This law also includes the following in definition of 'financial institutions':companies, travel agencies, real estate agents, stockbrokers, the U.S. Postal Service and even jewelry stores, casinos and car dealerships.

Thus, you stating that there is no need for concern is complete and utter disregard for the facts.

[Southack]

"Harmless? Nonsense you say? Consider under the act, the power the FBI now has of search and surveillance. The undefined (infinite) detention of both aliens and citizens without any formal charges (not required), the principles of free speech and due process, no access to council. Possibly you have failed to read Supreme Court case"

That's correct. Contrary to the uninformed bluster of uneducated radio talk show hosts, the Patriot Act is harmless. I've read it.

You are welcome to point to a *single* sentence in that entire law that somehow harms your rights, and I'll willingly read it and consider it, but you won't.

And the reason that you won't identify such a single harmful sentence in the Patriot Act legal code itself is because there is noting in it that harms our rights.

I know. I've read it. On the other hand, I'm willing to bet that every single person who lambasts the Patriot Act hasn't actually read it.

Because the entire law is harmless. It is a paper tiger. The uproar about it is all sound and fury, signifying nothing.