Repeal the Patriot Act - ANDREW NAPOLITANO

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, March 5, 2004 | ANDREW P. NAPOLITANO

[TroutStalker]

Earlier this week when President Bush asked Congress to re-enact the portions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of next year, he provoked a critical review of this controversial law. Those who believe that our freedoms are guaranteed and cannot be legislated away by Congress remain committed to the repeal -- not the renewal -- of this overreaching legislation.

[The_Outlaw_Josey_Wales]

"Strengthen the Patriot Act."

Aren't conservatives supposed to be for less government? If the leftists ever regain power, they may use many provisions of the so-called "Patriot Act" against their political opposition. We should NEVER give government that much power. Unfortunately, far too many conservatives have no problem with big government as long as they're the ones in power. Such hypocrisy is what turns me off from supporting many Republican candidates who cried about the evils of "big government" under Bill Clinton while embracing it under G.W. Bush.

[billbears]

About the same opinion of the judge. But for once he's right. Get rid of the Patriot Act

[agitator]

The "right to privacy".
"Not in the Constitution judge...never has been."

It doesn't have to be. It preceded the Constitution. See the 9th Amendment.

"Since I work for a financial institution"

You work for a car dealer? That's what a "financial institution" is now, along with whatever they want to call one later.

How about due process? Is that in the Constitution? When the police equivalent of the fat lady at the DMV can rubber stamp a form letter and gather any and all records on how you spend your money from anybody that takes cash from the public and the sources of that information are prohibited from telling you about it, that is not due process.

I'll bet Hillary or her equivalent will enjoy that little provision.

[HELLRAISER II]

I live in a little town called Alma, Ga. There's only 2 main roads through Alma and the road blocks weren't even on them. They were on side roads that I suspect that they thought someone was moving drugs, but good god they went haywire yesterday. I for one am not happy with their Gastapo tactics and what's worse if you say anything to them you end up bent over your car while one of these @ssholes search your car and gives you a lesson in their power. I'm not a cop hater but after yesterday the definately dropped several points.

[HELLRAISER II]

I live in a little town called Alma, Ga. There's only 2 main roads through Alma and the road blocks weren't even on them. They were on side roads that I suspect that they thought someone was moving drugs, but good god they went haywire yesterday. I for one am not happy with their Gastapo tactics and what's worse if you say anything to them you end up bent over your car while one of these @ssholes search your car and gives you a lesson in their power. I'm not a cop hater but after yesterday they definately dropped several points.

[HELLRAISER II]

I work for a Financial institution as well and I don't have a problem with requiring something that identifies you as the person you say that you are. But I'm not a cop and alot of what the Govt. want's us to do is rat out our neighbors when they bring in X amount of money (because they want to catch drug dealers). Some of the Patriot Act is understandable but the bulk of it is Bull$hit!

[agitator]

"We should NEVER give government that much power. Unfortunately, far too many conservatives..."

Please allow me to re-phrase that,

Unfortunately, far too many ALLEGED conservatives..."

:)

[petercooper]

No U.S. citizen has had his rights violated. It's that simple.

[xusafflyer]

Wrong answer.

Although they are trying to use the Patriot Act to seize financial records, the law to report the $10,000 threshold has been in place for 30 years.

Bank Records and Foreign Transaction Act of 1970
http://www.gambling-law-us.com/Federal-Laws/other-federal-statutes.htm

Try researching before just repeating...

[GrandEagle]

Strengthen the Patriot Act.
You could move to the USSR. They have a very strong version of it. Wait... Thats right, they don't exist anymore. Well there is always Cuba.

[HELLRAISER II]

It's definately something that goes against the words of the Constitution, I fully agree with that. We need an act that will protect us from Terrorist, but we don't need to have one that will put us in a postion where we need protection from our own Government and this is where this is going.

[HELLRAISER II]

This is true, the Currency Transaction Report has been around for years trying to nab drug dealers.

[xusafflyer]

Which parts don't you like?

[Quick1]

Why do we have to wait for someone to have his rights violated? Shouldn't the possibility of it happening be enough?

[agitator]

"No U.S. citizen has had his rights violated. It's that simple."

No it's not. The financial provisions of the Act have already been used against U.S. citizens in violation of due process in a well publicized case that had nothing to do with terrorism or national security - and that was just the appetizer, wait till the main course is served.

[The_Eaglet]

"We should NEVER give government that much power. Unfortunately, far too many conservatives..."

Please allow me to re-phrase that,

Unfortunately, far too many ALLEGED conservatives..."

Good point. People who call themselves conservatives and ignore the personal liberties protected by the Bill of Rights are either hypocritical or ignorant of the fact that they hold liberal, unconstitutional positions.

[Thermalseeker]

It seems to me that if we controlled our borders and ports, thereby controlling illegal imigration, the Patriot Act would not be necessary.

The Patriot Act, much like the TSA and their "Temporary Flight Restrictions" that continue to plague general aviation, are nothing more than a method of the gubmint saying "See, we're doing something".

Meanwhile, our borders and ports are wide open and millions of illegals continue to stream into this country unchecked. They're not all here to pick lettuce either.

[HELLRAISER II]

I have a problem with the Govt. being able to come into my house or anyone's house for that matter and not have to have some kind of probable cause to delve into my privacy. I want our Govt. to protect us, I whole heartedly agree with this. But being able to listen to my telephone conversations without a warrant, run my credit bureau so they can track my credit cards and where I spend my money without a warrant or how much money I have in the bank and where it came from without a warrant is wrong. If they want to catch Terrorist they should research Terrorists and where they're coming from, you know Arabs/Muslims. But no they can't do that, they have to give the perception that they're being fair and not targeting a certain race even though that certain race is the one killing Americans. Bottom line is that we need to give our govt. the tools to deal with terrorists, but we don't need to have our rights trampled on while they're doing it.

[MrB]

My thoughts while reading this were that I see a lot of leftists screaming about the Patriot Act, provisions of which are helpful in the War on Terror.

Most of these leftists, however, do not seem to have a problem with any other over reaching, Unconstitutional acts that Congress does, as long as it furthers their socialist agenda. the Constitution declares that our personal lives are none of the federal government's business

But how much we "get to keep" after confiscatory taxes is the federal gov't's business, in the eyes of many leftists.

"Splinter and log" comes to mind.

[petercooper]

and it's bad to go after people who violate the law with every tool available?