The Patriot Act

How do you feel about it? How much of our personal liberty should the USA give up for the sake of protecting our country from terrorism?

I'm not sure what liberties I've lost. Depending on who you believe it's either taken away your privacy or it's more benign then that. I've tried reading the entire 300 pages of the legislation myself but "legalese" is not my language lol so I have no idea what liberties I might have lost from it.

I?m gonna sound ignorant but... What is it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act_controversy
https://www.slate.com/id/2087984/
https://www.aclu.org//safefree/patriot/16760prs20030826.html

"Section 215 modifies the rules on records searches. Post-Patriot Act, third-party holders of your financial, library, travel, video rental, phone, medical, church, synagogue, and mosque records can be searched without your knowledge or consent, providing the government says it's trying to protect against terrorism."
This includes demanding that libraries hand over lists of everyone who checked out certain books, on demand, without ever informing you in any way, AND WITH NO WARRANT.

In other words, law enforcement officials now have the power to investigate you in great detail, seizing information without warrants and without ever even informing you. PROBABLE CAUSE no longer exists as long as they claim that the investigation is "relevant" to an investigation that has to do with terrorism. They don't have to think YOU'RE a terrorist, they just have to think that seizing your information is somehow relevant to a terrorist investigation. Probable cause is what the CONSTITUTION demands, but the Patriot Act throws it out the window.

Law enforcement can now seize property through the use of secret warrants and not have to tell you about it.

This is just the start of it.... it's really f***ed up.

Protecting americans from terror. lol

Ok this may sound dumb but im not sure on your laws and what not, Does this mean that it would over power any privacy laws that you guys have in place so they can just check up on you with out any reasons also just say if someone was doing an essay on terrorism for uni or whatever so they rent a book thats on their blacklist of books will the goverment be up your backside with a magnifying glass to see if you are a terrorist or if you have links to terror groups?
Sounds kind of full on if thats the case

That's about the size of it, Stormie. As long as they defend their actions by saying they're investigating possible terrorism, they can get access to that information without you even knowing it.

Sounds like the anti terror legislation that just passed over here. They can monitor your phone, internet usage without a warrant. They can hold you without charge for 14 days. If this does happen it is illegal to talk about what happened while in custody or even tell anyone where you were. So you just dissappear for two weeks. They can put you through court without having to present evidence cos its 'classified'. They can put you under house arrest for a year if you are over 16, 6mths if you are 14-16. During this time you have to wear a tracker and can only visit approved places and you are told who you can and cannot talk to. Police can shoot to kill even if you are running away. There are even sedition laws.

Oh yeah, and the above apply if you are even suspected of a terrorist offence. Nothing has to be proven.

Suffice to say I disagree with the anti terror legislation. If your Patriot Act is anything like this, I disagree with that too.

The world has gone mad. What was the point of the cold war? May as well have let the reds take over.

That's insane! Utter craziness!

The world has gone to the Sanitarium. Actually, the sanitarium may be a saner place to be.

Our Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley just pounds his chest saying that the terror laws are not strong enough. He also said, 'we don't support the sedition laws but will vote for them'. Idiot!

Journalists have to be very careful about what they write about now are face sedition charges. Me thinx this is all about protecting their political arses, not the nation.