Do you as an innocent American feel more at risk that the government is harnessing information about you? What is your view on this?
Personally, I have nothing to hide and have not had any problem or issue involving my personal information. My bank has gotten more information lost about me than the government so until I start to see an effect on things involving my background such as applying for a job or mortgage then I do not seem to care.
A quick tally of the record of civil liberties erosion in the United States since 9/11 suggests that the majority of Americans are ready to trade diminished privacy, and protection from search and seizure, in exchange for the promise of increased protection of their physical security. Polling consistently supports that conclusion, and Congress has largely behaved accordingly, granting increased leeway to law enforcement and the intelligence community to spy and collect data on Americans
that right there tells me one thing. with all the fear mongering in the news/media its no wonder people are willing to look past these things to feel “safer”. Maybe the govt realised this long ago and have been using it specifically to scare people into not caring about their freedoms.
People are just getting more and more comfortable with the fact that we’re in the information age. The vast majority of the population are law abiding citizens and as they get more and more comfortable with the fact that all the information is out there they care less and less about the government monitoring it to look for illegal activity.
As long as they still consider my home my safe haven, which judges continue to do, I don’t care what virtual information they’re watching.
Those who trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither. When you start trading in your freedom you start down a slippery slope away from democracy. I would love to go forward 200 years and read what the history books have to say about the Patriot Act…
Worst approval ratings for the president, awful economic situation, record setting oil prices and USD/Euro values. I would like to see this in 30 years what the books say if president bush doesn’t take away the freedom of the press act by then.
I’m not willing to sacrifice freedom for safety one bit. Everyone has their vices. The odds are much greater that the average person will see harm from theirs being exposed, than that they will see harm from a terrorist attack. I’d rather have my civil liberties and take the infinitesimal chance that I get blown up.
Can any of you provide one example of an average joe being directly affected by the patriot act? You know, someone who downloads movies, or smokes pot, or some other mundane crime that was caught because of patriot act enabled investigation.
The guy who shined the laser pointer in the sky looking at stars with his daughter and got arrested and charged under the patriot act for hitting a jet comes to mind…i can google it when i’m home but searching for marijuana possession and filesharing may not be work safe.
Still though, since when are you one to give the government the power and trust them not to abuse it?
Pretty much my thinking. When the Patriot Act is used for things other than protecting the safety of the country, then I would start to question it.
I used oil prices and bush in the same sentence but I am just stating some history making things that have happened. The worst approval rating and record oil prices being two memories of this time period, not saying that Bush caused them.
That would be something you just don’t do. I think he was by an airport which makes it stupid. Its like saying bomb on an airplane or yelling fire in a crowded place. Its not a civil liberty you are taking away by prosecuting people for it, its just something common people don’t do.
I know what you mean about the shit thats been going on and everybody blaming Bush. Actually, he has dont a decent job of preventing a recession for a long time considering our current financial situation. Not the entire county is in the shitter as the media would like you to believe. N.Carolina for instance is absolutly booming. The tree huggers have kept the us from building any new oil refineries in over 30 years. If we built like 2 more refineries then the price of oil will drop dramaticly. When the demand keeps going up, but you can only refine it at the same pace as you did when there were 1/3 as many cars on the road…well then the price is bound to jump.
That may be the excuse he used when he got caught, but I really doubt it’s true. First off, what exactly was he shining that laser pointer on when he was pointing it at stars? You don’t see the beam unless it’s a real foggy night, and if that’s the case you can’t see the stars.
I guess we differ in our interpretations of the 4th amendment.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The article was questioning why more typical American’s aren’t upset over this issue. As I stated, quite simply, law abiding citizens simply don’t care unless they see other law abiding citizens being harassed. The only recent case I can think of was that stupid hippy in Allentown who using illegally aquired biological agents in his “art”. But typical Americans didn’t care about him either because the vast majority of us thought he should go to jail.
The oil prices/USD to Euro values are a direct RESULT of what they’re doing to attempt to fix the housing mess. By continuing to lower rates they’ve deflated the dollar. Low dollar = high price per barrel of oil = high fuel costs.
Oil has been hitting record highs long before the houseing market took a shit.
Remeber oil was at around $36 a barrel back in 2000. Direct result? Come on! Will you get out of your cloud where conservatives do nothing wrong?!
I’m a moderate so its easy for me to be pissed off at both sides, they have both fucked this country.
As far a civil liberties are concerned, democrat or republican it doesn’t matter, out liberties are always in jeopardy of being taken away for the SAKE of security. Adams did it, Lincoln did it, Wilson did it, McCarthy did it, Bush has done it. We got through it then we will get through it now.
With in the next 8 years I see laws like the Patriot Act being wiped out and good riddence.
The price of oil has a lot more variables than consumer consumption. Even with China and India increasing thier need, oil prices should not have jumped over 200%. Gas companies are making record profits during a time when most people are hurting financially tell me that is right?
The Patriot Act may not effect you if you don’t break the law, but thats not the point. We have guidlines to follow when arresting someone, look at the Bill of Rights many of them deal with the right you have when you’re arrested and the Patriot Act goes agaisnt a lot of it.
Its not the first time this gov’t has turned away from the Constitution and it won’t be the last.
The thing is with oil companies is they have a set profit margin they have to keep to ensure they keep their investers and stock holders happy (not that I am defending them).