What is the Patriot Act? How come people are against it so much?

Answer:
Full name: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001
What it is: It expanded the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies for the stated purpose of fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad.
Among its many provisions, the act increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone and email communications and medical, financial, and other records; eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and enhanced the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism. The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include “domestic terrorism,” thus enlarging the number of activities to which the Patriot Act’s expanded law enforcement powers can be applied.

It is criticized for weakening the protections on civil liberties.

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Means the government can invade who evers privacy they want too in the name of anti terrorism.

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Because it can be interpreted too vaguely and can be used against virtually anyone to deny them constitutional rights.

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Its the law currently in place that states that the U.S. government has a right to go through your mail, tap your phones, watch your e-mail, track everything you do basically.

Many citizens believe it is an invasion of privacy, hence the dislike of the act.

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The USA PATRIOT act gives federal investigate organizations unprecedented powers to intitiate surveillance on just about everyone.

No warrant or court order is required to initiate any form of surveillance. No review is done prior to this action.

To learn more use google with a simple search term of "USA PATRIOT act". You will see much more than you wanted!

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/usa_patriot...

Only Demo-Socialist are against it.

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The Patriot Act was passed in the dead of night a couple months after 9/11, without any congressional hearings. It allows the govt to seize all records of books a person has purchased or borrowed from a public library, and the bookseller or librarian is guilty of a major felony if they tell anyone including the purchaser or borrower, or even their own lawyer. It allows to govt to seize all medical records of any person. It allows the govt to obtain all records of a person's telephone calls. It authorizes the govt to run secret prisons and interrogation centers. It suspends habeas corpus. It ended the requirement for Senate approval of federal prosecutors, but that became such a hot potato that the govt has dropped it.

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The Patriot Act was passed in post 9/11 America and enables the government to pry into your personal life if you are suspected of being a terrorist.

The problem with this act, I feel, is that it is comparable to our treatment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. The goverment was able to force these persons into work camps because of their ethnic background and the fact that we were at war with their country. I don't believe there is a provision in the Patriot Act for work camps, but it is limitless on who, how, and on what grounds someone's entire life can be picked apart by the government in the name of Homeland Security.

I personally don't want my government to be able to dig up any information on me, but at the same time have secrets it is keeping that I might want to know. I feel if you have the right to infringe upon my privacy than perhaps I should have the right to answers. I have nothing to hide so why should my government?

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In essence, it gives the president dictatorial powers. More power than any other president has ever been given. Until the last election, there wasn't even any oversight to be sure these powers were not being abused. Our congress was totally cut out of government. Secrets abound. Power can corrupt even the best of souls.

Why anybody in their right mind would have allowed a situation like that is beyond my comprehension. Many overly trusting foolish people these days. A combination of fear and a lack of responsibility led to the Patriot Act.

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It was a long-standing "wish list" of powers that the FBI, CIA, and various other agencies had tried to gain for years, but had been stopped by Congress and the courts. In the hysteria following 9/11, it was passed without even being read. It violates the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution in one fell swoop.

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It is an article of giving up all our rights and our privacy in other words letting us be under the control of a dictatorship.