Comments on: Rights and freedoms http://ask-mark.com/2005/12/15/rights-and-freedoms/ go ahead, ask me anything! Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:17:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Mark http://ask-mark.com/2005/12/15/rights-and-freedoms/#comment-3878 Mark Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:36:03 +0000 http://ask-mark.com/?p=499#comment-3878 The <a href="http://www.aclu.org" rel="nofollow">ACLU</a> has a page dedicated to <a href="http://action.aclu.org/reformthepatriotact/facts.html" rel="nofollow">reforming the Patriot Act</a>. The page lists some interesting myths. One I find very interesting is the second to last one on the list: Critics are irresponsibly calling for the repeal of the Patriot Act. I would guess that there are probably some necessary provisions of the Patriot Act, but I would also guess that more revision of the Patriot Act is necessary to protect us, not only from the terrorists, but also from the government. The ACLU has a page dedicated to reforming the Patriot Act. The page lists some interesting myths. One I find very interesting is the second to last one on the list: Critics are irresponsibly calling for the repeal of the Patriot Act. I would guess that there are probably some necessary provisions of the Patriot Act, but I would also guess that more revision of the Patriot Act is necessary to protect us, not only from the terrorists, but also from the government.

]]> By: Mark http://ask-mark.com/2005/12/15/rights-and-freedoms/#comment-3875 Mark Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:30:24 +0000 http://ask-mark.com/?p=499#comment-3875 <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/14/patriot.act/index.html?section=cnn_topstories" rel="nofollow">Here</a> is some news about the new Patriot Act. As you can see, there is no unanimous view one way or the other from either party. Here is some news about the new Patriot Act. As you can see, there is no unanimous view one way or the other from either party.

]]> By: Mark http://ask-mark.com/2005/12/15/rights-and-freedoms/#comment-3874 Mark Fri, 16 Dec 2005 15:40:23 +0000 http://ask-mark.com/?p=499#comment-3874 I will concede that the Patriot Act is loathed by both sides of the spectrum, and that it was passed into law as an overreaction to a terrorist event. I have not read anything more about the new Patriot Act other than it is supposed to be less intrusive than the first. My Bush-bashing is not knee-jerk. I haven't liked his platform and what he has done since the 2000 campaign. And if Gore (in 2000) or Kerry (in 2004) won, I probably wouldn't have liked what they would have done much, either. Neither of these candidates really did anything for me. These last two elections appeared to me as sort of a joke, and they were the first two elections in which I felt I had anything invested. I hope that the 2008 elections have candidates in both major parties that I can respect. One last thing, while I believe that both liberals and conservatives care about civil liberties, I think that the party in power (whichever party it is) suffers from tunnel vision about the country's problems, or it has some strange insight into the country's problems that it does not feel like sharing with the public. Either way, the party in power always seems to make at least a few decisions that just are not sensible. I suppose that is just a problem with being in power. I will concede that the Patriot Act is loathed by both sides of the spectrum, and that it was passed into law as an overreaction to a terrorist event. I have not read anything more about the new Patriot Act other than it is supposed to be less intrusive than the first.

My Bush-bashing is not knee-jerk. I haven’t liked his platform and what he has done since the 2000 campaign. And if Gore (in 2000) or Kerry (in 2004) won, I probably wouldn’t have liked what they would have done much, either. Neither of these candidates really did anything for me. These last two elections appeared to me as sort of a joke, and they were the first two elections in which I felt I had anything invested. I hope that the 2008 elections have candidates in both major parties that I can respect.

One last thing, while I believe that both liberals and conservatives care about civil liberties, I think that the party in power (whichever party it is) suffers from tunnel vision about the country’s problems, or it has some strange insight into the country’s problems that it does not feel like sharing with the public. Either way, the party in power always seems to make at least a few decisions that just are not sensible. I suppose that is just a problem with being in power.

]]> By: Rich http://ask-mark.com/2005/12/15/rights-and-freedoms/#comment-3873 Rich Fri, 16 Dec 2005 05:56:15 +0000 http://ask-mark.com/?p=499#comment-3873 *Yanks soapbox out from under Mark* Ok, I don't know that the Patriot Act does what you say it does. I've paid more attention to the part where the government can spy on us more easily, though. I think their is a certain extent to which giving up freedoms is ok. It is not a terribly great extent, though. We've got to remember that the Patriot Act is not the first overreaction to dangerous times. I would point you to the Alien and Sedition Acts during the shaky post-Revolutionary War era and law enacted and Executive Orders issued during the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and the Cold War. The trend will turn around. As a matter of fact, Congress is about to renew the Patriot Act, and the new version is already less annoying than the old This knee-jerk Bush-bashing has to stop, though. Bush did not pass the Patriot Act, Congress did. Bi-partisanly. And IIRC, the idea for it did not come from the the administration in the first place. In any event, the objections to the Patriot Act do not just come from the left. Also, conservatives care about civil liberties, too, so I don't want to hear any sanctimonious liberal crap from any of you. By the way, the post you linked to is just plain stupid. I thought you'd want to know. *Tosses soapbox aside* *Yanks soapbox out from under Mark* Ok, I don’t know that the Patriot Act does what you say it does. I’ve paid more attention to the part where the government can spy on us more easily, though. I think their is a certain extent to which giving up freedoms is ok. It is not a terribly great extent, though. We’ve got to remember that the Patriot Act is not the first overreaction to dangerous times. I would point you to the Alien and Sedition Acts during the shaky post-Revolutionary War era and law enacted and Executive Orders issued during the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and the Cold War. The trend will turn around. As a matter of fact, Congress is about to renew the Patriot Act, and the new version is already less annoying than the old

This knee-jerk Bush-bashing has to stop, though. Bush did not pass the Patriot Act, Congress did. Bi-partisanly. And IIRC, the idea for it did not come from the the administration in the first place. In any event, the objections to the Patriot Act do not just come from the left.

Also, conservatives care about civil liberties, too, so I don’t want to hear any sanctimonious liberal crap from any of you.

By the way, the post you linked to is just plain stupid. I thought you’d want to know. *Tosses soapbox aside*

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