**** the ACLU. Those people aren't citizens. They don't have any "civil liberties". And the FBI/NSA should run covert investigations against all Muslims who are citizens to ward off the possibility of sleeper agents.
people do not like to accept it, but freedom really does have to be traded for security sometimes. this point is inarguable. although in the case of the patriot act you (and most every law abiding person) are effectively no less free. even you are arguing that you cant even tell if your precious privacy has been violated. i am not sure how violated i would feel by something if i didnt even notice it. that is true. i have read that the patriot act helped prevent a bomb on the brooklyn bridge. thats good for me, i actually ride across that bridge. i realize that may be an exaggerated story and nothing was really prevented, but i certaily like the idea of it, and i do know there are people trying to blow us up. and i am willing to accept the patriot act, (which doesnt affect me at all) if there is a chance it will help keep stuff from blowing up. i understand your point, i just trust the government a little bit more than you to give a not damn what i am doing. nobody gives a damn what i am doing, and if i give them reason to, i am glad they have some tools to investigate. when they start using the patriot act to bust a regular guy for smoking pot, then i will take your side. i dnont think the arguments against the patriot act are that crazy, i just dont think anyone is out to get me. i dont like child porn and rarely have any drugs on me. i have nothing to worry about. there are no skeletons in my closet. this slippery slope stuff is silly. things do not always flow towards less rights. unless of course you are talking about economics and there are people like you who often want the government to control the economy. the government wants my money, not my boring personal information.
Just a point: If you want to argue for the legalization of MJ, I'm right there with you. However, don't complain about getting busted and prosecuted for something that is currently against the law.
You're right. It's like the song in 'Team America', freedom isn't free. But I am of the opinion that our government is perfectly capable of sustaining a safe, secure America without having the liberty to trounce all over its citizens' Constitutional rights whenever they see fit. "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759 That's it, right there. I don't trust the government very much at all. I don't trust that they would use something of this nature strictly for it's stated purpose. The fact that 'secret courts' are the authorizing body for executions of this bill makes me very uneasy. Terrorism created a panic in this country never before seen. Citizens become very vulnerable and gullible at a time like that. And I don't think it's an appropriate circumstance under which to institute such monumental changes to the basic processes of our legal system. This can also be linked to a lot of my feelings about the Iraq war. Oh, so being pro-free market and anti-monopoly makes one a socialist now, huh? Interesting.
i dont even understand what the motivation of the government would be to invade my privacy. you want the government to stop voluntary transactions from being made. thats not a free market.
you make it difficult for me not to say anything when you claim to be pro-free market and at the same time favoring having the government stopping voluntary transactions from happening. you arent pro-free market if you are using the coercive power of the government to manipulate people. being forced to do something is the opposite of freedom. the market cant force you to do anything. only the government can. my fault. i guess you were talking to someone else, who you are the boss of.
