I got the following Oppinison to Editor (Minneapolis Post) from Schneier's
blog. It is about the Patriot Act. A conservative rants
agaist the arguement that the Patriot Act is an “erosion of freedom”.
THE PATRIOT ACT
Where are the abuses?
The Nov. 22 commentary “The erosion of freedom” is yet another
example of how liberal hysteria is conspicuously light on details.
While the Patriot Act may allow for potential abuses of power, flaws
undoubtedly to be fine-tuned over time, the “erosion of freedom” it may
foster absolutely pales in comparison to the freedom it is designed to
protect in the new age of global terrorism.
I have yet to read of one incident of infringement of any private
citizen's rights as a direct result of the Patriot Act — nor does this
commentary point out any, either.
While I'm a firm believer in the Fourth Amendment, I also want our
law enforcement to have the legal tools necessary, unfettered by
restrictions to counter liberals' paranoid fixation on “fascism,” in
order to combat the threat that terrorism has on all our freedoms.
I have enough trust in our free democratic society and the coequal
branches of government that we won't evolve into a sinister “police
state,” as ominously predicted by this commentary.
CHRIS GARDNER, MINNEAPOLIS
Now read what the brilliant Mr. Bruce Schneir has to say about this peice
“A simple
Googling
of “patriot act abuses” comes up with almost 3 million hits, many of
them pretty extensive descriptions of Patriot Act abuses.”
Some partisan citizens in the U.S. always talk about smaller
government, yet most of these very same citizens totally support the
power that the Patriot Act gives to the U.S. government. I'm not
saying there is no need for some of the provisions in the Patriot Act
(like allowing domestic and international agenies to talk) but as
Americans we should be very leary about an Act that give so much power
to the government.
While I don't believe things have spun out of control with a pandemic
of widespread abuse of the Patriot Act, I do believe we should be very
suspicious and scrutinizing of this Act and any other seeking to usurp
our liberty that was won (and continually won) by the blood of true
patriots throughout the course of America's relatively short
history. We can't allow one Act to abolish our inalienable rights.
Have we forgotten the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit
of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of
these Ends, it is in the Right of the People to alter or abolish it,
and to institute a new Government…
We must scrutinize any laws
and/or ACTS that would allow the government to abolish or corrupt our
rights. If not, how can we call our selves Americans. It
seems that ego and partisan ties have obscured reason to the point of
political stupidity.