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Land Of The Watched, Home Of The Oppressed: The Usa Patriot Act

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."- Benjamin Franklin

On October 26th, 2001, just 45 days after September 11th a panicked Congress passed, with little debate, the USA Patriot Act. The 342 page patriot act violates our 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 14th amendments, thus making it unconstitutional. I don't know why Congress passed this act, or how it got through the Supreme Court, but most people in Congress didn't even read the Patriot Act. I am sure that our founding fathers would not have wanted the Patriot Act. Just look at what Ben Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." There was only one person in the senate that day that stood up for our Civil liberties, Russ Feingold (D-WI). He's a true "Patriot"

I'll start with a short summary of the Patriot Act.

Straight out of deranged John Ashcroft's mind came the Patriot Act. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn't make anyone in America the least bit safer. The overnight revision of the US surveillance laws expanded the government's ability to spy on US citizens and reduced checks and balances, judicial oversight, public accountability, and the ability to challenge government searches in court. It takes away many of our basic freedoms, even immigrants rights. With the Patriot Act America is no longer the "Land of the Free and the home of the Brave" It's more like "Land of the Concurred, Home Full of Hidden Cameras and Microphones". In the "new" America, where the Patriot Act is law, we loose our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

Time to take a look at some of the Amendments violated by the Patriot Act; my explanation will come after the text of the amendment.

Amendment I - BASIC FREEDOMS

    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the...