The Patriot Act should not be renewed. It gives the Attorney General and President Bush unlimited power to conduct investigations on anyone they determine to be a threat to national security. The US government can seize your bank records and scrutinize your purchases at the local Wal-Mart. They can also eavesdrop on your conversations and read your e-mails, without providing any proof of wrongdoing.
Recently the attorney general, along with President Bush, issued subpoenas to University of Iowa students. Their only crime was protesting the war in Iraq. They also viewed some attorneys in Pennsylvania and Delaware as possible threats to national security; they wiretapped their phone lines and looked into their records.
The last time I looked, we had the right to free speech and assembly and protection from unlawful search and seizure. The Patriot Act circumvents this process and allows the US government to investigate any American citizen whom they determine to be detrimental to its security. Not only can the government investigate its citizens, it can also detain them up to six months, without legal representation and without cause.
Even in the most capable hands, this law is very dangerous. We must take a very hard look at the Patriot Act to determine if we want to lose certain rights in order to give the US government the power to investigate its citizens. I urge you to think about the ramifications of this act by contacting your local legislator and by giving him or her your opinion on this issue. Our representatives need our opinions to decide on this very important piece of legislation.
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