Ustwo

Yes, let us ignore past times of conflict and focus on the recent past. Those interment camps didn't really count after all, I mean even the children forced to live in those camps are getting close retirement. I only bring up the camps since they were the most blatant loss of civil liberty in living memory, but it is hardly the first time Americans lost rights in times of conflict, and far more rights than the supposed loss of rights we now must 'endure'.

Perhaps you would care to compare Bush to the West Wing or some other arbitrary measure designed to make your side 'look good'? Not to get snide here, but I find your argument sad based on the circumstances we face. To me it says 'I am young, I only understand what has happened to me in my adult life time, the past doesn't matter as I wasn't alive then.'

The Patriot act is the most overhyped document in the last 30 years of US history. I have read the claims, and then read the document, most often the two did not meet. It has become the straw man, which has not changed ANY of our lives one iota, but is waved about as the equivalent of mien kampf and before the good Mr. Goodwin is invoked, you need not look further than this board to see such logic in action by those who oppose this administration.

So as for the last 30 years I really can not say if we have 'lost more rights'. I can say the bill of rights has not been infringed, and its rather difficult to say how the laws on surveillance and such have changed over the last 30 years to know if we have lost anything in the past or more in the last 5 years. I can state that communication technology has greatly changed in the last 30 years and as such, whatever laws we had are quite antiquated, or do you think that in 1975 they foresaw cell phones, the internet, and 128 bit encryption and wrote the laws accordingly?

The only loss of rights I have seen which has disturbed me to any degree was not due to the machinations of president Bush, or his supposed puppet masters, but the Supreme court, where liberal elements decided the government has the right to assume your land and do with it what it sees fit just because it may bring in more tax money. The legal theft of property by our government based on the most vague concept of public good is far more vexing to me than wondering if the FBI needs a warrant prior too, or within X amount of days before monitoring the computer activities of a foreign national.

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Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host

Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.