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Originally posted by KillerYoda
Lincoln also suspended the writ of habeas corpus. No one seemed to comment on that, all I've seen so far was Nazi and gun banter.
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And the power exercised by the president and the congress was ruled unconstitutional by the judicial branch.
That leads to the current themes.... are we preserving freedom by destroying it? It can be argued that the terrorists were "jealous" of our freedom and that was the target of their strike. If so, they have successfully defeated us whilst we are fighting the phantom "war on terror."
I think by suppressing freedom even temporarily sets a precedent for future government actions. The ease at which the government can get away with such actions also gauges how engaged and aware the citizens under its jurisdiction are.
Also,
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"The privileges and benefit of the writ of Habeas Corpus shall be enjoyed in this Government, in the most expeditious and ample manner; and shall not be suspended by the Legislature, except upon the most urgent and pressing occasions, and for a limited time not exceeding months."
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this sets limits, explicit limits, on the power and duration of the suspension.
By contrast, the Patriot act is not stated as being temporary and some would like it to be permanent. Implications of the Act's vague language can cover "political enemies" or anyone who "criticizes" the government. We must consider the most extreme implications of stuff such as this because otherwise one by one we will continue to lose rights until it is too late. By then there will be no one to whine/complain/support us. Not even gun owners
