Why Do Conservatives Support the Patriot Act 1 & 2

by "BushBGone04"

By now, the majority of Americans are familiar with the provisions of the Patriot Act. It proposes to limit the rights and freedoms of the American people in the name of preventing terrorism. The First Amendment guarantees us freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom to petition the government. The Patriot Act created a crime of "domestic terrorism" that would apply to any American who encourages the overthrow of our government. Anyone who law enforcement authorities consider to be a threat can be arrested, jailed, and held indefinitely without even being given a trial or having charges brought against them.

Right-wing Conservatives generally support this act. I admit I'm at a loss to understand their support of this subversive act.  I can't ever remember a terrorist holding a meeting at the local Elks Club and calling for the overthrow of our government. I do recall, however, anti-war rallies where American citizens who love their country, protested the war with Iraq and some calling for Bush's impeachment. That could be construed as urging others to overthrow the government. The Patriot Act isn't aimed at terrorists, it's meant to subdue any opposition from us, the American people. What could the administration possibly have planned that would be so horrible that they would incarcerate Americans who objected to it in order to silence them?

The Conservatives, if memory serves me, were very vocal in their condemnation of President Clinton while he was in office. They called for his impeachment. Would they have supported repression of their freedom of speech and freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances or risk jail indefinitely if the Patriot Act had been in place at that time? Would they have supported the passage of such an act if it were proposed then?

I hope they realize that a day will come when they are again the opposition party. Any freedoms taken from some of us are taken from all of us and a group it targets today, may not be the same targets tomorrow.

Will it prevent terrorists from destroying our American concepts of liberty and freedom by destroying them ourselves first? If those who believe that is the aim of the terrorists, is it some form of safety tactic to voluntarily surrender our freedom and rights so they no longer lure terrorists to attack? If that's the intent, it makes as much sense as wrapping our homes in plastic with duct tape. Repression does not equate to security.

Giving up our freedom and rights when millions have died to preserve them or allowing them to be taken by the very government formed to establish them as inalienable, is to break faith with those patriots and is the ultimate act of treason. It destroys from within what no force from without has been able to accomplish in 227 years... the fabric of American Democracy.