The Patriot Act - hated by Terrorists, Criminals and a few Conservatives

Lee Ellis

If England had had a Patriot Act enacted, the London police may have been able to prevent the subway bombing.

Since, 2001, the Patriot Act has helped to protect America and has caused many sleeper cells to be broken up and their members arrested. And yet, there are still people who are trying to keep it from being renewed.

We know why some Democrats don’t like it. It may help strengthen President Bush. We can also surmise why the terrorists and criminals want in abolished. However, I am amazed that there are some Conservatives or Libertarians who do not want the Patriot Act either.

Here are some comments that I have received recently:

“If someone goes to a library and checks out a book about bomb-making, or Osama Bin Laden, shouldn't we have a right to know, or they should be at least checked out?" The answer is a resounding "NO!" You don't have that right. The right to privacy is protected by the Constitution.”

“This society is based on the principle of innocent until proven guilty. That means you have no right to investigate me until a crime has been committed, and there is reason to suspect me of having committed it. We can not stop every crime that is going to be committed.”

The answers to these complaints are very simple and certainly these comments explain why we need the Patriot Act.

When you and I go to the library, we are not going to worry about the FBI or some government agency checking to see what books we read or borrow. No agent is going to waste his or her valuable time checking on us. Why? --- Because they would be fired for checking on people who do not fit any type of terrorist profile. There is a shortage of agents and police in this country and so they have to be sure that they are spending their time and budgeted hours on following up on terrorists and not on the average boring citizen living an ordinary life in America.

"…That means you have no right to investigate me until a crime has been committed..."

In other words, the FBI is not allowed to protect us until AFTER the terrorists have blown up the bus, train or plane that we and our family are riding in or the school to which our children are in daily with their teachers. Perhaps it is a theatre, an arena for a sports event or our church or temple that is shattered by bombs or gas or machine gun fire. Only then can anyone who is still alive investigate?

This is NOT a military war like the past wars between countries where we fought a nation's uniformed soldiers who respect POWs under the Geneva Accords. These are thugs who actually get pleasure from killing or maiming innocent women, men and their babies or children.

Once the Wahabis, who already own millions of dollars of property here in nine of our United States, have complete control of the Middles East, then they will use their tactics to pit us against each other and thus take control of our government.

If anyone really thinks that he or she has already lost a liberty or two due to the Patriot Act, (I cannot think of one that I have personally lost) then these people had better be prepared to live under Islamic rule, because this may well happen if we do NOT renew this important law!

Having almost died, as a member of an invasion team used for the attacks on the Marshall and the Gilberts in the South Pacific during WW II, I do not want our generation to think that we did this in vain because of people like those who are trying to stop the renewal, or the waterering down, of the Patriot Act!

My personal motto is "Evil can never be appeased, only challenged!" My VFW Post buddies and I still believe in America and still know that it is only weakness and loss of resolve that can conquer us! The old adage, "United we stand; Divided, we fall" is still true!

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Lee Ellis is a retired journalist and narrator, formerly with both CBS and Gannett (USA Weekend). He was also a combat veteran of WWII, having fought in the South Pacific invasions. He had the pleasure of interviewing Ronald Reagan as an actor and then later working to help him become Governor of California. At the age of 80, he is keeping busy writing and doing free lance narrations for radio and television. He is an active member of Rotary and the VFW.

indiolee@dc.rr.com