Patriot Act Pt. 2: Bush Launches Push For Tougher Terror Laws

Following the foiled United Kingdom bomb plot, the Bush administration is expected to use the terrorist threat to regain the upper hand in congressional debates and push for government action before the November elections.

Republicans appear to be circling around a new strategy to advocate stronger counterterrorism laws and expand domestic surveillance, while pushing back against civil libertarians. -- Wall Street Journal Online

As if we couldn't see this coming it's the return of the post 9/11 scare tactics. President Bush has already proven that he has no regard for law, the Constitution, civil liberties, and the Judicial System but now it seems that he want's to be sure that everyone knows it.

What really worries me though is numbers like the poll below, also from the WSJ.com story. How does that make sense? They worry that the Government will go to far yet they support the Patriot Act which was the first major step in that direction.

 

Recent polls show while Americans are concerned that the U.S. government will go too far in monitoring the activities of potential terrorists in the U.S. and violate the privacy of average citizens, they also are supportive of legislation such as the Patriot Act, and on balance have been inclined to embrace controversial antiterror steps, such as telephone and financial surveillance, over civil-liberties concerns. Republican congressional leaders have already begun to raise the possibility that changes might be needed.

Update

Another news story on this can be found at Bloomberg.com.

I'd also like to go more in depth about my feelings on the issue but keep in mind that it's 2:16 A.M. I think that by taking away our freedoms and privacy the President is letting the terrorists win. I also think that freedom is worth dying for and that I'd much rather die in a terrorist attack than live in a 1984-like world where Big Brother watches everything. Again these are just my thoughts and I have been up for way too long.