Is War Necessary?

[Sailormon6]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Unfortunately, the neo-cons and their supporters don't see anything wrong with warrantless wiretaps or searches...

Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the overwhelming majority of members of Congress, Democrat and Republican alike, also didn't see anything wrong with the Patriot Act when they voted to renew it last year. It's a "Demo-Rep" conspiracy against all of us! Curse those Demo-Reps!

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Here's a question for you...

when Terry Schiavo's husband decided to remove her from life support, why did the Republicans feel that the Federal government had any right to intervene in what should have been a purely personal and private matter? How much government money was spent on that? What was the justification?

Granted, this isn't related to the war, but it does show that the GOP and the Bush administration seem to have a complete disregard for the rights of individuals, even when there is no national security concern.

What makes you think only the Republicans were concerned about the prospect of Terry Schiavo being starved to death? Don't you think many Democrats were also struggling to find the humane answer to all the ethical and moral issues that were raised by the case? The House voted 203 to 58 in support of the Schiavo Bill at the end of four tumultuous days and an emotional debate that began Sunday night at 9 and ended shortly after midnight. A healthy difference of opinion was shared by Republicans and Democrats alike. Voting yes were 156 Republicans and 47 Democrats, while 53 Democrats and 5 Republicans voted no.

The Senate, with no objections, approved the measure by a voice vote.

The Bush Administration and the GOP didn't demonstrate a disregard for the rights of individuals. Indeed, they, along with almost half the Democrats in the House showed that both the Legislative and Executive branches of our government were deeply concerned with the rights of a single individual, Terry Schiavo.

It was another Demo-Rep conspiracy. Damn them to hell!

[erps]

even though it is pretty clear to most Americans that Bush deserves impeaching far more than Clinton ever did. Which is worse—a man lying about having an extra-marital consensual relationship with a woman not his wife... or repeatedly violating the Constitutional rights of almost every American alive.

it might be pretty clear to most Americans in your neighborhood but I suspect it's a Red/Blue state thing. Neither of those statements hold true in my experience/neighborhood. The hair goes up on the back of my neck when an individual speaks for "most Americans", although I think it's understandable for any reasonable person to view his opinions are shared with most other reasonable people.

I've been wondering for a couple of years now...it seems to me that the easier issues have been settled and we're up against the really hard issues now. It also seems to me that the opinion divide is getting worse and worse but my political awareness only goes back thirty years or so. What was it like in the 40s-50s-60s?

[merttan]

Originally Posted by Sailormon6

Existing law already recognizes many exceptions to the search warrant requirement.

I can't imagine why the government would search a house if it wasn't related to an investigation. Idle curiosity?

Under existing law, the government can search your house without notifying you. If they arrive at your house with a search warrant and you aren't home, because you're on the run from police, for example, they search your house anyway.

That depends on all the facts.

Why aren't you willing to let these issues be decided by the courts in their normal, orderly processes? That's the way the most important decisions are made in our society. The answer to that question, in most instances, is that some people view the Patriot Act as a club to bludgeon the President and his administration, not as a tool to fight terrorism.

The Patriot Act was carefully studied and enacted into law by a majority of both houses of Congress, in the manner prescribed by our Constitution. In 2006, the Patriot Act was renewed by Congress. After an overwhelming 89-10 vote supporting the Act in the Senate, Harry Reid said: "What we tried to do on a bipartisan basis is have a better bill. It has been improved." The Patriot Act isn't just a creation that sprang from the "sinister minds" of the Bush administration, as his detractors would like us to believe. It was massaged and amended and overwhelmingly adopted by both houses of Congress, by the people who we have elected and trusted to represent us in such matters. It represents the best, most creative thinking of both the legislative and executive branches of our government, as well as their extensive staffs of professional legislative draftsmen and advisers. If the President's critics were honest in the expression of their opinions, they wouldn't limit their venomous attacks to President Bush. They'd share them equally with Democrats and Republicans alike, in both houses of Congress, including Majority Leader Harry Reid, who overwhelmingly approved the Patriot Act. If they were honest, that is...

Well, I'm not saying that one is not in their property because they are running away... I'm talking about RANDOM ACTS OF WARRANTLESS SEARCHES!!!! No wonder you reps are having a hard time dealing with the dems... Even a bipartisan cannot communicate with you....

AS A TRAFFIC UNIT PULLING YOU OVER FOR A RANDOM SELECTION IS AGAINST YOUR RIGHTS, SO IS SOMEONE SEARCHING YOUR HOME WITHOUT A REASON....
Are you from a former dictatorship to bow your head so easily for the government to do whatever they pleases?
Did I even mention about Bush or reps in my opinion about PA? I encourage you (and US senators) to read bills before making them partisan issues... The PA was, of course, modified in 2002 and 2005. The bill itself was undemocratic...
Why any government would be interested in getting your financial, educational, medical, and electronic records? They are simply saying that you are guilty until proven innocent...
Isn't the law says you are innocent until proven guilty?
Come on now...
Apparently, some have been living perfect lives without even getting pulled over... The law even says, you have right to question the officer, challange the ticket, etc...
So if one day they arrest your son for no reasonable cause, you'd just sit and say it's ok?
Since you opened the Bushism, here is a direct quote; "it would be easier to govern a dictatorship"
I'm done here....

[merttan]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

merttan - you might want to look at what the IRS can do to you, and that's just to take your money from you, not national security.

Ironically, I have no problems with IRS... I pay them what I owe and when I owe them...
You are native born American; with IRS, they can bankrupt you, with INS they can strip your citizenship...
But i feel the pain and understand the meaning of april fool
Take care

[cardiacpaul]

"AS A TRAFFIC UNIT PULLING YOU OVER FOR A RANDOM SELECTION IS AGAINST YOUR RIGHTS, SO IS SOMEONE SEARCHING YOUR HOME WITHOUT A REASON.... "

Random is the operative word.
An officer can (and will) pull you over for 'suspicious activity'. That can be anything from taking one hand off the wheel to wave to someone, to turning your head to have a conversation, to not snapping your turn signal "in time". If they need a reason, they'll find a reason.
And...
I'm ok with that.

[sailaway21]

Dog,
Repeating the litany over and over again doesn't make it so. What particular rights and liberties have you personally been denied under the Patriot Act and GW Bush. Since your point is that most Americans feel the same as you and all have been denied their rights it shopuldn't be awfully hard for you to come up with just one personally.