Secret laws in the US

How is the Patriot Act scary? Are you a terrorist? If not, then it should make you feel safer. Rights are not being abused, the public and news will make sure of that.

Actually, I'm not a terrorist and just to be clear, I do NOT support terrorist activity or activity that involves harming innocent people for a fanatical cause. I have a problem with the Patriot Act and many laws that are being passed because I care about my civil liberty. I would hope for and do support a government that looks for and thwarts a person or a group of people are harboring, supporting, or belong to an organization that plans on killing people or spreading messages of hate intended to influence those whom might kill. Yes, I will agree the Patriot Act does provide the government an opportunity to look for and question terrorists. However, my problem is that it also allows the government and president the unprecedented option of spying and questioning innocent American and foreign citizens. I hope everyone knows that under the Patriot Act the government can search ANYONE's financial, medical, library, employment, and internet records. The scary thing is the government does not need to suspect you are a terrorist to do so! And they do not have to tell you they are searching your records. The government has the power to monitor your emails and the sites you visit. Law officials can search, photograph, and take items from your home without your consent. The government shares citizen's information and records with the CIA and other agencies. I just wanted to add it is easier than ever to be labelled a "terrorist." According to the Patriot Act a person can be labelled a terrorist if they belong to an activist group. So if you protest in demonstrations, add your name to petitions or take part in any form of civil disobedience you can be categorized as a terrorist. Then the authorities have the power to detain, question (even torture), and monitor you.

To MrNiceGuy: the scary thing is the existence of the 'Sensitive Security Information' classification that says it's OK to essentially make laws and keep them hidden from the public. If we don't know the law, how can we be expected to obey it...or, if it's unjust, petition our legislators to repeal it? The Patriot Act is a large and complex document, and I doubt there are very many people who fully appreciate everything it does...including many of the nation's senators and representatives. Parts of it are entirely reasonable, but the use of the 'SSI' classification in the way I've described is certainly not. The whole concept of secret law is inconsistent with the idea of an open democratic society. If you truly love America and what it stands for, you can't accept this kind of lawmaking.