The notion that the Patriot Act tramples all over The Constitution is bullshit. It's pure propaganda. You have to do a little homework.

The Act in most of it's key components expands some law enforcement tolls already in effect. It also clarifies identification and recordkeeping for financial transactions. Also information sharing between agencies. This should have been in effect all along anyway.

The parts the lefties and liberal people bitch about are the components dealing with non US citizen residents. Personaly I have never felt that non citizens should have all the rights and protections under the law granted US citizens.

Something had to be done when a bunch of non citizens murdered 3000 people and it was clear they were members of an international terrorist organization.

1300 wiretaps... I am shocked it is that low. It is estimated that there are almost 1300 mosques in the US alone. The overwhelming majority funded by money from overseas. Who knows how many charities and non-profits have been created to collect, launder, and funnel money to terrorist and jihadi activities.

It would seem The Patriot Act is not being used as much as it should. I would have expected many thousands of wiretaps. Especially due to the "roving wiretap" provisions. Fact is they just don't have the manpower. They still have to get a warrant for a tap and they also have to show "cause". They don't just pull names from a hat.

Anyone here who thinks the government is infringing on their personal rights is either an idiot or guilty of something.

The Patriot Act expires in 2005 anyway.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/08/23/patriot.act.explainer/