Let's back up just a bit... Ryan's post was good and all, I don't disagree with anything he said in particular, but he didn't answer the second part of Jambo's post.
Let me rephrase it:
If we can assume that the Patriot Act was a stop-gap measure... something that wasn't intended to be a "forever" thing... then why haven't we: A) fixed what was broken before 9/11/01, or B) determined that either the whole thing goes or the whole thing stays?
Smaller, less intrusive government is the modern motto of the conservative movement that claims Reagan as its fountainhead (assuming the "Founding Fathers" are the actual founders... sheesh). Nothing about the Patriot Act is "smaller" or "less intrusive" to any facet of this society, questionable, criminal or otherwise.
The Patriot Act (as I have always understood it to stand) was intended to be a way to get all information available instantly accessable to all agencies and beureaus that might need it. It was NOT intended as a means to gather intelligence at all (as it was first proposed in 2001, that is)... those aspects of the Act were added later (sometimes, and in some cases, much later through judicial revue).
If something in the Patriot Act WORKS now, then it should be made a functional facet of government operation... permanently and by whatever legal, contitutional means are available. If it does not work (either now or in a more secure and peaceful future) then it should be removed permanently from every facet of government operation.
No one, conservative or liberal, gets to have their cake and eat it too.
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