A Patriotic Duty: Repeal the Patriot Act

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/05/24-7

This draconian law was never about public safety. Americans' constitutional liberties have been trashed for the war on drugs

The first thing you need to understand about the Patriot Act is this: Osama Bin Laden's destruction of the World Trade Centre wasn't the reason the act was passed; it was merely the excuse. The real reason dates back to the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan demonstrated his principled commitment to personal liberty and small government by turning the "war on drugs" up to 11. < Marcus Donner/Reuters)>

Of course, the constitution as it's written makes drug laws difficult to enforce. Police learn about most crimes – real crimes – when the victims report them to the police. But there's no victim to complain when a willing buyer purchases a product from a willing seller, so drug cops looking to make arrests and justify their existence had to resort to privacy violations and fishing expeditions instead.

Then came the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the most horrific in my country's history. But it was also the answer to every drug warrior's prayers: they finally got the unconstitutional powers they craved, and under a spiffy patriotic acronym to boot. The Patriot Act passed six weeks later and, as the ACLU noted:

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