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Our Shrinking Civil Liberties May Soon Disappear if we Are Not Careful.

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Our shrinking civil liberties may very well be disappearing in coming years if the citizens of our nation are not careful. 

The government has always tested the limits in regard to our civil liberties, but the people have had moderate success at protecting what is there. 

With the passing of the Patriot Act in 2001, the government took its most aggressive stab at our civil liberties yet. 

Our civil liberties were in trouble even before the Patriot Act was signed into law by President Bush. 

It was well known that civil liberties would be infringed on, yet the law was passed with almost no opposition anyway. 

As the years passed and no terrorist attacks occurred, we, the people, began to take notice of our shrinking civil liberties. 

People began to take notice that the FBI could monitor cell phone conversations even when your phone is turned off. 

That might not have made much of a difference in the past, but since the Patriot Act has been passed, the government does not have to even get a warrant before starting the tap. 

Searches can be done without the suspected guilty party present. Your library books can be monitored. Your emails can be read. 

Your computer can be monitored and the words you type tracked. Your name does not even have to be on the warrant. 

The government can pretty much do what it wants, when it wants, all in the name of national security. 

The government claimed many of these restrictions would expire. 

That expiration date has come and gone and the restrictions stay in place. 

If allowed, our shrinking civil liberties will continue to shrink until they are no more. 

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Are We Paying Attention?

A Gallup poll taken in January 2006 asked Americans what they were considering as the important issues in the coming Congressional elections. 

Near the bottom of the list were the Patriot Act and government surveillance issues.

Barely 30% mentioned that the Patriot Act would be considered in their votes. Less than 30% were concerned about surveillance issues. 

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Bush and Civil Liberties

If our civil liberties continue to shrink it will be easy to see where the blame needs to fall.

Shortly after 9/11 it is no surprise that the Patriot Act was not hard to get passed. 

Polls taken in 2002 show that the people were giving Bush quite a bit of slack in regard to civil liberties due to the pressing war on terrorism. 

However, as the years pass since 9/11, the public perception of our shrinking civil liberties has worsened. In a 2006 poll, the disapproval of Bush rose to 41%.

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