I received this email on an issue that I don’t believe gets enough attention:
As the Congress currently reviews some of the provisions in the Patriot Act that are up for consideration again, I would like your blogs to address this very important matter. I've already written Todd Epp, over at S.D. Watch about it and hope he does some articles on it himself. Never at any time in our history have civil liberties been in such a crisis, especially with many provisions in this act. I've researched some of them and I believe, as many other Americans, that they clearly violate our Constitution. The Fourth and Fifth Amendments are clearly violated by some of the provisions and I've written Senators Johnson and Thune and Representative Herseth to take a fresh look at them before they vote on whether or not to make them permanent. Rapid City attorney Bruce Ellison, gave a great presentation on the Patriot Act last week to students at Black Hills State University and it was very enlightening. I've always been opposed to most provisions in this act, because I believe civil liberties are at the core of our democracy, especially when we claim to be fighting a war in the name of democracy over in Iraq. If we are to be successful in this war, we must not be hypocritical in trying to restrict the civil liberties of our own citizens. As chairman of my college's chapter of Republicans, we are currently discussing and debating the merits of the Patriot Act, and many of us, as Republicans, have a diversity of opinion over this act. I also currently serve in the South Dakota Army National Guard and I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States and would like to think that our government is upholding the principles in this document.
Thank you for your time!
I do believe this issue should be considered a bipartisan one. I am open to hearing both sides on an issue that is not cut and dried. We do want to go after the bad guys, but do we allow our freedoms to take second place to our safety? As a conservative, I have to say no.
