What Rights Will You Surrender?

The USA Patriot Act emasculated the Bill of Rights. President Bush declares he, as Commander in Chief during wartime, is above the law. He also decides he, and only he, can decide which new laws he'll abide by and enforce. This has all been in the news recently. It used to be law enforcement in this country had to prove probable cause and obtain search warrants before searching your home or your private records. They could not listen to your telephone calls or read your emails without such safeguards. That is all history.

As Americans have willingly gone along with infringements of their rights Reading Eagle editor Al Walentis used his blog to ask readers why they are then unwilling to surrender their Second Amendment rights. This is certainly a thought provoking question. Once we accede to regular violations of our constitutional rights where do we draw the line?

I was outraged to discover my free speech rights infringed when I was regularly relegated to "free speech zones" when President Bush and other Republicans appeared in our region. Then Rick Santorum's hired thug threatened to arrest some college girls who had the temerity to attend a public book signing in Delaware.

The question Mr. Walentis raises is where would some Americans draw the line? What's to stop the government from revoking their right to own guns? I bet that one would wake them up. Too bad limiting their right of free speech and their right to prevent the government from searching their homes or tapping their phones didn't.