Originally posted by Martlet
Ahhh, so never then.
Apparently folks have lots of "what ifs" and "could haves", but nothing has ever happened.
Thanks for trying. Don't hesitate to come on back when you've got an example of a right you've lost.
Oh, watch out for that boogieman, too. I hear he gets mighty hungry after midnight.
Simply because it hasn't affected anyone doesn't mean that the right wasn't lost.
Example: a law just passed that allows the police to shoot you if they suspect you've commited a crime. You have lost the right to a trial by jury the second the law passed. It doesn't matter if it has affected you personally ... you still lost that right because a trial by jury may or may not be offerred to you. What may be different is that you won't realize that you've lost that right until the day you're the suspect and a cop is holding a gun to your head as you desparately plea that you didn't do it and only the jury can determine your guilt or innocence.
Same thing here. If the Patriot Act allows the FBI to search your house or tap your line without a warrant, you have lost your right to be safe from an unreasonable search and seizure. Granted you may not realize it until the FBI knocks on your door, but if they do you will not be able to ask them for a warrant and tell them to leave if they don't produce one.
Of course one can always argue that the government having that ability is not a right lost until someone gets searched, takes it to court, and the court upholds the search and evidence gathered under the patriot act ... meaning that more searches without warrants can take place and cannot be challanged. As long as the law enforcement follow the legislative intent of the law, the rights of the people are not infringed. That would be the other point of view.
I guess what I'm trying to say is we all need to agree on the definition of a lost right before this thread will really have a meaning. Otherwise you have 2 sides arguing their definitions without any real answers being produced.
