Tom Yum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act

Scope

Among the laws the PATRIOT Act amended are immigration laws and banking and money laundering laws. It also amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

With respect to terrorism definitions, for example, section 802 of the Act created the new crime category of "domestic terrorism." According to this provision, which is found in the U.S. criminal code at 18 U.S.C. § 2331, domestic terrorism means activities that (A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the U.S. or of any state, that (B) appear to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping, and (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The scope is fairly broad. Are there case studies available to determine the depth?

How deep should the Patriot Act go?

I saw a pollster on the news that said 60% of some surveyed Americans disagreed with Bush's new surveillance act. I imagine it depends on how the poll was worded and which regions were surveyed.

My basic understanding is that Bush's new random surveillance program is a mechanism used to protect the US civillian population from somewhat organized potential danger.

Is this a sign that traditional law enforcement methods need additional inteligence to meet the unique needs of terrorists or is this an opportunity to merge local and federal law enforcement?