Sure the Patriot Act is important but I also feel that it does have flaws specifically on spying on law abiding citizens.
A great misconception regarding the Patriot Act since people listen to rhetoric rather than reading the documentation itself. Just as before the Patriot Act was established, the gov't must have a reason to "spy" on a US Citizen. They can't merely say "Hey, let's go see what ol' Billy Bob is up to these days." Yes, sometimes innocent people do get investigated, but something out of the ordinary had to attract their attention. That is not taking away anyone's civil liberties. That's keeping everyone (including the person investigated) safe.
It's true that technically they do have to have a reason, but it's not too hard to come up with one if you really want to. What does one have to do in order to be considered a potential terrorist?
That's like saying a police officer can't pull your car over without suspicion that you've broken a law. Technically true, but there are so many laws, and so many that are routinely unenforced, that the reality is the cops can pull over anyone at any time and harass them if they so choose. Fortunately 95% of police officers are fine upstanding citizens.
When it comes to the Patriot Act, I just don't trust anyone with that much power. I'd rather not give up my civil liberties for a false sense of security.
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