Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties Reviews

• ESSENTIAL.

  
  By A3R4AGXSAX1AGS on 2004-10-22
  See it and vote on Nov. 2. I disagree with an earlier reviewer who compares the film to those of Michael Moore. There is nothing tongue-in-cheek in UNCONSITUTIONAL, no use of humor to dampen or soften the blow of this documentary. This is as serious as they get. Very compelling film. Should be required viewing for everyone BEFORE they vote. Big props to director Nonny de la Peña and producer Robert Greenwald (responsible for the other "UN" docs and the potent "OUTFOXED") for making this vital, necessary film. As UNCONSTITUTIONAL points out, there was no debate on The Patriot Act before Congress passed it. Now is the time to have that debate, in the public arena.
  
  

• Thought Provoking

  
  By A3TYW8I2KUHKI8 on 2004-11-05
  Besides thought provoking, this film will make you sad, fearful and angry. Anyone that suggests that this film bears any resemblance to Moore's F9/11 has not seen the film. This is pretty much straight documentary, without the music and humor that Moore used. It focuses on the aftermath of 9/11 and the passage of the so-called "Patriot Act." The wholesale attack upon civil rights and the abuses of both citizens and foreign nationals that the film documents is truly frightening. Every American should see this film because it focuses on the rights we have under the Constitution and the attack upon those rights that 9/11's hysteria has allowed. Truly a conversation starter but NOT for the faint of heart as it is critical of current US policy.
  
  

• Hardly Patriotic and Sadly Invasive...Scary Insights Abound

  
  By A13E0ARAXI6KJW on 2004-10-28
  It's about time someone delved into the repercussions of the Bush administration's Patriot Act, a hurried piece of legislation that was supposed to provide us a safeguard against terrorists. Director Nonny de la Pena, under the supervision of Robert Greenwald (who directed the blistering "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism", also strongly recommended) has made an eye-opening, sometimes shocking documentary that brings new, unfiltered light to the underbelly of the Patriot Act. Subjected to last-minute additions and changes before passing that dramatically altered its orientation, it has had a significant and heretofore unknown impact on our civil liberties, and the film pulls no punches in outlining those violations. De la Pena asserts that many of the provisions in the Patriot Act have little to do with terrorism and were just changes that various conservative Republicans wanted for a long time.
  
  The invasion of privacy highlighted is enormous. According to the film, the government can now demand customer records from stores and conduct sneak-peek searches in people's homes without a warrant. There is no limit to what the Patriot Act allows, and the original purpose has been lost. The documentary does provide good news in that the officials who actually passed it are beginning to question its effectiveness and clamoring for public debate about it. De la Pena even interviews Representative Robert Barr, one of the more conservative members of Congress, who is quite open about his concerns regarding the credence of the Act. But the most telling portion of the documentary is the story of the Hamouis, a Syrian family who owned a grocery store in Seattle for over a decade. Under the guidelines of the Patriot Act, the government arrested and detained them, not allowing them access to many of the rights due even to criminals. They were held with only vague charges even though for all intents and purposes, the Hamouis are "American". And even after the FBI cleared them, they remained in jail for months, with little legal recourse. This is exactly the racist world that conservative muckraker Michelle Malkin proposes in her disturbing book, "In Defense of Internment: The Case for Racial Profiling in World War II and the War on Terror", and it's sad to realize that it is coming into fruition. De la Pena shows how mistaken identities lump the good in with the bad, and the Patriot Act allowed innocent citizens to be removed from Florida voter rolls for having names similar to those of felons. This is essential viewing for anyone who values the U.S Constitution and champions the battle against intolerance.
  
  

• Thank you, Filmakers

  
  By A1XHD2C2FV0ZK1 on 2004-11-04
  I watched this film on Sundance and was transfixed. The story of The Patriot Act has been compellingly reported. Everybody should see it - progressives and conservatives alike. Americans can no longer take our liberties and democracy for granted.
  
  To the reviewer scott d stout: Your lack of information substantiating your criticisms indicates your lack of objectivity. Your failure to include your email in your reviewer information indicates your cowardice.
  
  

• We have to put a stop to this!!

  
  By A3N2TUIWQ9RK03 on 2004-10-13
  This depressing and eye-opening documentary shows the severe abuses of civil liberties for immigrants and U.S. citizens. We detain people we suspect of terrorism indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay. The vast majority of these people have no links to terrorism what so ever. In addition, in the weeks after 9/11, we deported hundreds of people of Middle East origin back to their countries secretly with their families still living in the U.S. unaware of what had happened.
  
  Latin Americans, people who converted to Islam, or people who look slightly Middle Eastern have also been a victim to these disgusting abuses of civil liberties.
  
  Nobody would like their mother or father to be discriminated against, arrested and held indefinitely simply because of their faith or the way they look. America has chosen to put these people in Guantanamo Bay indefinitely because it is not on American soil so American laws don't apply, neither do Geneva conventions.
  
  If we follow the USA Patriot Act and allow these civil rights abuses to continue, then the terrorists have won. We have all started suspecting each other and going against each other. What we have to do is show tolerance and stick together.
  
  I highly recommend this eye-opening documentary. It is very moving. Every human being, whether they are American or not, has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's what we have been taught since we were born.
  
  
  
• Exposing the tools of Neocon Oppression..
  By A2J57EQ9KPGXR9 on 2004-10-20
  People often ask "If 9/11 was a scam, what is the reason for executing such a scheme?" Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties answers a major portion of that question.
  
  The "Patriot" Act, passed by congress after 9/11 in the middle of the night under the noses of the American people, is one of the most powerful tools the Neocons have ever had to render the protections of our liberties in the Constitution useless. It was passed through congress by cowardly senators who did'nt want to look "weak on terrorism" and were too scared to even read it! This movie outlines the history of this act of treason and EVERY American should watch it. The truth is getting out: ANYONE can be labelled a "terrorist" under the Patriot Act.
  
  I am sure Neocon lapdogs will hate this movie; their response to this Fascist legislation has always been "if you are a good American (a silent, obedient slave to your government masters) then you'll have nothing to worry about.."
  
  This film explains why being an ignorant minion in a democratic society is such a bad idea.
  
  BUY THIS FILM. WATCH THIS FILM.
  
  
• intense
  By AYG85IADGYM7H on 2004-09-30
  Not a bad movie. Good civil-rights agitprop (meant positively) in Moore's style. Even twentysomething coeds in a small west coast college where I saw it (Oregon) were transfixed by what they saw on the screen, some to the point of audibly reacting to it. A bit too emotional to my liking. Basically they read something from the Bill of Rights and go and show you what Ashcroft-FBI-DHS reality is out there. And that's generally not very pretty. Technically most of it has little to do with the Patriot Act, just generalized abuse of law enforcement, prosecutorial, judicial, etc. powers in the name of post 9/11 security. Worth seeing especially by those who think everything is hunky-dory.
  
  
• Nothing short of excellent!
  By A4PPIW83RJQ0J on 2005-07-21
  I saw this film back in the fall of my freshman year at college as part of a political science class. This film is very dead-on at attacking the motives behind the Patriot Act and making every "neocon" seem foolish in their defense of this horrendous act. A Republican I knew from that class admitted that this was a very dispicable act. Along with the other exploits of the conservative media exposed by more knowledgable left-wing personalities, the motives of the Patriot Act tops it all.
  
  
• Manipulative
  By AV1R199BSRBL6 on 2005-10-04
  Though well made, the movie is manipulative, really leaving more questions than answers. The narrator is extremely vague, -- "certain people" "they" among other euphemisms -- refuses to include other points of view, making it ipso facto propaganda, and plays more on the viewer's emotions than anything else... Part of it is a pro-illegal immigration manifesto. The actual phrasing of the Geneva Convention is manipulated too -- in the actual document, it says that only those who fight under a uniform are entitled to it's protections. The documentary claims that all people are, regarldess... Overall, it's basically a documentary with some a few valid points but overall just well-made propaganda.
  
  
• Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties - Good
  By A1U9E90X9NC5S7 on 2005-07-31
  Well done. Good information. Important issues are covered in a way that helps keep us tuned into what's really important.
  
  
• If it can happen to them, it can happen to you
  By A2EOXSIHWEX4I9 on 2005-08-13
  This is an eye opening account of governmental violation of our constitutional rights. If you ask, What rights of yours or mine are being violated, watch this film.
  
  
• A LOUD warning to any American or world citizen of what's coming!
  By A3EJYJC25OJVKK on 2006-02-20
  I watched this documentary and I was absolutely disturbed and immensely troubled by the things that were exposed in regards to the Patriot Act and how it passed with only one Senator (hero Russ Feingold) actually being able to see through the fear and deception and vote against it. The Patriot Act passed 98 to 1. All but one of the 47 Democrats and all 51 Republicans as well as one Independent voted in favor of it due to the fear that was rampant at the time, only 45 days after September 11, 2001. Yet the Patriot Act has failed to make our country safer from foreign elements that aim to wage war on us but also has been used in an abusive way that violates Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights in such obscene ways and and with 'fighting terrorism' as an excuse for these actions by secret operations. The most heartbreaking are the Middle Eastern families who actually fled from religious persecution in their home countries and actually being sent back in the middle of the night. It's absolutely scary at what's gathering before us. Whatever side of the aisle you stand on, "War on Our Civil Liberties" is a must-see and will provide some ammo in fighting against abusive governmental powers.
  
  
• Patriot Act is Unavoidable
  By A1K96JAHIG7MBL on 2005-02-07
  Out of fairness, I've watched and read several 'left-leaning' views. Although some may tell their side of the story with eloquence (and some, not so eloquent), I am still left with the same opinion. Contrary to a seemingly popular belief among liberals, we were attacked by those whom, for the most part, we never would've imagined. They lived among us, shared our pleasures and freedoms, and yet, despite all that our great country offers, these terrorists insisted on choosing the path of extremism, using our own planes as guided missiles and killing thousands of innocent people. I have listened to the complaints of how our government (left and right, by the way) have harshly chipped away our freedoms solely for the sake of discriminating against one culture or one race. For all your griping, however, I've yet to hear a clearer or more approachable alternative to tracking down a terrorist. Other than grossly alterating our lifestyles, which by the way, will never be a viable choice among the majority, what do you suggest we do in the name of security?
  
  
• Anyone who found A. Knepper's review insightful
  By A22JPRFLFAUP3W on 2006-03-08
  Is a silly twit. A, if you'll notice, they're collectively called the Geneva ConventionS for a reason. There are more than one of them. The third protects prisoners of war, and the fourth protects civilians. Don't speak with authority about things of which you have no knowledge.
  
  
• Unbalanced, But On The Mark Nonetheless
  By A29MQ43ZWD0SB5 on 2006-02-02
  As some others have correctly pointed out, not all things in this documentary are valid. For example, the Geneva Convention is taken out of context and there is a definite pro-illegal immigration stance -- not surprising for an ACLU project. However, the few factual accuracies that are included in the film do support the premise made that the Patriot Act is a sham. This film should be required reading and subject to debate in every high school civics class.
  
  After you've seen the film, give $30 to the ACLU. They deserve it.
  
  
• Unremarkable
  By A2A7XY78RAM5H5 on 2006-06-28
  Unconstitutional is a movie about an extremely important topic. It's even more topical now in 2006 than when it was produced in 2004 (with some interviews done earlier than that). Unfortunately I found it overall a less powerful message than Greenwald's previous films, Unprecedented, Uncovered, etc. I think it's unlikely to win over those who support the Bush Administration's actions on its own, but it will provide some valuable tidbits of information for those who are already concerned about the loss of our civil rights.
  The main problem with the movie (to me) was that the first half of it illustrates its point with examples of a lot of people toward whom Americans who support the administration's "war on terror" simply are not going to feel very sympathetic: Moslem immigrants from the Middle East, Jose Padilla, etc. It's only the second half of the movie that starts to address how this threatens the liberties of everyday, homegrown, law-abiding American citizens. Of course the revelations of what this administration has done have only increased in scope since the movie was produced. This is a movie worth watching--but don't expect to be on the edge of your seat.
  
  
• INTENSE
  By A3EQGPAP9EM5IQ on 2006-03-07
  YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE IT CAN BE HARD TO WATCH AT TIMES FOR IT IS SO VERY INTENSE. YOU WONT EVER SEE LIFE OR OTHER THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THE SAME AGAIN. ITS DISGUSTING TO SEE WHAT THE GOVERNMENT THAT RULES THIS "LAND OF THE FREE" THAT I LIVE IN. IM TRYNG TO KEEP THIS REVIEW AS NEUTRAL AS POSSIBLE ALTHOUGH I SEE ONLY ONE SIDE TO THIS. BUT YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS IF YOUR FOR IT OR AGAINST IT YOU SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE. I LITERALLY JUST SAW UT AND AS SOON AS IT WAS OVER I ORDERED IT HERE.
  
  
• Bettys Review is Garbage
  By AELG2DQHJGAE0 on 2005-07-14
  Bettys liberal-bashing "review" of this movie indicates she has not even seen it. All she does is bash liberals and support Dubya's war on our civil rights.
  
  Thank you Betty, your review makes me want to buy and watch this video even more than before.
  
  
  
  
• It's the end of the innocence
  By A3GYVMUS7SSDFW on 2007-05-11
  As with all documentaries I've seen by Robert Greenwald, he enlists experts to give credible testimony to support the information in his programs. In `Unconstitutional' you are able to hear from experts on legal analysis and constitutional law along with counter-terrorism specialists to confirm the disturbing information about our disappearing rights and civil liberties.
  
  Just over a month after the cowardly attacks of September 11, 2001, American citizens were presented with the `Patriot Act' which was, in essence, protections for citizens against terrorism and tools for the war on terror. If it was such a good plan, why did the Bush administration present it to Congress and tell them not to hold hearings on its contents which would then avoid any public input whatsoever? To add insult to injury, this legislative bill was presented to Congress before anyone had a chance to review its contents but it still passed with overwhelming support. It even contained provisions that Congress previously rejected before 9-11 ever happened. Using the cover of terrorism, the `Patriot Act' largely and inappropriately expanded the power of federal law enforcement which may haunt us for many years to come.
  
  Not long after 9-11 occurred, federal law enforcement began to indiscriminately arrest and detain immigrants from Arab and Muslim countries. This sinister trend began to look suspiciously like ethnic or religious profiling not to mention targeting someone because of stereotypes. Those that were victims of the system were subjected to solitary confinement, inhumane treatment, no contact with the outside world whatsoever, and no due process of the legal system. The phrase `guilty until proven innocent' immediately springs to mind and it fits the equation. The Justice Department even coined a term for this nefarious activity. It was the `hold until clear' policy.
  
  A solution was even found to incarcerate those detained (in the interests of the war on terror) outside of the United States. It was in the form of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This opens up a completely new level of questionable legalities due to the known information. First, those confined in this facility are not subject to legal restrictions. Secondly, everyone here is not subject to constitutional protections because they are not being held in a United States territory. Lastly, no one is subject to the Geneva Convention because they are not combatants and therefore are not considered prisoners of war. As the war on terror continues, it becomes readily apparent that the government makes the rules as they go to fit their agenda.
  
  When it comes to your expectation of privacy as a citizen, well, that is right out the window. Without probable cause, federal law enforcement agencies can check your employment, medical, and bank records without your approval. Oh, your email traffic and internet browsing history isn't confidential either. And if that's not enough, the `Patriot Act' also allows for secret search warrants of your home and wiretaps of your phones, again without your permission. Big Brother is not only watching you now, it is smothering you and taking away the protections that the Constitution has promised you for over 200 years.
  
  `Unconstitutional' is a very good documentary, in my opinion, and it relates a very serious message that every American citizen absolutely needs to hear. It can also be interpreted as a warning of sorts of what is to come in the future if no attempts are made to change these dangerous policies. A government for the people, by the people, and of the people should be just that and not an all-powerful administration teetering on the edge of totalitarian control. I highly recommend this documentary to everyone and I commend the producer for his courageous work.
  
  
  
  
  
• Newsflash: the ACLU doesn't like the Bush administration
  By A11ED8O95W2103 on 2007-10-08
  This is a "propagandamentary" that seeks to convince the viewer that the passage of the Patriot Act after 9/11 did much to take our civil liberties away, in particular our right to a fair and speedy trial. It is a one-sided attack on the Bush Administration, and while some may drool all the way through something like that, I really wanted to see the ACLU (essentially the makers of the documentary) put their best foot forwared and make their case. This is one of those "anyone we attack is guilty until proven innocent" kind of documentaries.
  
  The most interesting part of this documentary was at the very beginning where the events immediately after 9/11 and preceding the passage of the Patriot Act were recounted. I found it very believable that the law that was approved in committee might have been tweaked and reprinted overnight and thus be different at voting time than it was when it was read by members of congress. If so, that's a very bad thing indeed, but we just have the word of one or two people to take on this, with nobody from the other side to explain how or why this happened.
  
  After that we get a series of close-ups of individuals and families who according to the film makers had their constitutional rights abrogated in the days following 9/11. It's no surprise to me that this happened, perhaps many times. That was the greatest time of fear and uncertainty in this country since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some bad things happened to people who did not deserve the treatement they got, but does that necessarily mean that there is some conspiracy or even a conscious intent to deprive Americans of their civil liberties? I'm not convinced yet.
  
  Anyway, most of this documentary is a soundrack of growly, ominious synthesizer low notes with seeminly purposefully distorted video clips of bad people or bad things happening interspersed among the same three or four people talking over and over again, with no counterpoints presented. It got really tedious to watch, and I'll admit I didn't make it to the end.
  
  So, if you want to see the ACLU's case against President Bush, this is where to start. You be the judge.
  
  
• So Much Truth In One Place!
  By AGKVI6SR78W1E on 2005-06-21
  We bought this on the recommendation of a friend. His words were "There is so much truth in one place that it becomes difficult to watch! It outrages real Americans who have supported the Civil Rights advances of the last 40 years" We bought it with the intent to dislike it and re-sell it on one of the many secondary markets available. We were riveted! We won't sell it and won't lend it.
  
  Definitely a must see.
  
  
• Uncivil Liberties
  By A2456R9XA4J0ZE on 2005-07-12
  By the end of 2001 it was obvious to all but the most idealogical right wingers that the dirty old dingbats that comprise the administration of George W. Bush were determined to use the tragic events of September 11 as a pretext for sending our Bill of Rights through the sausage grinder (not to mention the disasterous, illegal invasion of Iraq and subsequent war crimes). In "Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties", Robert Greenwald, whose previous films include, "Uncovered - The War On Iraq" and "Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War On Journalism" has, again, done a great service for his country. This film explains in detail the ramifications of the PATRIOT Act and what it means to the future of the American republic.
  Ten years from now, when Bush, Cheney. Rumsfield et.al. are rotting in federal prison and the social infrastructure of this country is all but destroyed as a result of their crimes, Greenwald's work will be seen as prophetic - much as Edward R. Murrow's Harvest Of Shame is today.
  Buy this film, organize and resist!
  Tom Degan
  Goshen, NY
  
  
• good veiw
  By AW4LFJHO2DE5N on 2007-01-11
  Well what can i say if you like seeing your rights vanish then see this dvd you know whos hitting you from in front and behind ....lol.
  
  
• Wonderful job documenting frightening loss of our rights
  By A3R3H8VIUOESZF on 2007-04-28
  Greenwald does it again. He's produced a well-crafted film showing clearly some of the substantial losses and further threats to our civil liberties by the fiercely anti-democratic Bush administration. You see a wide range of folks who've been personally oppressed by the strong-arm, unconstitutional tactics allowed and encouraged by the Bush administration all in the name of fighting terrorism, but not having much effect on terrorism at all.
  For those who can't understand how Germany became as it did before and during WWII, watch this film for how insidious the process of losing civil rights in a democracy can be. Obviously the US today is NOT as bad as Nazi Germany, but there are disturbing parallels. You see how perfectly law-abiding citizens have their civil rights increasingly denied or whittled down and how this threatens the very fabric of our fantastic democracy.
  I dare anyone to see this film and not come away concerned for the future of our republic if we do not change course soon.
  
  
• Great
  By AF4XMZXOYWR7L on 2005-02-09
  This is an excellent movie documenting the corruption of our president. I'd like to recommend a movie that is more important, though. It is 911 in Plane Site. Check out the website www.911inplanesite.com The movie shows suppressed video evidence from 9/11 that proves the government's
  "official story" is ludicrous. EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THIS!!!
  Please, check it out.
  
  
• Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties
  By A1VMYBN8GUTQ83 on 2006-08-25
  Good movie. A must watch for anti-Bush crowd. Sad direction we're headed with this guy in the lead.
  
  
• MUST SEE
  By A1L57JEPTFYMVE on 2008-02-08
  Unconstitutional - The War On Our Civil Liberties Without question, this is a must see by all Americans who cherish their civil liberties. See what Bush and Cheney are aggressively doing to destroy our freedoms and our constitution.
  
  
• Less Is Not Always More
  By A1L7IMLGPF72GG on 2008-05-09
  This is a fantastic film - but it doesn't go far enough. Though its central premise - that the USA Patriot Act is unconstitutional - is sound, it buttresses that premise with a minimum of anectdotal incidents. As heart-wrenching as these incidents are, they could too easily be dismissed as simply the kinds of things that always go wrong because of "human error." The incidents are clearly tied to provisions of the USA Patriot Act, so it's not a stretch of the imagination to conclude that those particular incidents would not have happened had it not been for that Act. But I have to say (as cold-hearted as this may sound) that the film would have been stronger had the director not tugged so hard at the public's heart-strings; but, instead, included a broader range of individual incidents. It's clear that the ACLU, which pretty much produced this film, is not party to any 911 conspiracy theories: clear precisely because they seem genuinely confused by the round-up of Arab and Muslim people after 911. They see it as a huge mistake, which will create ill-will for decades. What they fail to see is the huge - I mean HUGE - public relations benefit for the Administration. What this roundup did (and, in my view, was meant to do) was thoroughly ingrain in the public's consciousness the idea that Muslims are THE ENEMY. And the proof was in the overwhelming public support for invading Iraq.
  
  
• The Truth (And The Lies) Behind The Patriot Act
  By A2D8CUJPOSRPNA on 2008-10-09
  Much more than buildings, airliners, and lives were destroyed on September 11, 2001. So too was America's ability to balance liberty and security. Only six and a half weeks after the Twin Towers fell, a 345-page piece of legislation fell into the laps of all 535 members of both the House and Senate, and it was passed into law--sight unseen! That legislation was the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, or USA-Patriot Act. But as producer Robert Greenwald and director Nonny De La Pena tell us in UNCONSTITUTIONAL: THE WAR ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES, it is not about either uniting or strenghtening America--far from it.
  
  Part of Greenwald's so-called "Un" trilogy of documentary films (including UNPRECEDENTED: THE 2000 ELECTION, and UNCOVERED: THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT THE IRAQ WAR) that depict the seemingly endless trail of lies that have been perpetrated by the Bush junta against this great nation of ours since 9/11, UNCONSTITUTIONAL focuses in on what has basically been the fulcrum of Bush's existence as president, namely the Patriot Act. But in its 69 minute running time, we get a glimpse of what the Patriot Act has actually done to America--some of it via interviews with people of Muslim heritage who have been singled out for scrutiny simply because 9/11 was the work of Muslims, and some of it with important Constitutional scholars on both the Left and the Right, from ACLU president Anthony Romero all the way over to far right-wing Georgia congressman Robert Barr, who give us a glimpse at the fine print of this hideous and insidious thing draped in the American flag, and crafted for the purposes of National Security--a fairly nebulous thing even in the best of times, and a dangerous and often false presumption in our post-9/11 world.
  
  UNCONSTITUTIONAL makes its point, in a low-key, matter-of-fact way, that the alleged success of the Patriot Act is, in fact, an illusion. Neither our security nor more importantly our liberty are in any way guaranteed or safeguarded by this heinous diktat. And unless we make it a point to put this false sense of security on the ash heap of history, we will lose not only the War On Terror but also everything about America that makes us truly strong--our freedom.
  
  
• UNCONSTITUTIONAL-THE WAR ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES
  By A1FNW6H983I87V on 2008-10-18
  Our country has been here before. During WWII, we put innocent Japanese citizens in internment camps because they were all considered to be security threats to our nation. In retrospect, most people can see what a horrible decision that was. Maybe it was not so clear at the time given the state of the world. When the horrible attacks of 9/11 occurred, it seems that same mindset reappeared and certain people are paying the price again for the evil deeds of others. Is it right to take away the liberties of people who happen to have a skin color or name similar to the terrorists? How far do we go in balancing security and individual freedom? Is the USA PATRIOT Act really making us safer? Was there enough thought and discussion before passing this bill that was rewritten during the wee hours of the morning and not one member of Congress read it through before voting? These and other controversial issues are discussed in this documentary as well as interviews with people whose lives have been affected by the PATRIOT Act such as a US Olympian whose name has made him a target. This is not a partisan issue as you see Bob Barr and Barney Frank teaming up in challenging the administration's actions. These past few weeks have shown us once again how politicians can 'use' a 'crisis' to push through governmental controls and once our freedoms are gone, they don't ever come back. The film makers have tried to present a balanced story although I'm sure not everyone will agree. It is a very difficult job trying to balance security versus freedom and one worthy of every one's involvement. How much freedom are you and I willing to give up to feel secure? Is this what our founding fathers had in mind? A worthwhile investment of your time. WWW.LUSREVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM
  
  

• Uncovered - The Whole Truth About the Iraq War
• Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
• Noam Chomsky - Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror?
• Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
• Terrorstorm - A History of Government Sponsored Terrorism