I Dont Understand The Patriot Act

[TripleB]

I dont understand the patriot act. Why does the government need a car dealer to collect a SSN to verify the identity of the buyer to make sure they aren't a terrorist? Can't a terrorist just steal a car?

Why does a bank need to verify information to open a bank account and deposit large sums of cash? Can't a terrorist just show up with a suitcase full of cash and use that to buy whatever illegal stuff they were going to buy?

Why do we need to verify the identity of all people entering the "Secure" area of a airport and make sure they have a boarding pass or they can't go in? Can't a terrorist just buy a plane ticket and use that boarding pass to get in?

Why does TSA limit liquids to a few ounces? If terrorists wanted to smuggle large amounts of liquid explosive in, couldn't they just send a large number of people in, each with a few ounces, and mix them together beyond the security checkpoint? Or just steal the flammable cleaning solutions that the janitorial crew frequently leaves unattended in the bathrooms?

The only answers I have is that the government is clearly doing unconstitutional things and gradually reducing civil liberties so that people expect none in the future and the gradual process can continue because there's no such thing as true 100% security in a free world, or even in an unfree world.

When most of the country sits back and thinks stuff like the patriot act is a good idea, I have to question whether I'm the crazy person. Am I crazy? Or does none of this make any sense.

[stone]

I suspect that they simply want to be seen to be doing something. They don't have any intentional Dr Evil plan to take away good citizens' liberty nor do they have any hope of genuinely thwarting terrorism- they just don't have the courage to do nothing.

[Jan Van]

Questioning the Patriot Act is UnPatriotic and therefor you are a Terrorist and Evil-Doer. 

Surveillance Under the USA PATRIOT Act

[Storm]

It's called "security theater":

Security theater is a term that describes security countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to actually improve security.[1] The term was coined by computer security specialist and writer Bruce Schneier for his book Beyond Fear,[2] but has gained currency in security circles, particularly for describing airport security measures. It is also used by some experts such as Edward Felten[3] to describe the airport security repercussions due to the September 11 attacks. Security theater gains importance both by satisfying and exploiting the gap between perceived risk and actual risk.[citation needed]

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