The patriot act is basically a rerun of the alien act which was in effect I believe in the early 19th century. This gave the government the right to deport any foreigner they felt was dangerous to the country. It also gives the government the power to not give habeas corpus ( a trial) and simply imprison those they find threatening (Lincoln suspended Habeas corpus during the civil war) All in all the Patriot act is about as Patriotic as Mein Kempf.
