I am about as anti-patriot act as an American can get. The patriot act however does not revoke any constitutional laws. There is nothing, not one word in our constitution that says anything about privacy. Though I think there should be.

The US government still can not use survelleince without getting a warrant from the Federal Surveillance Court of Review. If they do, which was tried by Bush, the Judicial body handling the case will not allow the illegally obtained evidence; and ultimately still protects US citizens and residents from being held with out being presented their charges.

The flaw is not the law, it is the lack of an impeachment of Bush for blocking US Citizens who were imprisoned illegally (without Habeas Corpus) from trying to pursue compensation for being illegally imprisoned.

Canada and the EU have similar provisions for Habeas Corpus, but they are lacking any protection against suspects' self incrimination. (You've heard this on US TV shows: "You have the right to remain silent..." and "I plead the fifth") Because confessions are about as useful to achieving true justice as torture is to gaining true intelligence (not very) the 5th amendment protects a person from being forced into, tricked into, or mistakingly making a confession. How is this not an issue for your countries?

My point: United States, Canada, and EU members all have flaws in their criminal justice systems. What makes all of these systems great is the ability to open question them, compare them, share legal ideas, and continue to allow for individual officers of the courts to do their best to protect the rights of free peoples.

 (EDIT: ON TOPIC: The interdepencency of the Military Industrial complex has gone far beyondanything Eisenhower ever imagined, private services fight, feed, and clean.  PMCs do much of the security work that previously would have been done by military units.  With the exception of CACI and the Blackwater slip up it doesn't turn out that bad.  For national interests, the US government can blame the PMCs for these things.  I still don't agree with their use, but whatever, life goes on.  Niether the US nor Canada is facing violence in the streets, right now.)

Wonderful and deeply stirring speech from Eisenhower. It always amazes me that Republicans back then had integrity... of course, not all of them did (McCarthy.. Nixon) but Eisenhower was the only truly great Republican president of the 20th century.

Theodore Roosevelt.

 I think there are plenty of Republicans and Democrats that still do.  Unfortunately, the parties like to pick up the ones who don't.  I trust politicians since anyone can be one.  I don't trust careeer politicians at all though.  Takes a greasy little monkey to perform that role.