As a non-american myself I am curious how this act has affected life for Americans? (If it indeed has at all)
Any noticeable difference (I guess Im looking for in practice rather than in theory or symbolically) ?
To be honest, it hasn’t affected me in to any extent that I am aware. Not that it couldn’t eventually do so, just that it hasn’t.
It’s not that it has affected our lives, it’s that there’s some justified concern it could. You know how it works. First they came for the Muslim charitable organizations with suspected ties to jihadists, and I said nothing . . .
I’m not sure what is even in the Patriot act. I do know that since it was passed it is hardly worth visiting Washington DC where buildings that were once open to the public are now guarded like Fort knox. Trust has given in to fear and we’ve got legions of new security guards everywhere to remind us.
Air travel was horrible before the act (or 9/11 really). Now I am required to suspend my civil rights if I want to get from place A to place B quickly.
I see the phrase “homeland security” everywhere these days, like a sort of uber government police and secutiry group. I know the phrase is meant to reassure us that big brother is taking care of the bad guys but it chills me.
I’m not aware of any significant direct implication. More generally, tho, I do feel less secure that what I had considered bedrock rights of American citizenship will be respected. And I suspect a significant portion of the taxes I’ve spent has gone to what I consider unnecessary, undesirable and inappropriate efforts justified under the PA. But direct implications of the PA - none that I’m aware of.
IMO the PA is just one aspect of the multifaceted trend towards ever increasing security concerns and police powers, and decreased personal privacy.
I used to be able to go online and check my entire past history of checked-out books from the public library, but when the PATRIOT provision about the federal government being able to demand patron records from public libraries went into effect, my public library stopped keeping those records, so they could not be forced to turn them over. Which, good on the library for doing so, but it was kind of cool to be able to look through all the books I’d checked out.
A very minor thing, but it did personally affect me. What would also personally affect me is if I were deemed to be an an enemy combatant for some reason, and therefore stripped of most of my rights to fair and speedy trial, etc. Luckily this has not happened to me, nor is it likely to, but it could. Which is disturbing.
Yeah. I keep getting guilted into giving money to groups who are fighting against it. 
Otherwise, not that I know of.
How has my life been affected?
You mean, apart from those strange clicks on my phone line, the cameras monitoring my every move, the people who pass my house posing as joggers and couples walking their dog, the strange taste of my food, the evidence that my garbage is being tampered with, the way my computer “freezes up” without warning, the fluoridation of my water supply, the Mossad agents putting sugar in my gas tank and the deteriorating state of my wisdom teeth?
Why nothing, nothing at all, not a thing, no worries here. Oh, de-doo-de-doo…
I have to audit our Credit Union’s procedures to make certain that they are following both the Bank Secrecy Act and the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act.
Can’t you just smell the uniting and strengthening?
I am sure you will be gratified to learn that there is no provision of the USA PATRIOT Act that concerns the rights of enemy combatants or the designation of U.S. citizens as such.
There is a great deal of misinformation floating around about the actual provisions of the act. Perhaps, at a minimum, those responding in this thread should read (and cite?) the portion of the act that allegedly authorizes the conduct that affects them. Though I’m afraid it will be a pretty short thread if that rule is followed (unless people post just to rag on the ridiculous and contrived name of the statute, which is something I could definitely get behind).
OK, well, the library thing is still valid.
I don’t know how it’s affected my life. Maybe it’s had no effect. Or maybe it completely changed my life but I just haven’t found out about it yet.
The Patriot Act created a bunch of procedures for the government to secretly monitor the activities of American citizens without any oversight. So we have no idea who’s being monitored.
As a data-analyst at a bank, it has affected me because of all the anti-money-laundering laws put into place. While this no doubt has saved the country/company some sheckels and maybe, possibly, coulda, sorta, thwarted some terrorist attacks … we in the data game don’t appreciate lag, damn it.
Have you ever tried reading the text of the act? It appears almost designed to be incomprehensible. It’s pages of revisions to other laws with no context or explanation of what the effect of these revisions will be. Here’s a typical section:
Okay, pop quiz time - what did that law just do?
The only post 9/11 change I’ve noticed as having direct effect on me is that I used to be able to go up to Canada with just my driver’s license; now I need a passport. Not sure if that’s the Patriot Act or something else.
How would I possibly know? I have no idea what’s in the thing.
I am not a truck driver these days, but I have a class A CDL and I had hazmat endorsement. When I went to renew my license last year I found out that anyone with having a CDL with hazmat endorsement was required to have a background check. The cost of the check was $85.00, so I dropped the hazmat endorsement.
At which point, of course, you were put on the double-secret shoot-on-sight terrorist sympathizer list for refusing a background check.
What do you have to hide, comrade?
Here’s a link from the California Dept. of Transportation that covers the Federal regulations, it’s the same as South Carolina:
I did not see the need nor did I want to shell out $85.00 for the privilege of carrying the driver’s license that I had had for ten years.