America Needs the Patriot Act

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Is the Patriot Act Unconstitutional? The Patriot Act was introduced in 2001 after the September 11 attacks. The Patriot Acts purpose is to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world. The Patriot Act Is meant to help stop terrorism by making it easier to get search warrants for suspected terrorists. The purpose of the Patriot Act is to enable law enforcement officials to track down and punish those responsible for the attacks on 9/11 and to protect against any similar attacks. The Act grants the government the powers to trace and intercept terrorist communications both for law enforcement and intelligence purposes. This means that the government can use wire taps, monitor email traffic, confiscate property, and impose book keeping requirements on financial institutions to stop the funding of terrorism. The patriot act allows information to be shared between intelligence agencies, allows one wiretap authorization to cover multiple devices such as cell phones and computers, allows easier access to business records in foreign intelligence investigations, makes it easier to launch foreign intelligence wiretaps and searches, allows search warrants that allow authorities to search a home or business without notifying the targeted suspect, and it bans giving any form of support to terror organizations. The patriot act makes it easier for the authorities to get a search warrant if the subject is suspected of terrorism. The patriot act allows the government access to books, documents, and other records related to the suspect. (FAS)

The people that support the patriot act say that it helps stop and prevent terrorism. The main reason that people support the patriot act is fear of another terror...

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...around. I think that if the government wasn’t able to spy on suspected terrorists, our country would be having more casualties because of terrorism.

Works Cited

Abramson, Larry. “The Patriot Act: Key Controversies.”NPR.2005. Web. 22 May 2011.

“The USA Patriot Act: Preserving Life and Liberty.” Department Of Justice. 2011. Web. 16 May 2011.

“Reform The Patriot Act.” American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU) . 2011. Web. 16 May 2011. < http://www.reformthepatriotact.org/primer.pdf>

“USA Patriot Act.’’ Electronic Privacy Information Center. 2011. Web. 17 May 2011.

“The USA Patriot Act: A legal Analysis.” FAS. 2011. Web. 17 May 2011.

< www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL31377.pdf>

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