September 11th 2001 was not only the day when the delicate facade of American security was shattered, but it was also the events of this day that led to the violation of the rights of millions of American citizens. After relentless reprehension by the American masses on the approach that was taken after the 9/11 attacks ,the Bush administration enacted the Patriot Act on October 26th, 2001, a mere 56 days after this tragic event.The Patriot Act expanded the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies so that they could hopefully avert future terrorist attacks. Under the Patriot Act The NSA (National Security Agency) could entrench upon the privacy of the citizens of the U.S. without public knowledge, consent or, probable cause. The particular incident which had the general public up at arms was when the NSA illicit surveillance came to public knowledge.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 our country underwent a change that has drastically affected the fundamental values that our founding fathers instilled in this country. Since that tragic day in September the aftermath of the attacks has started to implicate our Civil Liberties that in this country we hold so dear. Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act on October 5th, 2001. This act expanded the surveillance powers of domestic law enforcement and international intelligence agencies. The controversy that must be discussed is whether or not this legislation fully or in part has violated the Constitution and/or endangered our civil liberties in any way. John Kerry former presidential candidate is opposed to the patriot act stating ?We are a nation of laws and liberties, not of a knock in the night. So it is time to end the era of John Ashcroft. That starts with replacing the Patriot Act with a new law that protects our people and our liberties at the same time.? John Kerry is right in suggesting that the patriot act is thinning our freedoms. Those who feel the patriot act is going to protect us from harm fail to see the dark side of the legislation which is relinquishing us of our rights guaranteed to us in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
The USA PATRIOT Act is a law passed shortly after terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The acts on September 11th showed a great need to improve our Homeland security system as a whole. It showed that we as a country were far from impenetrable and raised the flags to help lawmakers decide that more needed to be done to better protect the individual living in the United States. The next question is how as a nation can we protect the citizens of our country better, the Bush Administration soon passed the USA PATRIOT Act. The goals of the USA PATRIOT Act are to make security on the home front stronger along with making the powers of the police stronger when it comes to finding and identifying terrorists within the United States. The definition of terrorism as defined by the FBI is that “"International terrorism" is any activities with the following three characteristics, Involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law; Appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and Occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to...
September 11, 2001 sparked many different feelings into the hearts of Americans. People sprang into action to seek revenge and protect America’s precious soils from another deadly attack by reinforcing America’s strength through her government. The men and women of Congress retaliated to the terrorist attacks by drafting and passing the USA PATRIOT Act on October 26, 2001, which stands for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.” The bill was moved through Congress with amazing speed and little hesitation. After the passing, the unsuspecting citizens of America were bombarded with many new rules and regulations that have greatly become a threat to the civil liberties, and the First Amendment itself. The people of America have planned out different ways to comply and/or soften the PATRIOT Act. The American Library Association, Senator Feingold, Firstlogic Financial Advisors, and the House of Representatives have taken steps to aid America in retrieving her freedom. Obviously, some of these sources are really passionate about totally wiping out the sections that deal with them, while others are just trying to soften the sections that pertain to them.
Several weeks after the horrible terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act was rushed through Congress by Attorney General, John Ashcroft. This particular Act, however, was established with a ruling hand of fear. Life for Americans changed dramatically in those immediate days, weeks, and months after the attack. America had been spoiled with luxury for so long, that the illusion of control had ingrained itself into our very nature as Americans. That act of terror, on September 11, 2001, brought that belief crashing down, almost immediately. Fear and anger were rampant though out America; a dangerous combination when it comes to charging out a Congressional bill. The scariest parts of The USA PATRIOT ACT, in my opinion, are not just the arguably unconstitutional sections proposed in the Act, but the timing and expedition of legislation. To propose a bill that remained indifferent in regards to sacrificing civil liberties for the sake of enhanced security. The Bill was voted in with near unanimity, 98-1 in the Senate and 357-66 in the House of Representatives near after. Considering the margins of the votes, it makes one wonder if anyone in Congress even bothered to read the bill. Perhaps a good portion of our legislators were fearful to look unpatriotic, by objecting a radical bill dubbed The USA PATRIOT Act. As an old phrase goes, the nail that stands-out, gets hammered. The congressional legislative process is supposed to be deliberately slow; ensuring that what is proposed is in fact constitutional. One of the more serious issues with the USA PATRIOT Act, is the ambiguity of crucia...
The most powerful, and therefore the most controversial, legislation passed by Congress was the U.S. Patriot Act. It was passed on October 26, 2001, and it is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (Fahrenheit 9/11). It is composed of over 1,000 sections giving the government many new powers that they’ve utilized before in other wartime situations (Lithwick). However, with the war on terrorism Americans are not fighting a clear cut “enemy” and there is no foreseeable end for this war in the near future. Once the immediate fear of another attack calmed down around the nation, people began to realize the rights they were losing to the government that were once granted to them by our founding fathers in the Constitution (Townshend).
The Act was approved by both the House of Representatives and Senate with very little opposition and was signed into law by President George W. Bush. This new act significantly cut restrictions on judicial power and gave legal authorities more control. Since its passage, the Patriot Act has been under severe scrutiny and has been considered one the most controversial acts passed under the American government. Most adversaries have critiqued the act by claiming that it is unconstitutional and infringes upon citizens’ rights. Accusations of the Patriot Act’s violations against the First and Four Amendments have been ongoing, despite several amendments to it. Opponents have asserted that the Act opens a door for potential governmental abuses of power, while supporters have maintained that it is not only constitutional but necessary, given the context of terror in today’s society. While there are some who claim that the USA PATRIOT Act breaches American citizens’ constitutionally guaranteed rights and poses potential abuses of power, the act is clearly a carefully constru...
The United States of America is a country that is based upon a principle of balancing the rights of an individual, while still preserving public order. The U.S. Constitution (specifically the Bill of Rights) guarantees every American certain Individual rights. Some of these rights include; freedom from unreasonable search and seizures, a right to due process of law, and protection against cruel and unusual punishment (The 4th, 5th and 8th Amendments). Historically the criminal justice system has preserved these rights of peopled accused of crimes. However on September 11, 2001, the United States became the victim of the largest terrorist attack the World has ever seen. According to Schmalleger in 2003, that attack cost almost three thousand people their lives, and an estimated two trillion dollars in damages. However since September 11 2001, several critics have claimed that the United States of America no longer protects these rights. They argue that the United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001, violates the rights of suspected terrorists, and those of every single American. Supporters of the USA PATRIOT Act argue that the bill has been vital in arresting suspected terrorists, and it has helped deter future terrorist attacks.
After the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre by the Islamic radical group al-Qaeda and the 2001 Anthrax attacks on two senators and several news media offices, congress rushed to pass the USA Patriot Act, which roughly is an Act to deter and punish acts of terrorism in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes. After these unrelated terrorist attacks happened within weeks of each other congress knew reform legislature was needed. Many Historians such as Brett Rubio believe that the USA Patriot Act infringed upon American’s civil liberties while the U.S. Government more specifically the Justice Department believed it was necessary course of action to prevent future acts of terrorism. The Patriot Act was put in place in order to allow the Department of Justice to foil terrorist attacks following September 11th and anthrax attack, but the act is at the expense of American’s civil liberties such as invasion of privacy and racial profiling Arab and Muslim people.
The Patriot Act is complex and powerful. It broadens the definition of terrorism and increases the penalties for terrorism.
The PATRIOT Act is a law passed shortly after terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The acts on September 11th showed a great need to improve our Homeland security system as a whole. It showed that we as a country were far from impenetrable and raised the flags to help lawmakers decide that more needed to be done to better protect the individual living in the United States. The next question is how as a nation can we protect the citizens of our country better, the Bush Administration soon passed the PATRIOT Act. The goals of the PATRIOT Act are to make security on the home front stronger along with making the powers of the police stronger when it comes to finding and identifying terrorists within the U.S.. Since its creation, th...
“"The Patriot Act did two things to correct major weaknesses in our nation's pre-Sept. 11, 2001, defenses. First, it lowered the bureaucratic and legal wall that had prevented law enforcement and the intelligence community from sharing information with each other about terrorist operatives and plans. ”
The U.S. Patriot Act was set in place to better serve our country against terrorism. The U.S. Patriot Act is an Acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Acts (Lithwick). This act is to punish terrorist actions and improve law enforcement not only in the United States but also around the world. The United States Patriot Act consists of over 1,000 sections that describe the act in great detail. The sections include, but are not limited to, the power extended to the government by The U.S. Patriot Act to deport and incarcerate non citizens. With the U.S. Patriot Act a person’s phone line can be tapped, records of any and all purchases checked, and even library records searched. This Act also has sections to help money laundering, expand our country’s border protection, strengthening the extent of criminal laws and provide for people suffering from any type of terrorism acts (Huffman).