Over two hundred years ago, the founding fathers of this great nation signed their names to the Declaration of Independence, sending a message to Great Britain that they were tired of being subservient to a monarch who had no respect for his people. These extraordinary men understood the concept of liberty and embraced it with great passion. They were all too familiar with the consequences of a government with excess power. In order to prevent America from returning to the ways of Great Britain, they crafted one of the greatest documents ever written, the Constitution of the United States of America. Contained in the Constitution is the Bill of Rights which details the rights the citizens of the United States of America are guaranteed. Unfortunately, during the past two hundred years, politicians seem to have lost focus on the principle of personal liberty. One of the most recent examples of this came with the passage of Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001. The USA PATRIOT Act is a crucial attack to the rights of American citizens and a disgrace to the men who fought for their freedoms in the Revolutionary War.
There is no doubt that the days following September 11, 2001 were some of the most terrifying in the nation’s history. The country had been attacked, new reports of anthrax on letters were surfacing daily and many feared another attack was just around the corner (“Surveillance”). Senator Russ Feingold, the sole opponent to the USA PATRIOT Act in the Senate, described the weeks following September 11 in his book, While America Sleeps (Hulse). He wrote that “The combination of constant security fears with the weightiness...
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...atriot Act Violates Civil Liberties Are Unfounded.” The
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“The Constitution of the United States,” Amendment 4.
“The Constitution of the United States,” Amendment 5.
“UNITING AND STRENGTHENING AMERICA BY PROVIDING APPROPRIATE TOOLS
REQUIRED TO INTERCEPT AND OBSTRUCT TERRORISM (USA PATRIOT ACT)
ACT OF 2001.” PUB. L. 107-56. 115 STAT. 272. 26 October 2001. Web.
Webster, Michael. “Patriot Act Unconstitutional.” Renew America. 19 April 2009. Web.
21 February 2012.
Less than one week after the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S.A. Patriot Act was introduced to Congress. One month later, the act passed in the Senate with a vote of 98-1. A frightened nation had cried for protection against further attacks, but certainly got more than they had asked for. Russell Feingold, the only Senator to vote down the act, referred to it as, “legislation on the fly, unlike anything [he] had ever seen.” In their haste to protect our great nation, Congress suspended, “normal procedural processes, such as interagency review and committee hearings,” and, “many provisions were not checked for their constitutionality, lack of judicial oversight, and potential for abuse.” Ninety-eight senators were willing to overlook key civil liberty issues contained within the 342 page act. The lone dissenting vote, Wisconsin Senator Russell Feingold, felt that our battle against terrorism would be lost “without firing a shot” if we were to “sacrifice the liberties of the American people.” Feingold duly defended American civil liberties at the risk of his career, truly exemplifying political courage as defined by John F. Kennedy.
Through the years many changes have taken place, and technologies have been discovered, yet our Constitution remains. Some say that the Constitution was written for people hundreds of years ago, and in turn is out of step with the times. Yet its principals and guidelines have held thus far. The framers would be pleases that their great planning and thought have been implemented up until this point. However this does not compensate for the fact, that the we the people have empowered the government more so than our fore fathers had intended. Citizens were entrusted with the duty to oversee the government, yet so many times they are disinterested and only seem to have an opinion when the government’s implications affect them. As time has changed so has the American people, we often interpret our freedoms in a self serving manner, disregarding the good of the whole and also the good for the future. Thus there are no true flaws in the Constitution, it appears that the conflict emerges in the individual and their self, and poses question when we must decide when to compromise the morals that our Constitution was founded on, or when to stick to what we know is right and honest.
The most valuable aspects of individualism is the freedom to speak and to express are feelings that is what makes us human, as President Robert F. Kennedy stated in his Day of Affirmation Address that “…the first element of this individual liberty is the freedom of speech: the right to express and communicate ideas, to set oneself apart from the dumb beasts of field and forest…” My family came to the U.S. because of the promises of freedom. When we were in India we could not speak ill of the politics that were corrupt because if we did there would be chaos and riots. As we came to America we found that we did not have to look constantly behind are backs when we criticized the government until the Patriot Act was put into place but now we can not express are feelings due to the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act fails to secure American liberties but that the act exposes the weakness in the U.S. government. The act encourages government corruption, secrecy, fraud and discrimination and violates are constitution. The government uses the national security as a pretense for violating our constitutional rights; for example the freedom of speech and our privacy (Day).
In the years after the American Revolution, the colonies were faced with a second task: building a new government to establish liberty for future generations. Not everyone agreed on the best way to do that. A Constitutional Convention was called to reform the government, and the leaders gathered there formed the document we know as the US Constitution. Patrick Henry was very worried by the new powers granted in the Constitution. He feared that a paper document would not be able to preserve liberty from potential tyrants. He was especially insistent on the inclusion of a bill of rights. “The rights of conscience, trial by jury, liberty of the press, all your immunities and franchises, all pretensions to human rights and privileges, are rendered insecure, if not lost, by this change… is this same relinquishment of rights worthy of freemen?” Thanks to Patrick Henry, America got its bill of rights. Without him, that great document ensuring liberty for future generations might never have been written. Patrick Henry has been proved right. The Bill of Rights has served as an indispensable support of American liberty, serving as a check on all who would abuse their power. Every time we read an uncensored newspaper, worship as we please, or voice our opinions in the public square, we are enjoying the legacy of freedom Patrick Henry
National security has been greatly enhanced by the passage of the patriot act. The USA PATRIOT act is an act of congress of Congress that was signed by President Bush in 2001. The title of the act is a ten-letter acronym that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. The patriot act was signed into law as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The USA PATRIOT act has had helped America make progress toward becoming the most secure nation in the world.
Under the US Patriot Act, or Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism, I believe citizens have only been put in danger. The Patriot Act was created to keep terrorism at bay and to launch The United States of America forward. However, it has done nothing but set us back. How can we live in a country where everyone is a suspected criminal? I believe that The Patriot Act does not help control terrorism. Instead, it undermines us as loyal citizens and is a way for the government to abuse their power over the citizens. How are we really free as Americans when our government is keeping a very watchful eye on us? Almost too watchful. The government has access to almost everything. As much as I love being an American I don’t think the US Government is perfect. What if the the government makes a mistake? What if they are really accusing the wrong people? It looks as though the government is resorting to old tactics that will be discussed further in this essay. The Patriot Act is a faulty document that puts the lives of Americans at risk. I also believe that the Patriot Act was put together way too quickly after the tragic event the stirred the nation and brought fear to many peoples hearts on September 11th, 2001. We all believed that our nation had fallen to the ground and there was no way of coming back. However, the government drew up The Patriot Act 45 days after the attacks. Congress seemed to have forgotten the constitutional rights that we were given by our founding fathers a long time ago. The Patriot Act goes against numerous constitutional rights that we have. This including our first, fourth, and sixth amendment rights. As one of the founding fathers, Benjamin...
Senator Feingold responded that “we will lose that war [on Terrorism] without firing a shot if we sacrifice the liberties of the American people.” It is now 2017, but Senator Feingold’s arguments from September and October of 2001 continue to pointedly remind the American people of the negative effects the Patriot Act had on American life and will continue to have moving forward. The heart of Feingold’s stance against the Patriot Act was the counter-productivity of it. The, “government of the people, for the people and by the people,” (Lincoln Online) would essentially trade liberties for security. Liberties the Founding Fathers deemed too innate to individuals to list. What purpose will “security” serve if there are no liberties left to defend? If the
Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Americans fear that another attack is imminent. To ease these fears, lawmakers created the USA Patriot Act which stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. This lengthy bill allows the justice department a great deal of power in criminal cases especially in those dealing with terrorism. While, according to lawmakers, the Patriot Act is aimed at ending terrorism, it is arguable that the Patriot Act is aimed at beginning a Big Brother-type society. For the government of the United States to enforce a law that encourages the obstruction of the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments and other civil liberties is highly hypocritical and quite un-American.
Since September 11, 2001 many people can say that America has changed. Many people question if America has changed for the better or has it just gotten worse. Since the day those four planes crashed around the United States people’s lives have been changed. Many may not realize how their lives have changed, but with new laws passed life is different within America. The United States Patriot Act is one of the laws passed after 9/11: singed into order on October 26, 2001 just 45 days after the attack. The United States Patriot Act was put in place in order to protect Americans, yet has been affecting American’s civil liberties and caused controversy all over the United States.
After the horrific incident on September 9, 2001, the Patriot Act was passed to help “reduce” terrorist attacks, but they have only restricted us from our rights and feeling free. Regardless of whether we have anything to hide, we deserve to feel comfortable in our own homes. They can even hack into our TVs and cameras! This is unacceptable! We have been dealing with the violation of our privacy due the Patriot Act, but this act led to the abuse of governments’ power, violation of our natural rights, and the government has been going through our texts, internet history, social media, which is breaching into the laws of the constitution.
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
The 9/11 attack changed America in ways that made limits on our freedom and privacy seem better than the alternative. On September 11, 2001, “...our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist attacks,” President George W. Bush stated in a public address shortly after the attacks. He also stated, “Today, our nation saw evil – the very worst of human nature – and we responded with the very best of America,” to calm fears ...
Citizens feeling protected in their own nation is a crucial factor for the development and advancement of that nation. The United States’ government has been able to provide this service for a small tax and for the most part it is money well spent. Due to events leading up to the terrifying attacks on September 11, 2001 and following these attacks, the Unites States’ government has begun enacting certain laws and regulations that ensure the safety of its citizens. From the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 to the most recent National Security Agency scandal, the government has attempted and for the most part succeeded in keeping domestic safety under control. Making sure that the balance between obtaining enough intelligence to protect the safety of the nation and the preservation of basic human rights is not extremely skewed, Congress has set forth requisites in FISA which aim to balance the conflicting goals of privacy and security; but the timeline preceding this act has been anything but honorable for the United States government.
In the world today, the Patriot Act states that it protects U.S. citizen's freedom. Iby ensuring the FBI's ability to examine anybody's daily activities. To me, this is a major contradiction. The Patriot Act is basically saying that the government has the ability to now control our freedom. According to the Patriot Act, law enforcement has the ability to access highly personal files such as medical, financial, and student records. This goes against the maxim freedom is slavery because this act is saying that it is ensuring American's freedom by allowing government officials to have surveillances on our everyday life. This is threatening many of our amendments. Some of our rights being threatened include the First Amendment: our freedom of religion, speech, and press. The Fourth Amendment is also in jeopardy, which is our freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Other Amendments in jeopardy include: the Sixth Amendment that allows due process, the Eighth Amendment that protects citizens from cruel and unusual punishment, and the Fourteenth Amendment that gives equal protection laws to everyone. Other instances that challenge the freedom vs. slavery maxim came when the president talked about amending the constitution concerning marriages. As of right now, America can choose who they want to marry. This represents the freedom Americans have now. If this is passed, then the government will be able to decide whom the public can marry. When I say, "who the public can marry," I mean as far as same sex marriages or traditional man and woman marriages. This takes away the freedom of expression that society has today and replacing it with rules and regulations, symbolizing slavery. The government has made society today feel the need for protection.
BENAC, N. (2011). National security: Ten years after september 11 attacks, u.s. is safe but not