Patriot Act: An Answer To September 11, 2001

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The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, plundered America and its people. As the people mourned over the tragic and numerous deaths caused by the massive destruction of the World Trade Center in New York, The government began looking for an approach to prevent anything in the future to occur. As a consequence, Within 45 days Congress pushed and passed as President George W. Bush signed it as law the United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act — better known by its acronym, the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act that was passed by Congress. The act opened up many doors that were previously closed to law enforcement and central intelligence agencies. As these new opportunities emerged, they now have access and the capability to obtain and retain information about specific individuals believed to be involved in terrorist activities and organizations, and that benefits the United States, the Patriot Act provides easier access for different government law enforcement agencies to share and transfer information, allows government agencies tools that certain groups such as non-terrorist groups already use, and helps to deteriorate the terrorist financial network. But as over the years, this topic has been very controversial and many people claim ane believe that the Patriot Act violates the United States Constitution and people’s freedoms and rights and it contains many elaborate safeguards to argue against abuse. Signed on October 26, 2001, the law contained more than 340 pages, amended in 15 federal laws and brought about a national conversation. Many people contended that the law violated numerous constitutional provisions — including the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures and First Amendment freedoms of speech and association. Many people disagreed with the law simply measuring the equal balance between security and liberty in a very dangerous world of international terrorism. Civil liberties activists and people protested against the law as a vigorous assault on individual liberties and rights. In the book, The War on the Bill of Rights and the Gathering Resistance (Seven Stories Press, 2003), Nat Hentoff advised against the Patriot Act would create a new generation of younger children and teenagers who ‘have been accustomed to — indeed conditioned to — the diminishment of the Bill of Rights.’ Additionally, The American Civil Liberties Union has tirelessly campaigned against the act. In a 2009 report, “Reclaiming Patriotism: A Call to Reconsider the Patriot Act,” the ACLU, a public research university, wrote that ‘the Patriot Act eroded our most basic right — the freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into our private lives — and thwarted constitutional checks and balances.’ Advocates of the Patriot Act enforce the law and support to be an essential tool in preventing another 9/11 or any terrorist attack from occurring on American soil. George W. Bush credits the law for saving lives in his memoir, Decision Points. Brendan Steven writes in ‘In defence of George W. Bush’ that ‘There’s no doubt that the PATRIOT Act helped prevent any ensuing domestic terrorist attacks after 9/11.’ But on the other side supporters argue the attack against the Patriot Act has been blown way out of proportion. ‘I have seen no evidence over the last decade to change my view that the civil liberties hysteria over the Patriot Act was fantastically overblown,’ Heather Mac Donald, think tank Manhattan Institute stated to the First Amendment Center Online. ‘Americans continue to enthusiastically give way to much personal information in the hope of internet celebrity, and organizations continue to aggregate and analyze information on consumers’ behavior in far great amounts than the federal government collects and analyses.’

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