USA Patriot Act After the devastating attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, this country scrambled to take action to provide future protection. New techniques had to be developed to protect the nation from the menace of terrorism. Along with the new techniques came the decision to enact laws that some believed crossed the threshold of violating civil liberties this county and those living in it were guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. “On October 26, 2001, the Public
introduced provisions to a previously sponsored House bill. By the next day, the act passed in the House with a vote ratio of three hundred and fifty-seven to sixty-six. The following day, the Senate took a vote on the bill, passing it by ninety-eight to one. Finally, on October 26, 2001, the USA Patriot Act was signed into law. The bill was intended to strengthen federal anti-terrorism investigations. But is the USA Patriot Act working to the full potential that it was originally intended? This is something
Long a polarizing issue, a balance between civil liberties and national security has constantly trailed America’s pursuit of happiness. Civil liberties are defined as rights for each individual person that serve to protect said individuals, by law, from unjust governmental interference, and encompasses all interference that may infringe on given rights. Incidentally, America has sucumb to such infringments within its lifetime, some early in its history, and some with recurring now with vestiges of
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
Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 commonly known as the USA Patriot Act. This paper will attempt to prove that not only is the USA Patriot Act unconstitutional but many of its provisions do nothing at all to protect Americans from the dangers of terrorism. While this act made legislative changes that increased surveillance and the investigative powers of law enforcement agencies to protect America from further terrorist acts, the passing of the USA Patriot Act has reduced the privacy rights
possible. In 2001, shortly after the attack on September 11, the George W. Bush administration drafted legislation designed to prevent future terrorist attacks; however, controversy broke out concerning people’s rights to privacy. In effect, The Patriot Act was passed to support the public’s demand to combat terrorism in the wake of 9/11 and resulted in the expansion of the surveillance of federal law-enforcement, and controversy regarding the violation of basic constitutional rights. On September
Primary Source report Controversy over the USA PATRIOT ACT (2001, 2005) George W. Bush and Suzanne E. Spaulding After the attacks by the predominantly Saudi extremists on 9-11, the administration of then President George ‘Dubya’ Bush went into overdrive to be seen as proactive in the effort to make sure that the attacks could not be repeated. With the passage of The USA Patriot Act, the then President Bush asserted, we would be handed our intelligence and law enforcement officers the required
American citizens. However, I do feel their is a fine line when discussing freedom and security, but line needs to move back and fourth with the threat and intelligence gathered. With the current federal government stance and the USA Patriot Act, I think and feel this Act is adequate and should not extend any further into the civil liberties. It does the job needed in order to protect Americans, which is one of the main goals a government does, keep it citizens safe. I would be willing to give
willing to sacrifice some of our individual rights for the rights of a society as a whole. A majority of these changes have taken place since September 11, 2001, in an attempt to prevent future terrorist attacks. New legislation, such as the USA Patriot Act, which decreases the limitations on the federal government's ability to monitor people, has been created for this reason. Although new legislation may be instrumental in the defense of our national security, we must take a strong look at their
Although an act of cyberterrorism has yet to occur, officials and scholars continuously study the possibilities of such an attack. As our physical and virtual worlds continue to intertwine the risk of such an event rapidly increases. Everything from our transportation systems to pharmaceutical manufacturing are computer controlled. The closest the world has come to an act of cyberterrorism was in 2000. Known as the Maroochy Shire case in Queensland, Australia was committed by Vitek Boden. Boden was
increased presence in all airports in the U.S and other major American airports worldwide. After the terrorist attack that took place in September 2001, President Bush and his advisors implemented The Patriot Act. Tracey DiLascio explains, “The Patriot Act is complex, but its major provisions act to improve coordination and communication between government intelligence agencies, removing unwieldy and unnecessary legal barriers between different federal offices and allowing vital investigations to
government has too much power and where democracy is crumbling. The war measures act is an example of an illiberal act that the source would support. This act allows for the government to restrict rights and freedoms in times of emergency in order to protect the society from harm. The source would agree with this because it states that “in times of crisis” the government must protect its citizens. But there are problems with this act; it allows the government to decide when to bring it into action and take
always struggled with discrimination and prejudice throughout its history. On July 2nd, 1964 the United States took a step in the right direction, when it recognized the principle that all men are created equal with the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The Act outlawed all discrimination formed on the basis of race, religious affiliation, gender or ethnic origin. In addition, it ended racial segregation in educational institutions and in the workplace. However, it can be argued that discrimination and
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
information. There are a few key moments to identify. Prior to 9/11, Congress enacted FISA, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. “Congress originally strictly limited FISA's scope so that it could only be used if ‘the primary purpose’ of government surveillance of Americans was foreign-intelligence gathering”; following the 9/11 attacks, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, “amended FISA and significantly weakened this limitation,” enabling the government to demonstrate a significant purpose
(US Const) of the USA as well as the first ten amendments, also known as “Bill of Rights”, defines the framework of it. It is a supreme law that defines how Federal Government works. Shortly after the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks, the US congress enacted a law, commonly known as The Patriot Act. This law enlarges the power of government and administration allowing them to obtain the personal records of any person of suspect in hopes of preventing any future terrorist act. Many of its provisions
bipartisan agreement to push and enact the Patriot Act with the intent of keeping the United States safe. Immediately after 9/11, a panic broke out and many Americans supported the idea of giving up their rights for safety without any hesitation. Now, twelve years later, many skeptics call in to question the Patriot Act and the agencies created as a result of the legislation. In 2001, Former Senator Russ Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act. Senator Feingold stated, "The first
Introduction The USA Patriot Act came about after 9/11. The Act remains in use today with some slight modifications. On the other hand, FISA has been in use since the mid-1970s. Both Acts are highly controversial and are foreign to the average citizen. National security always requires a balancing act between freedom and security. As the saying goes, freedom is not free. This paper will describe the primary elements and / or components of the USA Patriot Act and FISA and research how the media has
for America’s people as well. The Patriot Act that allows the government to monitor the Internet is not without flaws. It is still a violation of privacy, but it is one that many were willing to give up in those days following the 9/11 attacks. When America was at her most vulnerable, laws were established in the hopes of never having it happen again. Looking at the Patriot Act as unconstitutional is both right and wrong. The biggest problem with the Patriot Act is that it is not a black and white
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. Its title is a ten-letter acronym (USA PATRIOT) that stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. After the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon the United States has developed mitigation controls to decrease the risk of these reoccurring. One of these mitigation controls is the USA Patriot