The Patriot Act
Since the attacks on September 11, 2001 America has lived in fear. This is exactly the outcome the terrorists had hoped for. Our American response to this tragedy was the USA PATRIOT ACT (United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism). The PATRIOT ACT is a law that was implemented to combat terrorism and other purposes. The actual law was passed so quickly that nobody took the time to read it and, as a result, we lack the knowledge of its content.
I believe Attorney General, John Ashcroft and Florida Senator, Bob Graham, who co-wrote the bill, had good intentions to enhance law enforcement efforts thwarting terrorist acts. However, the PATRIOT ACT does not stand without sacrifices. And now, Americans live in a society where we are seeing our civil liberties and constitutional rights slowly diminish.
I oppose this law because it allows the government to monitor everything from e-mail to medical records to library accounts, providing access to private information. It allows the government to legally trace phones, break into homes and offices, and access financial records without telling anyone. Also, under provisions of the ACT, immigrants can be detained indefinitely based on suspicion alone. These controversial provisions of the PATRIOT ACT threaten our constitutional rights. In order to preserve our freedom, it is necessary to revisit and revise certain sections of the PATRIOT ACT, as well as take individual measures to limit the amount of personal information the government can accumulate.
The most troubling provision of the Act is section 215: the law dealing with private records. Section 215 modifies the rules on record searches. "Post PATROT ACT, third party holders of your financial, library, travel, video rental, phone, medical, church, synagogue and mosque records can be searched without your knowledge or consent, providing the government says its trying to protect...
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