What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Patriot Act

Since the founding of the United States of America, freedom has been the basis of the governmental and ruling systems in place. Individual freedoms are protected in both the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution, and Schwartz (2009) explains that ‘public liberty ultimately enhances collective rationality—it is a path to heightening our wisdom by increasing access to pertinent information and improving decision making’ (p. 409). However, there have been many times in history when the true freedom of citizens is called into question. There has always been controversy about how much power the government should have, who is keeping the government in check, and if citizens are properly informed about what their elected governed are doing. The passing of the Patriot Act in 2001 was no exception to this controversy. The

In the years since the passing of the Patriot Act, there has been much controversy and debate regarding the positive and negative advantages, and consequences of this bill. As a member of the law enforcement community I have experienced firsthand some of the changes the Patriot Act has brought upon this nation. A result of this experience along with information obtained in the studying of this act and

Three essays have been studied on this subject, (U.S. Patriot Act – Damian Coles, and The Patriot Act: Wise beyond Its Years – John Ashcroft, and Cassady Pitt - U.S.

By wiretapping specific people, the government is making it harder for terrorists to communicate and share their plans over long distances without revealing their plan. In addition to wiretapping, the power to access old records of people also gives more control to the national government of peoples' future intentions: "The USA Patriot Act allows for government access to Database Search Records, Circulation Records, Computer Use Records, E-mail Records, Inter-Library, Loan Records, and Reference Interviews" (Johnson 1). These key provisions are what the United States needs to ensure the well-being of its people.

September 11, 2001 was the day where everything in America had changed. A series of four terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As a reaction to this, Congress passed the Patriot Act, severely limiting citizen’s civil liberties as promised by the Constitution. American’s civil liberties and constitutional rights cannot be denied and/or put into jeopardy to protect national security, for it goes against American ideals and may persecute non-partisan individuals, while allowing the executive branch to unconstitutionally abuse their power.

The Patriot Act came into existence upon signing into law by the President George Bush. This Act of the Congress was meant to unite the Americans as they fight and intercept the different acts of terrorism (Doyle 2). Through the act, appropriate tools necessary for the execution of the mandates were provided. The act allows the empowered surveillance bodies to search for the different business records, rove through the wiretaps and carries out surveillance on the persons who are suspected to be terrorists or linked to terrorist-related activities. Owing to the powerful nature of the act, several issues have been raised concerning the validity and appropriateness of the act. Most of the issues raised point towards the morality aspect of the act. One issue of concern is privacy of individuals as far as the execution of Patriot Act is concerned (Doyle 2).

Many people feel that the Patriot Act overreaches its original intent by allowing the government to spy on its own citizens, essentially violating American’s civil liberties, most notably our right to privacy granted by our Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights, as well as our right to due process granted by the Fifth Amendment in the Bill of Rights.

Sixty percent of all Americans wish to see the Patriot act be reformed. The Patriot Act gives the power to the FBI and Homeland Security to spy on many Americans and collect personal information. It invades privacy, violates civil liberties and the Fourth Amendment, and does not contribute to the fight against terrorism; it takes away freedom of speech and any form of privacy from Americans. In addition to invading the personal lives of many Americans, the patriot act has also been proven to have no effect on stopping potential terrorist attacks in the United States. The Patriot act is a violation of civil rights and an invasion of privacy and needs to be repealed.

Constant controversy have aggravated several Americans since the Patriot Act goes slightly against the fourth amendment. The fourth amendment is the right of people to be secure in their homes, papers, and effect, against unreasonable search and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized (Fourth Amendment - U.S. Constitution - FindLaw, n.d.). The Patriot Act was implemented for the creation of new laws and for the amendments of current ones for the intent of more efficient terrorism prevention and investigation. The act made changes to the already present amendments, which entitled privacy to American citizens, including the following: wiretap statute, electronic communications privacy act, computer fraud and abuse act, foreign intelligence surveillance act, family education rights and privacy act, pen register and trap and trace statute, money laundering act, immigration and nationality act, money laundering control act, bank secrecy act, right to financial privacy act, and fair credit reporting act (Department of Government and Justice Studies, n.d.). As a result, the Patriot Act contains all of the same checks and balances that the American public has become accustomed to seeing in their government testimonies (List of Pros and Cons of The Patriot Act,

The purpose of this research paper is to give those not aware of the Patriot Act a condensed version of the framework of the Act. According to the architects of the Patriot Act, the goal of the Act was to deal a crippling blow to the infrastructure of domestic terrorism in the United States. However, if not properly utilized, there will be, and should be a strong public reaction against the Act due to its extensive range of authority. Many provisions in the Act apply to American citizens, and we will be affected.

The Patriot Act is a sweeping piece of legislation. Created in the wake of 9/11; it remains controversial. Opinions on the necessity of the Act are intense and vary widely. A better understanding of its applicability, strengths, and weaknesses will aid future opinion and legislation. The Patriot Act affects all citizens, immigrants, and especially minority groups. Studies have been done on the racial profiling of Muslim Americans. The benefits of having The USA PATRIOT Act cannot be argued. However, oversight, transparency, and accountability are needed. Ensuring that agencies do not overstep or target minority groups should be addressed.

The USA Patriot Act of 2001 is a controversial public policy, which greatly undermines the civil liberties and constitutional freedom of the American people. This essay will moved from an overview of the USA Patriot Act to a review of the critical literature regarding the importance of the Act to the safety of Americans and shows how the Act violates the civil rights and liberties of citizens and noncitizens alike. After presenting sufficient evidence that the Patriot Act violates many of the basic principles that have been articulated in the U.S. Constitution, particularly within the Bill of Rights, I will, propose recommendations that if implemented scrupulously could help to restore American confidence in government's determination to

Making the world a safe place is a statement everyone likes to hear. The Patriot Act, which was made on September 12, 2001, shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attack made on the twin towers. This act was made to keep the people of America safe from terrorists, but also keeps track of all of the files. In today's discussions, people argue whether or not this act should still be used. The pro side of the story is to keep people safe and protects them from terrorist attacks, and other criminal gestures. The con side of the story is that it invades people privacy and is an unfair advantage that the government have towards people lives.

This paper will focus on the background, purpose, implementation, major criticisms, and current standing of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (hereafter referred to as the USA PATRIOT Act). The USA PATRIOT Act is currently one of the most controversial and divisive political doctrines that exist in modern day America supported and vexed by the entire political spectrum for various reasoning. Although in its inception it was met with staggering approval and support, over time skepticism and fear of an ever-increasing strain on civil rights

. At the signing of the Patriot Act in 2001, President George W. Bush said thatthe act would provide “important new tools to fight a present danger” (Gerdes). Since then, thePatriot Act and the “important new tools” it authorizes have been subjects of intense controversy.The debate over what the Patriot Act actually allows law enforcement officials to do, however,centers on the balance of national security and protection of civil liberties in legislation.In the United States, civil liberties are the rights individuals have that are free frominterference from the government or others; they include the rights listed in the Bill of Rights aswell as those protected by state or local laws (Boaz). Also, the Ninth Article of The Bill of Rightsstates that “the enumeration…of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage othersretained by the people”, so rights concerning privacy and “others retained by the people” can beincluded under the label of civil liberties. In the past, civil liberties have been challenged andsuspended in times of war. The Patriot Act contains provisions that bring up the issue of civilliberties during wartime. Critics call the Patriot Act “unwarranted and