The Act

People say that the Patriot Act is unconstitutional.  But who is to say that with out the Patriot Act there would even be a constitution at all.  Who's to say that with out this act more attacks like 9/11 wouldn't happen.  WIth this act it is all most certien that something like 9/11 won't happen again.  There have been a little over 30 terriost attacks stopped before they could be put into place because of this act. And if people don't attack and do shady stuff then they shouldn't have to wary about there privacy being messed with. IF you are a regular american who lives there life regular there is no reason to warry. Its the ones that are up to something that have to wary and we should want it like that.  But the ones who stay out of trouble won't have to worry about trouble finding them if they do what they are supposed to

Do We Still Need the PATRIOT Act?

​Questioning the necessity of the Patriot act can be difficult, but ultimately the idea of it becoming outdated is always a possibility. I feel after reading the articles it really starts to pinpoint the fact that its intentions differ from its results. It was created with the purpose of protecting citizens, which by all means is a great thing. Considering that after the 9/11 attacks, it really showed how easily something that disastrous could happen. 
Similar to the quote Mr. Lehmann is known for, using outdated acts is only keeping us safe from past events in my opinion. So by really abusing the Patriot act and pursuing unnecessary things only delays out progress forward. The borderline between reasonable and unreasonable suspicion is a definite one. By using the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, any national agent simply needed to apply for a warrant for surveillance and it was done. This really limits the amount of actual investigation the user really has to do. I feel as though the warrant should only be issued if the applicant has reasonable proof that the surveil-ee --if you-d like to call them-- is causing some sort of harm or disturbance to others. 
Terrorism is a strong word, and should only be given to those honestly sought out to literally cause terror to those of society. The Patriot act was established to prevent situations of terrorism like we've witnessed in the past. But after watching Enemy of the State and other, similar movies, it's easy to see how simple it is for invasions of privacy to occur to average civilians. 
To conclude, the Patriot act was passed for a reason. It's intentions are to keep us safe, and to my knowledge has done its job considering that situations in the past have yet to happen again. Some may say the whole aspect of "invading privacy" may become a factor. But ultimately, I'm the type of person to live and let live. I let the government officials do their job, and I rely on them to keep the civilians safe. If you're not doing anything bad, then you should have no problem under the rare circumstance of being monitored. The end.

RoomForDebate: PatriotAct- Activity1

     The Patriot act is something that when used correctly can please everyone. The act allows the government to monitor potential terrorists by monitoring their personal records; such as Phone records, Computer records, Credit history and Banking History. It also allows the government to perform "sneak and peeks" which allows them to secretly search a potential terrorists home. To stop terrorists we do still need the patriot act.

      One reason we need the Patriot act is for the fact that since it was enforced there have been no major terrorism attacks such as 9/11. This is a great thing because I do not believe that this country can handle another attack like that. Now while I do believe that we still do need the patriot act I do feel that in the Past the government has been abusing the law.

      Between the years 2003 and 2006 the FBI issued 192,499 NSL's (allows them to access personal records) that led to only one terrorist attack. This is just showing how the government can abuse power. So for this act to be continued their needs to be restrictions on when the government does this.

      Another example on why the government needs restrictions is because in the year 2010 there were 3,970 sneak and peaks 76% of which were drug related 24% other and less than 1% were terrorist related. This shows that the government can bend the act to satisfy what they need to arrest other criminals. So in order for the act to continue there also needs to be a way for other parts of the government to monitor why exactly the FBI or CSI are performing a Sneak and Peak.

      In the end I feel that we do need this act but there needs to be restrictions. Without the restrictions it is invasion of privacy for all the wrong reasons. Which is why people complain about the Patriot Act.

Keeping the Patriot Act

Although many people think that the Patriot Act hurts us, in the minds of many others, it helps us more than it hurts us. On September 11th, 2001, terrorists exploited our weaknesses and committed an unforgivable act when they flew the planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and aimed for the White House. The Patriot Act helps us cover up those weaknesses so that something like that doesn’t occur again. Sure, the threat from al-Queda is gone but that doesn’t mean we should take away the Patriot Act because of that, al-Queda isn’t the only terrorist organization out there. 

There has been a number of terrorists plots stopped thanks to the Patriot Act that most people don’t here about since if you look at the charts for violence in America compared to the other countries, America tops most charts for having the most violence.  There are many other examples since it helps the government keeps tabs on potential terrorists and even if its not many people that protects from being hurt, its still protecting people. If “lone wolves” are out there, America needs some way to make sure that they aren’t still working with the terrorist organizations outside the country to attack America and this is the most effective way since it allows the FBI to tap their phones so that they are in the loop. 

Although it is a breach of privacy, the need for tightened security after how a security breach on 9/11 turned into the most horrendous experience for Americans in its recent history shows how much we took our freedom and lifestyle for granted if it can be attacked that easily. In other words, you can say that giving up a some of your privacy should be okay if it can stop someone from turning in a terrorist and blowing up something, killing lots of people. 

Corruption in the Government System

The PATRIOT act completely vandalizes the U.S citizens right for freedom. I understand the importance of keeping American citizens safe from outside threats and also domestic threats but does that require invading their privacy. The one thing that America holds above many other countries is the ability to have privacy. Although I have not seen actual proof of the government abusing their power with this act, it can easily be guessed that corruption in the government is according. With this act, the government has gained a large amount of power which they should not have a hold on. Sure this may be an overreaction but I believe no one should have too much power over a person especially since power can consume and corrupt easily.


Now that Osama Bin Laden has been killed and the multiple wars and quickly coming to an end, I feel as though the PATRIOT act is not really needed.  It has certainly served it's purpose as the key to protecting this country but now that the immediate threat is gone it's time to back off a bit. Americans need to feel the comfort of their former rights and what life was like before 9/11. Of couse certain security rules must stay in place since 9/11 did show the holes in our security but  things such as the PATRIOT act are not longer needed. 


Patriot Act

An act of patriotism... Sounds like an honorable, and righteous thing no matter what the perspective... So right off the back the name is misleading! "America land of the free" is actually short for the real expression, it actually is said "America land of the free, unless your Black, Jewish, Italian, Asian, Indian, Poor, Latino, but ESPECIALLY Middle Eastern". The Patriot Act enables the American government to write a legal document to secretly spy on any citizen. Even better if they find any evidence of "suspicious activity" they can make arrests without even notifying the "alleged criminals" of their crimes or rights. Talk about unconstitutional, when this bill was written in 2001 congress pulled down their pants and left a nice one all over the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 14th amendments. 

I understand their are very valid debates to why this law can be for good. It does tighten security and makes it easier to catch the bad guys. The extremely evident problem I see is who decides who the bad guys are? I cant say that I’ve never made a racial stereotype but I can say I’ve never wanted to arrest someone for looking or acting a certain way without being certain of their guilt towards a crime. The level of ignorance and corruption in US politics that continues to flow through the media has completely turned me off to any idea that the American government is actually on the side of the people who aren't rich or white, and I’m saying this as a fucking well off white man!!!!  

 

Don’t get me wrong I’m 100% a patriot, I love America, I love Philadelphia, I love the communities in which I’ve been brought up in, and I love my life. However if there’s something I love more then America it’s a respect for human rights. I’ve never been oppressed and the one quality I was born with that links my ancestors to oppression is my mothers Judaism. That being said I consider myself an empathetic person who believes in social rights, and liberties for all people regardless of race or religion. The people who were involved in 9/11 are murderers, and animals for which I share no compassion, however to punish an entire race for the crimes of few is savage and putrid. In the The New York Times editorial of the patriot act their congressional research service committee gives a summery of the act. In the fourth sentence of the summery I quote “It creates new crimes, new penalties, and new procedural efficiencies for use against domestic and international terrorists.” HOWEVER it does not list what those new crimes, penalties, and procedural efficiencies are! That means there are laws that are private to the American public. Penalties that are not disclosed with the average citizen. Worst of all policies that only exist in clandestine government files. How in any way is that Patriotic?

 

Imagine a city under domestic military control, where the government has access to any amount of private information and has the ability to legally arrest and torture any citizen. Now imagine that the head of this military operation is a rich, racist, chauvinistic, white man, who got the military position from family connection rather then merit and personal accomplishment. In 1960 Bobby Kennedy was appointed as commanding general without any previous experience. (Not to bash Bobby Kennedy just an example of family connection leaking into office) That may not be the case but this “patriot act” is the first step in giving the government that kind of power. My criticism of the US government does not reach into all branches. I do believe that things could be a lot worse then they are, and that much of the government has righteous and morale intentions. My hope is that the Patriot Act is not abolished but instead refined. All information should be made public and it should be evident that the government works for the people, not the other way around. I don’t have a problem with catching the bad guys but the perception of what is right and wrong should not only be left to a specific number of government officials no matter how qualified or unqualified to make that decision they are. Citizens need to understand that its their responsibility to be informed of all laws and what could be considered suspicious behavior, however in order to do that the information needs to consistently be pushed in the publics face. The people should have a say in any law that affects them especially one like the Patriot Act.

 

 


http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/u/usa_patriot_act/index.html

 

http://www.fincen.gov/statutes_regs/patriot/index.html

Keeping the Patriot Act

After eleven years of having the Patriot Act the question raise is it still needed. People have come to say that the Patriot Act is not needed anymore with the fact that nothing else as big has happened since 9/11. But then again without the Patriot Act can anything like 9/11 happen again. In one of the articles it states that the world is worse then what it used to be, because of the way that technoklogy has advanced and much much more. And with this said the article, There's Still a Need for the Patriot Act, says that defense technology has not yet been able to keep up. One more point that is brought up that is well thought out is the fact that even if the Patriot Act wasn't needed we still need at least part of it or some aspects of it. 

With even the thought that something like this may be able to happen again the Patriot Act will be an important aspect to keep in our lives. As previously stated before jut because nothing has happened since 9/11 doesn't mean nothing can't happen. For example if suddenly the Patriot Act was no longer needed and then there was another attack what will be needed to do? Also what if survellience wasn't as strict and then something a little less server happened? Will the Patriot Act be put back in place or will there have to be another act that was made. 

Another thing that came to mind was something after reading the article on the 9/11 commission report. After reading it and discovering that all these men that hijacked the plane were able to get ont he plan so easily it was just amazing. They had no problem going through security or needing their baggage checked. Now that we have th Patriot Act and if it was taken away it would feel as though we are loosing some of our security. Now a days people would least expect this to happen again because of how well our security is. So by taking away this act its also taing away our sense of security. 

USA PATRIOT Act

The U.S.A P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act is by no means an act with a great purpose. And the sole purpose is to secure peace and prevent further attacks on American soil with the citizens. I think it's a great act, that has and can furthermore save american lives, if more of these attacks were planned to be carried out. The act gives the government many branches of agencies immense power to monitor, track and detain anyone they suspect of having relations or planning terroristic acts. 

However, with all the good that seems to come with it. There has to be a limit, sure a lot of the procedures are a necessity but it violates many rights from the Constitution. A fine line should be set that when things are no longer seeming as if it could relate to terrorism, then it should stop. Personal information to that person should never be leaked or used as an advantage. It's worst than identity theft and that's definitely a crime. In other words, this counter-terrorism operation is a privilege and it should be rightfully conducted, not abused by agencies who run whatever they think is right or at their will. The point is to protect not violate people's rights and the constitution. Once again, keep in mind that there are certain necessities that need to be bypassed in order to carry out the operations. 

"Thanks 'Big Brother!'"

If there is one misunderstood concept present in our society, it’s definitely the Patriot Act. Even taking it a bit further, by saying surveillance. If we look at authoritative monitoring less negative way, maybe we’d trust the government more. So, in the following, you’ll see how having so eyes in the sky is far more beneficial that deprecating, because honestly, it’s always nice to have a “Big Brother.”

 

By embracing, and accepting, the Patriot Act we open up the door for national protection. We’re giving the government, or whatever entity has our interest at heart, the ability to ensure secretive threats never see the light of day; we just need to let them help. Some people might ask what gives them the right to poke their noses in anything they want, and the answer is the same thing that gives us the privilege to communicate privately and without surveillance- and that “thing” is called trust. We’ve gone this long trusting that the government won’t monitor us 24/7 and allow us the privacy that could both benefit and hinder us, it’s high time we trust them a little.

 

If it helps any, let’s think of those with the ability to actually utilize the Patriot Act as an actually big brother in the following situation: Kid (citizens of America) finally comes of an age where Mom (Government and Law) gives them enough permission and freedom to start making some of their own more important decisions and being a little more independent. Then, Mom starts seeing that Kid starts staying out later, starts shirking some of their responsibilities and even begin to disrespect Mom. So, Mom asks Brother (Patriot Act) to go see what’s influencing Kid to act so unusually irresponsibility. At this point, it really isn’t up to Kid to decide whether there should be an intervention of a sort; it’s actually in the Kid’s best interest to have someone looking out for them. So, Brother does a little investigating, and finds out that Kid has actually been hanging out with some new friends that appear to be ok, but Brother realizes that they don’t have Kid’s best interest at heart, and can actually be a danger to Kid. So, Brother has a chat with Kid and enlightens him, per say, and teaches him that had Brother not done a little lurking, Kid could be in some big trouble. If there was any bit of haziness in the story, the moral is that sometimes people can use someone looking over their shoulder even if they don’t see it at the time.

 

The Patriot Act isn’t supposed to be this thing we’re afraid of. It’s supposed to give us a peace of mind that we have someone looking out for us, we just have to trust that they will follow through, but that’s honestly all we can do is trust them, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to trust your Big Brother.

Patriot Act: My Opinion

            The Patriot Act as we all know is a way for the United States Government to get a few steps in our lives and future. I believe that the government has too much power over the American Citizens. Letting them to come in and out of our lives without notice shouldn’t be aloud. I feel as though if we are free people, why are we being held down by this law? I understand the need to be on high alert because of 9/11, and all of the following treats that America has gotten since then. I don’t understand how such law got passed so quickly through while usually it takes months to a couple of years. This makes me suspicious.

 

            The Patriot Act has its pros and cons just everything in this world does. In this case the cons out way the pros in my opinion. The thought of someone wiring into my phone, computer, or TV is a little freaky to me. I don’t think the government needs to see who I talk to wirelessly, where I’m at 24/7, and who are my friends. The citizens don’t the government personal lives so why should they know ours. If there should ever be a time for the government to bug is when the have protected proof. Which means a physical or item of evidence. I also think they should confirm with the person that there “Stalking” so that the person can either tell yes or no that their committing a crime. If the person isn’t guilty they wouldn’t lie or try to hide from it. If they took the time out to be nice then maybe people wouldn’t lie, run, or hide from them.

 

            In my opinion I think the Patriot Act shouldn’t exist. There are so many other laws that they can create that can protect the privacy and lives of America. It’s like there butting a war with their own Citizens. I believe if they did more research on the foreigners that come over to the states they wouldn’t have to be concerned in who is coming over to attack America. I do want to be protected from harm, but not in this kind of way. Make a law where everyone is protected and trusted with their homes, jobs, lives, education, and money. Make a law where if someone is being considered of committing a crime has some evidence. Don’t just take a random person from the street accuse them and then lock them up for years. It’s not fair to the American people. It’s cheating up out of our freedom that we are suppose to have. Our rights. 

Enemy Of the state Response

Enemy of the state is a kind of interesting movie because as i was watching it i was learning about the government. in this movie, government is portrayed as intelligent as well as evil too. They were also a kind of superior to other American people. When we talk about the privacy of citizens in this movie, then i think citizen's privacy is not being respected in this movie as i saw they were putting some camera and all that showed me that citizens privacy in not being respected in this movie. 

I think government should have all access to our personal information because i believe that if government is not having any kind of personal information of any citizen, how would they be able to find terrorists living around us ( which is their responsibility to protect citizens from any suspicious or threatening activity). So in this case, government should have every kind of access to any kind of personal information of citizens. Also i don't think so that any individual's freedom should be restricted for safety of community because its citizens right and may be it can be restricted in some cases like when someone is doing any kind of suspicious activity being in a community of freedom, then in this case freedom can be restricted.

Yasmeen Brownlee

The patriot act is a word that stirs conflict in the world of politics. It’s a controversial touchy subject that has two stories the good and the bad. Those who fight to keep it, as well as those to fight to oppose it. Even though each person has their own opinions on why and why not there is truth behind each claim against and for it. I believe that if both sides work together to create something that worth talking about and fighting for then no one will have a problem. The Patriot Act which was created with the idea of protecting america from terrorism through surveillance means. It was strongly fought against because people felt as though they would lose all control over their own privacy. As well as the fact that the government would have too much control. 

As technology advances so does the ability to hide dangerous weapons that can hold the power to harm more than ever before. Which is something that the government will instinctively revolt back to create even better means for safety. Though surveillance may seem to be something that invades someones privacy it is also a means to protect the people who need privacy. I see the patriot act a a double edged sword, because is in the wrong hand this amazing surveillance power can be used for evil as much as it is used for good. Though i am not saying that Having this doesn't inflict strain on the basic necessities of everyday privacy but if the privacy is kept with in newly recreated laws and restrictions then people won't have to feel like everything in their life is at steak.

Even though we may want to believe in the fact that the government is only using their new power to investigate terrorism. We know that some where in our minds is that they are using there power for the cases that that have nothing to do with terrorism. There are even facts about "The Widespread serious abuse" of the power. As stated in the passage show that even thought there are some precautions in place it is still not enough. To stop things that could have easily be stopped.

The Patriot act despite it's criticism it is a useful weapon in the war on terrorism. Since it allows the F.B.I to investigate Criminals that have ties to terrorism easier than ever. Safeguards to halt misuse have been newly forced in to effect. Though not strongly backed it is a start to protecting america from terrorism. Though it may not me perfect as of yet there are always faults and failures until the final product is finished.

Rugeiatu Bah

In today’s world the patriot act is still needed to protect us from harm. It has been crucial in fighting the war of crime and terrorism. This law gives us more knowledge on terrorism throughout the world that we will need to prevent future attacks from happening. The Patriot act makes it difficult for terrorist to get ahead of the law.

 

The law was signed shortly after the September 11th attacks, with little appeal. While this law is in effect we have more intelligence on crime and illegal things that could be potentially harmful.  One of the main duties of this law is to improve the security in the United States of America. The Patriot act prevents international money laundering and the illegal use of the United States financial system. Without this act we would be more vulnerable to threats from around the world.

 

The main keys of this law is  improving surveillance which is used by investigators to track suspected terrorists also it allow the federal government to attain business records, business could be prosecuted without warrants if they are suspected of fraud. Another Main key is that the united states government can track non-us citizens who are not connected to a terrorism group

 

The patriot act is benefiting us years later.  A real life example of this working is the death of Osama Bin Laden, through the intelligence that we gathered over a large period of time , helped us find the leader of al-Qaeda , and kill him . In addition,  we are still working on the ways we can gather information throughout the world.

 

With the passage of the Patriot act, America is safe and secure. The act prevented many attacks from happening, such as the Buffalo Six which was a group who were convicted of providing money and material support to al-Qaeda.   This is one of the many ways that this law has helped us.  Without this law I think that our country would be at more risk for future attacks , and we would basically take a step in the wrong direction , because our country has come a long way in improving the way we live and operate things since 9.11 .


Room for Debate

The U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act is a rather large update to America's Government on the investigation and capture of terrorists. It is mean to secure America from dangers lurking in our midst, not thousands of miles away. Through roving wire taps, bank records and much more. It meant to protect the whole of the public while finding the dangers. The most important part of this bill arguably is the title that lets different agencies share information with each other. Allowing for more support and different takes on issues.

Now to the matter of privacy. The Government now has access to roving wire tapes, which they can follow a person if they switch companies. Before they would have to get another warrant, for the different company. To the average american it means nothing to you because you first must be behaving suspiciously. Not too much to worry about. The Government now has access to library records. This, I feel, is does not help the government at all and so vague. Just because someone reads a book about Osama Bin Ladin does not make them a terrorist, or researching explosives because you have an interest in become a bomb technician. It is highly speculative and doesn't, to me, provide any real benefit. Plus, if there is freedom of the press, what's the point if what you read can mark you on there list. Some where on that law says an officer can seize any "tangible" thing that can be used, without a warrant. This is too much power, an invasion of privacy and a perfect setup opportunity. 

Finally, the NSL's (Nation Security Letters: a demand for information, not needing a judge) gives the government too much power. There is no checks and balances here, which makes it a bit of a wild card. Other than the things listed above it is a fitting update to America's security.

Patriot Act Editorial

            The Patriot Act is probably one of the most complicated laws passed in American history; it was a necessity. America was in danger- with events leading up to attacks- something needed to be done. Reactions of the government were straight to the point, under immense pressure, they needed to ensure the people’s safety which lead to the law being passed so quickly. Some may say that we give the government too much power, but I believe it suffices our safety- better safe than sorry.

 

            On September 11, 2001 two planes crashed into the Twin Towers, leading the citizens of America into chaos. There was never an Act allowing the government to tap into services of anyone to stop any danger. Once 9/11 happened the vision of safety for America changed dramatically for the better. Anti-terrorism safety precautions are necessary even today, with all the new technologies out in the world we may even need to “fine-tune” the act.

 

            The government’s ability to tap into anyone’s services may be upsetting to some people, but we do need to consider that citizens of this very country can be high-risk criminals. There are countless benefits of the Patriot Act applying to anti-terrorism conditions and other organized crimes within the country, for example, gang violence.

 

            Overall, the Patriot Act should remain a law in the United States of America to ensure the safety of citizens. The government must have all the power when it comes to keeping their citizens in safe, if not, then all chaos would break loose and there would be no support for the country.

            

"Is there still a need for the Patriot Act?" Don't Care

Do we still need the Patriot Act? How about No? How about Yes? Does it really matter? Seriously have US citizens really noticed the patriot act over the last 11 years. I know I really haven’t noticed it in my life, and apparently it’s been there for the last 11 years. That’s the majority of my life. It’s not going to hurt us by having it, and its not going to hurt us by not having it. If terrorist want to attack the USA the Patriot act won’t stop them. I think the Patriot Act is being used so the country can get complete control of its citizens. I think that’s good for the country and the citizens.

Lets just say a group of citizens are on a 4-way call planning to attack the white house or a city hall. With the Patriot Act the government may be able to pick up on that call and nip it in a bud as soon as possible. Without the Patriot Act the government would be clueless, and one of those places would go down. Or would it? Didn’t the government know what we were doing at all times before the Patriot Act? I think so. The Patriot Act just may be in order so nobody complains about his or her rights because the patriot act is a law. There is really nothing we can do about it.

If that is not the reason why we have the Patriot Act then I think it still needs to stay in place. Because without the Patriot Act Pearl Harbor was Bombed & the Twin Towers were attacked. Since the Patriot Act has been put in place I can’t recall any terrorist attacks on the country, but I can recall some attacks to the country’s citizens. I’ll just name two of those attacks; “The V-Tech Massacre” & “The Dark Knight Massacre”. Could the Patriot Act have prevented these citizen attacks?  I’m not sure, but if it could have I’m pretty sure they would have.

Is there still a need for the patriot act? My answer is I don’t care. It stops the big things from happening but the little things still happen, so I don’t think it really matters. "That's the bottom line cuz Stone Cold said so."

The PATRIOT Act Editorial

​The USA PATRIOT Act is certainly not flawless, but has been a successful process for preventing terrorism and other criminal activity. According to the Heritage Foundation since 9/11 30 terrorist plots were foiled including the shoe bomer and the underwear bomber. Anyone of those 30 terrorist plots could have caused mass hysteria similar to the 9/11 attacks, however with the help of the Patriots act these plots were nothing more than nefarious ideas.
It can be argued that out of thousands of people under investigation only a small percent are actual terrorist, but these investigations could help stop other crimes.  According to the "Surveillance Under The Patriot Act"  info graphic of the 3,970 sneak and peeks  peeks (secret searches of Americans' homes and offices) in 2010,  76 percent were drug related and less than 1 percent were terrorism related. These sneak and  peeks did find about 3 people who could be involved in terrorism plots, but even better the sneak and  peeks found a considerable amount of drug crimes. Meaning the Patriot Act could also decrease blue collar crimes like drug dealing. 
The Patriot Act can not find every terrorist in existence, but it has increased the probability  that America does find a terrorist. America could be considered safe since the Act and will only remain safe with the the Patriot Act  being enforced. 

P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act

The Patriot Act was a response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It allows the government to track things such a personal communication for the purpose of the government. What the government is not understanding is the passing this act would stop privacy and freedom rights. Yes the Patriot have numerous reasons to improve the security expense of privacy, but people are having trouble with the Act. This law gives people to believe the U.S is going to have a bad reputation. People who are from different countries that want to come to America, it would change their perspective because now the United State are under surveillance. Especially for people that come from the middle east that are muslim.

We are not saying that the government can't investigate terror plots, but taking it as far as protecting the rights and lives of the people. Interfearing with the personal lives of the American People. The Patriot Act should focus more in cracking terrorist plots and pontential attacks, then spying on Americans. This shows that the Act has to much power over the people.

CSheridan; Room for Debate - Patriot Act

​Cyndi Lynn Sheridan

American Government – D

September 18, 2012


Patriot Act: Battle of the Beliefs


Approximately three thousand innocent lives were taken on September 11th, 2001.1 The government immediately took action by establishing a law called the “Patriot Act.” The main purpose of this law was to prevent attacks like 9/11 from occurring again. However, this law has been considered a controversial issue because in order to protect the citizens the government has to invade their privacy. Stop and think for a moment what's more important to you, your life or your privacy.

The government only investigates potential terrorists, meaning if you don't associate yourself in illegal actions you should not be intimidated by their capabilities. You have access to all your constitutional values if you behave in a proper manner. In society, technology continues to advance making it easier for terrorists to target America, therefore it is necessary to take precautions before the damage happens. I definitely believe the Patriot Act is imperative for the safety of the citizens in the United States.

1September 11 by Numbers." New York Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2012. <http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/1ye

The PATRIOT Act

Do we still need the Patriot Act? This question brings up many different emotions/responses. Some people may think it is too late for the PATRIOT Act. Some think we need it and have always needed it. I think that we can live without it. It is making the government be able to do almost anything if they even think that you are a "terrorist". It also was brought up very suddenly after 9/11. This gave it more of a chance to be passed. 
I agree with Jefferey Rosens article, "Too much power" because of how many newspaper articles back up what he is saying. Alot of the potential "terrorist" that the government spied on and traced weren't part of terroristic attacks or plans. 
The PATRIOT Act has many pros and many cons to it. But in my eyes the cons outweigh the pros by far. 

USA-Patriot Act Editorial

The United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism is an Act that promises a better national security in America. Few Americans are still questioning what the act means for them and the future of America. Congress spent a brief time debating and discussing what the outcomes of signing the act would precede to in our future. Thus result in little information about the topic. Most citizens, representatives and even yours truly barely knows what the act stands for in our lives.

From reading all the articles and comments, from New York Times, there are still debates playing between being for or against the Patriot Act. I believe that my government is doing everything in their power to prevent another 9/11. 9/11 was a wake up call to America, that our government was slacking off. Because of the Patriot act they are now fighting the War Against Terror by hacking in to the accused dangerous people's records and history. Now our government can seek another attack before it happens. Statistics have shown that at least 15 terrorist plots have been tampered since 2002. And normal citizens should not worry because unless they are doing something illegal then they have nothing to worry about. I believe this law has the potential to be and continues to be a game changer.

Although this law is a pivotal moment in our recent history, there are still many controversies surrounding it. I understand perfectly why American citizens should be upset. Although I did mention that normal citizens should not worry because unless they are doing something illegal they have nothing to worry about, sometimes the information the government receives can be misleading. For instance, if a college student wanted to do a paper on the Manhattan project and he needed information on Atomic bombs and how to make them. The government could misinterpret what the student wanted to do. Because the evidence is against the student he might get life in prison. (The scenario is fake and made up) Other scenarios that could be mislead the government would be  like if an American-Arabian brought 3 guns for protection but was arrested because someone thought he wanted to engage in terrorism. American citizens do have rights to the first Amendment and should have their privacy protected. Also in a way government will become enraged with power. The affect of that will result in corruption. The corruption could ruin what America has fought so hard to become. If that is the case then America will lose the value of what it once was and as a country we can not allow that to happen.

With those scenarios in mind along with the statement I made before I'm going to believe what one of the comments made in the A Vital Weapon article. The Act should remain and stay as is but there should be a fine line between what should be looked into and what should be considered terrorist. Every American should have the right to do what ever without being questioned by the government. Unfortunately to do that at this point peoples privacy will remain tampered but for the greater good America will be safe.

Blog Post 2- Room For Debate

After reading the editorials I agree that we do not need the PATRIOT Act anymore. The PATRIOT Act has been in the spotlight of many International debates. The PATRIOT Act was something to make the American people feel safer, more secure in times of need. Now, The PATRIOT Act is just something there that is completely unnecessary in most senses. 


In the right, liberal place we are in now, most people are already against the PATRIOT Act because many believe it is a violation of privacy. I, too believe that, but I also feel as though we never needed the PATRIOT Act in the first place. In class, we discussed things like the NSA, CIA, and FBI. Those are agencies that are here to gather intelligence and try to prevent things from happening like 9/11. Can we seriously say that there was no surveillance before 9/11 or the PATRIOT Act? The United States already measures in place that could of stopped 9/11, strong measures but they didn't work, not because of the lack of surveillance but by the lack of execution in our part. 


Many liberates have been taken away since the PATRIOT Act has been in play. Once could even argue that the PATRIOT Act hurts democratic ideals in a sense. Democratic ideals are such things as: self-entrepreneur, self-liberties and most importantly, patriotism. You might be wondering, why patriotism, isn't the PATRIOT Act supposed to be something that makes you want to be an American? Well, for must it us, but for others who don't have blond hair, blue eyes it could be something that deteriorates someone's moral in this Country. After 9/11, muslims became the face of terrorism. Many muslims feared for their lives. Sikhs had been targeted most because of their appearance. 9/11 and the Patriot Act directly effected 2 religions. Thus, hurting their patriotism towards this country. 


As the PATRIOT Act hurts democratic ideals, they can also strengthen them. Egalitarianism is something that has benefited from this. After the PATRIOT Act, many people had thought their privacy and rights were not being respected, they began adopting a moral of negativity against the United States and the Bush administration.  Making the Bush administration considered one of the failures among the other administrations in the past. John Locke had wrote this as "natural" rights, well, if someone's privacy is being threatened, they think their natural rights are being threatened as well. This in a direct contradiction to what many in the history of this Country wanted.


As you read many arguments about the PATRIOT Act, one can only adopt their view on it. In times of social liberalism, progressivism, and libertarianism, one could even argue that the PATRIOT Act is something even a communists nation could adopt. Let's hope our liberties will be reinstated if this bill ever falls apart.

By, Mohamed Marzouk

Room For Debate: Patriot Act

The USA Patriot Act is the gateway to a medley of possibilities. It secures our citizens with a safe future whilst slicing down the baddies, and only the baddies, down to size. This law gives the government the opportunity to hand out a ticket of justice to those who are harmful to the nation and allows the many intelligence agencies to move freely throughout the country in their effort to clean up the nation.

If only it were that peachy.

Correct me if I'm wrong but, the regulation permits tons of leeway, giving government agents the opportunity to delve deep into the personal and private information of visitors and Americans alike, provided that they are suspicious. After gathering up some potential evidence and presenting it to a judge, bank records, wire tappings, library history are up for grabs as means to finding out just what have people been doing with their time. Treating people like criminals in secret when they have not necessarily done anything yet seems a tad overbearing.

However, it is not realistic to just be rid of the whole entity altogether. The whole reason for this enactment being put into place for the security of American people. The once bill received an overwhelming approval in 2001 because the Representatives, the Senate and so on believed that it could prevent from such devastating attacks again. That the was the plan was to play it smart, to be shielded, to protect what we still had.

All the while, though, breaching beyond the boundaries of trust and text messages to catch a glimpse of a disaster in the making might equally be on the menu. Either way, something of paramount significance is lost. The government is trying to save America from itself. The only question that remains is how will they will go.

The act is good at heart but, goes about tackling the terrorists in the wrong manner. So the verdict of the course our America should take is beyond this clueless teenager, in all honestly.

​Annisa Ahmed
B Band
9.18.12