Patriot Act: Protection or Provocation?

Patriot Act: Protection or Provocation?

The entire nation was in terror after the attacks of 9/11. Many called for their leaders to step in and once again secure the nation so that daily life could continue unscathed by terror. The government's response -- the Patriot Act of 2001. This act strengthened the powers of the federal government and in the eyes of many placed many civil liberties in jeopardy. It is this controversial act which best represents the policies and practices of the Bush administration post 9/11.

This powerful and controversial act came into play within the scope of American politics directly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. After the nation as stunned and mortified by the acts of terrorism conducted by Bin Laden's Al Queda in New York, many citizens demanded stricter government provisions which would further protect them from foreign dangerous nationalists just waiting for their own chance to strike on the American homeland. In response, Congress drafted and passed the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was written in 2001 directly after the terrorist attacks in September of that year and was enacted by the 107th Congress (Public Law 107-56 2001). It was passed almost unanimously, winning by a large margin in both houses of Congress in 2001. The name itself is an anagram which stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-56 2001). It is a large body of supplementary provisions which aimed to increase security measures within the United States. In fact, nine separate titles of heightened security measures meant to curb terrorism before it can lead to disastrous events such as the ones witnessed on September 11, 2001 (Public Law 107-56 2001). This act, once enacted, changed the face of the relationship between everyday citizens and their government in its effort to protect them from external dangers lurking just around the corner.

The Patriot Act itself made serious changes to the nature of civilian rights within the United States. Previous generations had continuously been influenced by the original patriotic idea that every citizen should have various freedoms which allow them to live their daily lives as they please. Restrictions of certain civil freedoms were generally frowned upon by the public. However, in the outcry which roared directly after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the public was ready for a change -- if it meant a safer life in the United States. And so, many civil rights enjoyed by citizens were put under much more scrutiny with the promise that greater restrictions meant greater safety levels. For example, the act allowed law enforcement agencies of both federal and state agencies to have greater power in recording telephone and email conversations (Lithwick 2003). More open medical & financial records. Such conversations were much more guarded in previous generations based on the sanctity of privacy within the United States. Strenuous efforts were required to get warrants in order to breach that privacy. However, the Patriot Act made it much easier to listen in on a much greater population of conversations.

It also freed the Secretary of the Treasury to dive deeper into the overseeing and regulation of financial transactions within the United States. It loosened the regulations needed to tap into conversations of suspect individuals, allowing the government to ease drop with much more ease. The act also allowed for greater freedom in collecting intelligence over seas and lesser restrictions on detaining suspects and deporting foreign nationals deemed to be dangerous by the U.S. government (Lithwick 2003). This allowed much greater power on the behalf of the federal government to detain suspicious individuals without charging them right away. Along with this, it also helped increase the deportation power of the government within a wide variety of cases.

Such new found freedoms of the reign of the federal government as established through the provisions of the Patriot Act insurrected great controversy within the minds of citizens all across the country. Many citizens believe the patriot Act to be a direct infringement on the civil liberties of American citizens (Americans Civil Liberties Union 2003). It takes away the freedom of privacy which was a founding element in the legal system of the United States for so long. Others state that the provisions within the act itself are overly broad and therefore dangerous in its applications. It gives too few people too much power -- placing our government at risk for being manipulated by a few elite individuals within such secretive regimes as the Bush administration was. It also limited the provisions of the First Amendment in the concept that speaking one's mind would potentially lead to unfounded harassment by the U.S. government under the overly broad provisions of the Patriot Act. Many within the United States were concerned with its adoption in 2001. This concern grew to full fledged contempt in the mind of many Americans as the government continued to flex its new found muscles in the years proceeding its initial enactment in 2001.