An Erosion of Civil Freedoms?

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the Patriot Act and how some approve the law's measures for homeland security, while others have criticized its potential to erode civil freedoms. This paper examines both parts of this argument, with a specific focus on the wiretapping of phone calls and spying on electronic mail. The paper looks at the benefits of authorizing government spying and wiretapping and also examines the criticisms of domestic spying. The paper concludes that given the current political and security climate, domestic security could be adequately protected without resorting to wiretapping and other measures that endanger civil liberties and personal freedoms.

From the Paper:

"In fact, the NSA has prevented several attacks through eavesdropping. Jihadist Jose Padilla, for example, was successfully caught before he exploded a dirty bomb to spread radiation around an American city. NSA eavesdropping further foiled plots to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge and to plant more bombs in pubs and train stations around Britain. NSA insiders supposedly found that domestic spying has "been successful in detecting and preventing attacks inside the United States" (qtd in Krauthammer)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chang, Nancy. The PATRIOT Act Has Undermined Civil Liberties" by Nancy Chang. Homeland Security. James D. Torr, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2004. Nancy Chang, "The USA PATRIOT Act: What's So Patriotic About Trampling on the Bill of Rights?" www.ccr-ny.org, November 2001. Copyright (c) 2001 by Nancy Chang. Reproduced by permission. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 25 April 2006
• Krauthammer, Charles. "How Do You Think We Catch the Bad Guys? The NSA's spying and other tough methods are what have kept us safe after 9/11." Time. Jan 9, 2006 v167 i2 p35. ProQuest Database.
• Thomas, Even and Klaidman, Daniel. "Full Speed Ahead; After 9/11, Bush and Cheney pressed for more power--and got it. Now, predictably, the questions begin. Behind the NSA spying furor." Newsweek Jan 9, 2006 p22. ProQuest Database.

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