War on Terrorism vs. the Bill of Rights

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the U.S. Department of Defense and other branches of the federal government capitalized on the fear of another terrorist attack, by erecting a series of security measures since September 11. The most notable of these is the USA PATRIOT Act (HR-3162), passed in October of 2001 which stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism." The paper explains that the USA PATRIOT Act permits wiretapping without judicial orders, deportation of legal residents of the United States based on suspicion, secret searches of citizens' offices and homes and measures. The paper argues that many of the permissible acts included in the USA PATRIOT Act are discriminatory and that there is nothing "patriotic" about violating Fourth Amendment rights or stripping ordinary citizens from their basic civil liberties. The paper shows that these bills and laws offer a lot of power to the FBI, the police and to other governmental bodies. millions of Americans are still willingly surrendering their personal rights and freedoms in favor of a false sense of security. Finally, the paper argues that the aura of paranoia that currently pervades the United States fuels the fascist-like measures supported by Attorney General Ashcroft, measures which have far-reaching implications for American citizens.

From the Paper:

"The problem with this approach is that the civil rights of American citizens, legal residents, and visitors is violated. Most Americans would be willing to undergo enhanced security checks at airports. In fact, Gore Vidal, in his article "The New War on Freedom," cites a CNN/Times poll conducted a few days after the terrorist attacks of September 11 which showed that 74% of people believe "it would be necessary for Americans to give up some of their personal freedoms," (Vidal). However, in the wake of the terrorist attacks, the federal government was able to sneak the USA PATRIOT act by Congress and the American people. Without protest, Americans are giving up their power to law enforcement agencies, under the assumption that some loss of freedom is necessary."

More papers on War on Terrorism vs. the Bill of Rights:

• Comparison Essay # 133575 : "Rhetoric of the War on Terror vs. the Cold War"
• Persuasive Essay # 104027 : "Rhetoric of the War on Terror vs. the Cold War"
• Analytical Essay # 97358 : "The Bill of Rights"

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