The Patriot Act: An Essential Weapon

Paper Summary:

The paper attempts to demonstrate that the USA Patriot Act is a prudent and necessary legislation to protect the United States from the real threat of terrorism. The paper argues that the perceived threat to our civil liberties is unfounded. The paper compares the provisions of the Act to truly outrageous actions taken in the past by a government in crisis, such as the Alien Sedition Acts of 1798 and the suspension of habeas corpus by President Lincoln.

From the Paper:

"The USA Patriot Act is the often discussed, much maligned, and little understood legislation that was put forward in response to the tragic aftermath of the 9/11 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York, heavily damaged the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and left a crater in Shanksville, Pennsylvania as a testimony to the heroics of ordinary citizens faced with the new reality of life during the first war of this young century. This abbreviated name wrongly suggests a simple law, and has been the target of many groups citing the end of personal civil liberties and the coming of a new police state. Nothing could be farther from the truth, in fact, this Act is extremely complex, far less reactionary that previous laws enacted during wartime, and fundamentally necessary to protect our fellow citizens from another early morning tragedy to unfold on live television."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Henry Campbell Black (1979). Black's Law Dictionary. St. Paul: West Publishing Company
• David Herbert Donald (1995). Lincoln. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
• Geoffrey R. Stone (2004). Perilous Times - Free Speech in Wartime. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.
• Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) of 2001, H.R. 3162
• Jon Thibault (April 1, 2004 ). Patriot Act 101. FrontPageMag.com, December 23, 2006, from http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=12801

More papers on The Patriot Act: An Essential Weapon:

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• Argumentative Essay # 129966 : "The Patriot Act's Impact on American Society"
• Analytical Essay # 141693 : "The Patriot Act"

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