The Patriot Act

Hot Topics > Terror and 9/11
Political Science > State and Local Politics
Political Science > Terrorism
Political Science > U.S.

The Patriot Act

This paper explores the controversy surrounding the Patriot Act, with a focus on its merits.

884 words () | 8 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that some people contend that the Patriot Act infringes on the rights of people and gives the government undue power, while others take the position that the Act is essential to protect freedom and increase the nation's security. The paper maintains that while the Patriot Act does have the potential of challenging the freedoms of American citizens, this will only occur if leaders neglect the ethical standards that their duties depend upon. The paper is of the opinion that Americans should not hesitate in their commitment to the Patriot Act.

From the Paper:

"The United States Patriot Act of 2001 is viewed as the "most controversial act passed by Congress in modern history" (Abdolian & Takooshain, 2003, p. 1429). This is because the Patriot Act allows government and law enforcement to have greater power over society and those within society to have less privacy, as provided for under the United States Constitution, according to Abdolian and Takooshain (2003) (p. 1429). Yet, the Patriot Act was created in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Its purpose was to ensure that the freedom with which terrorists operated in the nation prior to 9-11 would not again threaten the country through new terrorist forces (Toobin, 2002, p. 1501)."

Sample of Sources Used:

Abdolian, L., and Takooshian, H. (2003). The USA patriot act: Civil liberties, the media and public opinion. Forham Urban Law Journal. 30(4): 1429-1436.
Berman, J., and Flint, L. (2003). Guiding lights: Intelligence oversight and control for the challenge of terrorism. Criminal Justice Ethics. 22(1): 2-13.
Collins, J. (2002). And the walls came tumbling down: Sharing grand jury information with the intelligence community under the USA patriot act. American Criminal Law Review. 39(3): 1261-1282.
O'Brien, E. (2001). In war is law silent? Security and freedom after September 11th. Social Education. 65(7): 419-433.
Sinnar, S. (2003). Patriotic or unconstitutional? The mandatory detention of aliens under the USA patriot act. Stanford Law Review. 55(4): 1419-1451.