Civil Liberties Post September 11th

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses threats to civil liberties in the United States following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The paper explains that these threats fall into three broad categories: secrecy, erosion of checks and balances, and circumventing long-standing personal privacy protections. The paper discusses the reasons for these changes and how they are affecting American citizens.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Secrecy
Erosion of Basic Checks and Balances
Privacy
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The last major threat to civil liberties, since the advent of September 11th, is the reduction of privacy in America. Privacy is one of the most valued of civil liberties for Americans. When asked if they'd be willing to allow the monitoring of telephone and e-mail conversations as a means of increasing national security against terrorism, only 34 percent of respondents were willing to give up this civil liberty (Davis & Silver). The ACLU clearly points out that the blurring of the lines between traditional separation of criminal investigation and intelligence gathering has seriously eroded the public's right to privacy. This is a backwards leap from the progress the country has made over the last four to five decades, when the FBI used programs such as COINTELPRO to harass civil rights leaders and anti-war groups ("Threats to Civil Liberties")."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Davis, D. & Sliver, B. "Civil Liberties vs. Security: Public Opinion in the Context of the Terrorist Attacks on America." American Journal of Political Science 48(1) Jan 2005: 28-46. JSTOR. JSTOR. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 29, 2006 <http://www.jstor.org>.
• Lewis, C. "The Clash Between Security and Liberty in the U.S. Response to Terror." Public Administration Review. Jan/Feb 2005: 18-30. ProQuest database. ProQuest. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 29, 2006 <http://proquest.umi.com>.
• Stephens, T. "Civil Liberties after September 11: Background of a Crisis." Guild Practitioner 61(1) Winter 2004: 4. ProQuest database. ProQuest. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 29, 2006 <http://proquest.umi.com>.
• Threats to Civil Liberties Post September 11th: Secrecy, Erosion of Privacy, Danger of Unchecked Government. No date. ACLU. November 29, 2006 <http://www.aclu.org/natsec/gen/14346prs20011214.html>.

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• Persuasive Essay # 106795 : "The War on Terror - Threats to Civil Liberties"

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