The Usa Patriot Act: Preserving Life and Liberty

The USA PATRIOT Act: Preserving Life and Liberty

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress sprang into action. Within a month, U.S. lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the USA Patriot Act of 2001, giving law enforcement and intelligence agent's broader authority to fight terrorists operating in the United States.

Q. What are the major provisions of the Patriot Act

Signed into law by the President on October 26, the Patriot Act is designed to fight terrorism on several fronts. First, it gives the U.S. government authority to hold foreigners suspected of terrorist activity for up to seven days before charging them with a crime. The legislation also gives investigators the legal right to tap any phone a suspected terrorist might use. The Act also gives complete access to financial records, medical records, and even library records.

In addition to tracking cellular-telephone communication, agents can now subpoena Internet providers to surrender records of e-mails that they judge suspicious. This component of the law was significant, given that the men who hijacked the four planes on September 11 had communicated extensively about their plans via the Internet. The Patriot Act also sanctioned funds to triple the number of border-patrol agents and Immigration and Naturalization Service inspectors along the northern border.

Q. What are the bones of contention?

Some of the major areas of contention are as follows... Conducting "sneak and peek" searches, which allow law enforcement to enter people's homes and search their belongings without informing them until long after. Directing a library, bookstore or newspaper to produce "tangible things," e.g. the titles of books an individual has purchased or borrowed or the identity of individuals who have purchased or borrowed certain books. Authorized use of devices to trace the telephone calls or e-mails of people who are not suspected of any crime. American citizens and permanent legal residents' investigated and sought information on the basis of activities protected by the First Amendment (e.g., writing a letter to the editor or attending a rally).

However I don't see this as a problem. If you're not doing anything wrong than you have nothing to worry about. Resolutions against the Patriot Act are "a propaganda campaign" by groups like the ACLU, counters Justice Department spokesperson Jorge Martinez. "Everything they're jumping up and down about is completely ridiculous and untrue," he says. "We're not going after the average American. We're only going after the bad guys. If you're not a terrorist you have nothing to worry about." And I couldn't agree more.

Q. What are the advantages of the Patriot Act?

The Act Improves Our Counter-Terrorism Efforts in Several Significant Ways.