Usa Patriot Act
Essay by people • September 8, 2011 • Essay • 607 Words (3 Pages) • 1,516 Views
USA Patriot Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism act was put into place in a response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. It was supposed to render restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records; eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States. Some deem this act to be unconstitutional and many others argue that it is both constitutional and rational and felt it was good step towards demolishing terrorism.
First and foremost- national security is not only a constitutionally set duty; it is the first and most important responsibility of the federal government-period. Protecting our U.S. homeland from terrorism attacks should be the first responsibility of government and with irregular threats destined to harass civilian populations for the future; our national security system needs to be knowledgably and quick. But how do we go about it? The USA patriot act was passed as a tool in protecting the country's control from 'shadow' threats that are poised to cause death and destruction to our homeland. Although it has been proven to be valuable, I myself disagree with its practices and the endeavors the enforcers of this act endure. The original Patriot Act was passed into law just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with few Congressmen even reviewing it and with practically no debate. There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten human fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access personal medical records, tax records, and information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause. Some procedures also involved breaking into people homes at any time of the day or night and conduct unconstitutional searches and seizures if they suspected they were terrorists. President Bush signed into law the earlier renewal of the controversial Patriot Law on December 30, 2005 but as the specifications of the act were due to expire, they were then extended due to Public Law 109-160.That that pushed the date from December 31, 2005 until February 3, 2006.
Two provisions of the USA Patriot Act were said to be unconstitutional. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as amended by the Patriot Act, "now permits the executive branch of government to conduct surveillance and searches of American citizens without satisfying the probable cause requirements of the Fourth Amendment."- U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken. The stipulations of this act are unlawful because they allow search warrants to be issued without a showing of probable cause and also violate a humans the Fourth
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