The Patriot Act: Pushing the envelope?.
After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001, the Patriot Act was signed into law. This act grants the federal government to have surveillance over people living in the country to an unnecessary extent. It gives FBI agents the power to ask librarians for information about their users' reading habits and Internet searches without probable cause or search warrants. Has this act upset the balance between national security and protection of individual rights? Both sides must be seen to make a proper judgment. .
"Our nation is involved in a world war with Muslim fundamentalists. We have to have tight surveillance against the terrorists. Local governments have no right to legislate policies that are clearly the purview of the federal government, such as national defense. Certainly, individuals and private groups can protest action out of Washington, but local governments simply do not have the constitutional right to challenge the enforcement of federal laws. We are in a state of war that may last for a very long time, and I personally favor the Patriot laws."" .
" Earl Rodney, accountant, Finance Department, Pembroke Pines, Fla.
In the quote above from PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media Inc., it shows the side of one in favor of this act. In reaction to 9/11, this act was made to prevent another occurrence of a horrible thing like that happening again. The government is acting like a worried parent who is overprotective of their children. To the kids it may seem that their parents are stiffs, but they are just looking out for their kid's (nation's) safety. .
"I believe that the personal freedoms that set this country apart from all others have been eroding since the 1970s, and the Patriot Act is a quantum leap down the same path. The scariest part is that so many people seem to agree with it! The McCarthy era has returned in a new form, and we have become too blind to see it.
