As Americans, we pride ourselves of our liberties, our God-given rights, and our freedom. Yet, how much freedom are Americans willing to sacrifice in the name of security? .
The foundation of American freedom, the U.S. Constitution, in all its complex simplicity is only two pages in length; now however, there is a 131-page law that threatens its very existence as the pillar of our rights and protections. This law is called the USA Patriot Act, and it must be repealed. By examining precisely certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act, it will be revealed how this Act alone intrusively stomps on our natural rights, how it specifically stomps on Amendments in the Bill of Rights, all in the name of possible potential security.
First, the 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights states: "Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise thereof the freedom of speech or the right of the people peaceably to assemble- However, under Section 802 of the Patriot Act, the federal crime of "domestic terrorism" is introduced which broadly states: "Acts committed within the U.S. dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws" can be considered acts of domestic terrorism if they appear to be intended to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion ." Further, clashes between demonstrators and police officers and acts of civil disobedience - even those that are entirely non-violent - could be construed as dangerous to human life. So by practicing our 1st Amendment rights, could we be breaking the law as "domestic terrorists"?.
Secondly, the 4th Amendment states: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause ." But under Section 216 of the Act, judges are now required to issue blank warrants to law enforcement officials who certify their activities as "relevant to investigations.
