These acts are often intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government, or affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnaping. International terrorist acts occur outside the United States or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to coerce or intimidate, or the locale in which the perpetrations operate or seek asylum.
America knows the act of terrorism. We understand how potentially crippling terrorism is. After the September 11th attacks, terrorism has become something evil, something that no country, no person should have to experience. Infuriated and still nursing the wounds of 9/11/01, America was looking for answers. How could someone have done this? Whos responsible for this? What can be done in the future so we dont have to relive this pain? This demand for knowledge, for the answers, engulfed the nation. We could not rest until our questions were answered.
This demand for knowledge, for the answers, was quickly met by a bill passing through congress. This bill, awaiting review from Congress, could wait no longer. Attorney General John Ashcroft gave Congress one week. One week to pass the bill without alteration. One week to pass Uniting and Securing America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act. Any terrorist attacks committed before this bill passed would be blamed on Congress. Congresss refusal to immediately pass the USA PATRIOT Act, their request to examine the document and make revisions to it, could potentially inhibit the governments ability to intercept a terrorist shockwave attack. Therefore any terrorist attack on the United States within the period Congress analyzed the bill would be fault of Congress. Thus, after only a week of examination, with few revisions, the USAPA was voted on, and passed by a huge margin, 357 to 66.
