U.S.A. Patriot Act Has Generated Term Paper

Those that present themselves as against the Patriot Act are not necessarily unpatriotic or protective towards terrorists hiding on U.S. territory, but merely people that are supportive of the basic freedoms that Americans have and which represent the most important asset of USA.

Through the Patriot Act the U.S. government can constantly monitor any terrorism suspect and the people that he interacts with. For example, any phone that might at one point be used by a terrorism suspect can be legally supervised indefinitely and so even those that have no relation with a terrorist suspect and simply use a public phone or accidentally come in contact with a terrorist suspect can be supervised and their phone can be monitored. The biggest concern is that the government will have easier access to personal information of any citizen and that there is no guarantee that that personal information will not be used against individuals. There is a great risk of allowing governmental agencies easy and hidden access to private information as this would permit a great amount of unwanted control of governmental agencies over private life.

The USA Patriot Act also allows governmental agencies to monitor internet activities of individuals and have access to personal e-mails. The FBI for example can use a computer that is attached to an internet service provider and that automatically monitors all e-mails that might be considered suspect, such as the simple use of the word "Allah" in an e-mail.

The USA Patriot Act permits governmental agencies to spy on Americans based simply on assumptions and granting them easily warrants that allow them to secretly monitor every aspect of a citizen's life. The concern is not that the Patriot Act would allow governmental agencies access to private information of those that are considered terrorism suspects, but making it easier for governmental agencies to justify any violation of personal information and granting them access into the private life of just about anyone.The Patriot Act establishes such extensive measures that it is easy for anyone to be considered a suspect and therefore supervised.

Those that are against the Patriot Act are against transforming America into a supervised society in which the government has access into the intimacy of individual freedom. Individual freedom is and should remain the most important value in a democratic society and there is no excuse for which any government can break this essential human right of non-governmental interference. Americans should be aloud to follow their own believes and this essential freedom must be protected under any circumstances. It is unacceptable for an American citizen or a legal immigrant to be monitored based on his religious beliefs, ethnic appurtenance or any other such related reasons. There are clearly other measures to fight against terrorism, measures that still protect individual freedom.

The USA Patriot Act was created as a response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 as a measure of responding. However, there were greater inefficiencies in the way authorities reacted before the terrorist attacks that must be repaired through other, more useful measures. The greater efficiency of anti-terrorism divisions of governmental agencies does not depend on having an easier access to personal information and solutions must be looked in other directions.

Bibliography

McKenna, George, and Stanley Feingold, eds., Taking Sides. Clashing views on controversial political issues, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, Dubuque, Iowa, 2005.....