USA Patriot Act

             To borrow a term from Shakespeare, the arguments against the U.S. Patriot
             Act (USAPA) are much to do about nothing. Upon exploration of major
             concerns regarding USAPA, the arguments made are weak and often over
             exaggerated claims designed to inflame those concerned with protecting
             civil liberties. This paper discusses the opponents' major points against
             USAPA and finds each assertion to be inane or false. The reality is that
             USAPA simply allows the investigation of all suspected terrorist activity
             using surveillance common to other criminal investigations and improved
             communication across government agencies.
             Opponents of the USAPA argue that the expanded definition of terrorism
             to cover domestic as well as international terrorism expands the type of
             conduct that the government can investigate too broadly (How the USA
             Patriot Act redefines "domestic terrorism). They believe that the
             government will unfairly use this broader interpretation to monitor the
             activities of activist organizations such as Greenpeace and Operation
             Rescue. And, opponents are also concerned that the government can spy or
             suspected computer trespassers without a court order and can add samples to
             DNA databases for those convicted of any crime of violence (EFF analysis of
             the provisions of the USA Patriot Act).
             The notion that the government should be restricted from investigating
             domestic terrorism is absurd. Americans were responsible for approximately
             seventy-five percent of the 335 incidents between 1980 and 2000 that the
             FBI has classified as suspected or confirmed terrorism (American militant
             extremists). USAPA defines domestic terrorism as criminal acts that are
             "dangerous to human life", a category that clearly warrants government
             investigation. And, accusations that USAPA allows the federal government
             to secure secret search warrants with no probable cause are not true
             (Herron, M. an...

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USA Patriot Act. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:44, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/201079.html