Blog Post 2- Room For Debate

After reading the editorials I agree that we do not need the PATRIOT Act anymore. The PATRIOT Act has been in the spotlight of many International debates. The PATRIOT Act was something to make the American people feel safer, more secure in times of need. Now, The PATRIOT Act is just something there that is completely unnecessary in most senses. 

In the right, liberal place we are in now, most people are already against the PATRIOT Act because many believe it is a violation of privacy. I, too believe that, but I also feel as though we never needed the PATRIOT Act in the first place. In class, we discussed things like the NSA, CIA, and FBI. Those are agencies that are here to gather intelligence and try to prevent things from happening like 9/11. Can we seriously say that there was no surveillance before 9/11 or the PATRIOT Act? The United States already measures in place that could of stopped 9/11, strong measures but they didn't work, not because of the lack of surveillance but by the lack of execution in our part. 

Many liberates have been taken away since the PATRIOT Act has been in play. Once could even argue that the PATRIOT Act hurts democratic ideals in a sense. Democratic ideals are such things as: self-entrepreneur, self-liberties and most importantly, patriotism. You might be wondering, why patriotism, isn't the PATRIOT Act supposed to be something that makes you want to be an American? Well, for must it us, but for others who don't have blond hair, blue eyes it could be something that deteriorates someone's moral in this Country. After 9/11, muslims became the face of terrorism. Many muslims feared for their lives. Sikhs had been targeted most because of their appearance. 9/11 and the Patriot Act directly effected 2 religions. Thus, hurting their patriotism towards this country. 

As the PATRIOT Act hurts democratic ideals, they can also strengthen them. Egalitarianism is something that has benefited from this. After the PATRIOT Act, many people had thought their privacy and rights were not being respected, they began adopting a moral of negativity against the United States and the Bush administration.  Making the Bush administration considered one of the failures among the other administrations in the past. John Locke had wrote this as "natural" rights, well, if someone's privacy is being threatened, they think their natural rights are being threatened as well. This in a direct contradiction to what many in the history of this Country wanted.

As you read many arguments about the PATRIOT Act, one can only adopt their view on it. In times of social liberalism, progressivism, and libertarianism, one could even argue that the PATRIOT Act is something even a communists nation could adopt. Let's hope our liberties will be reinstated if this bill ever falls apart.

By, Mohamed Marzouk