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If there is one misunderstood concept present in our society, it’s definitely the Patriot Act. Even taking it a bit further, by saying surveillance. If we look at authoritative monitoring less negative way, maybe we’d trust the government more. So, in the following, you’ll see how having so eyes in the sky is far more beneficial that deprecating, because honestly, it’s always nice to have a “Big Brother.”

By embracing, and accepting, the Patriot Act we open up the door for national protection. We’re giving the government, or whatever entity has our interest at heart, the ability to ensure secretive threats never see the light of day; we just need to let them help. Some people might ask what gives them the right to poke their noses in anything they want, and the answer is the same thing that gives us the privilege to communicate privately and without surveillance- and that “thing” is called trust. We’ve gone this long trusting that the government won’t monitor us 24/7 and allow us the privacy that could both benefit and hinder us, it’s high time we trust them a little.

If it helps any, let’s think of those with the ability to actually utilize the Patriot Act as an actually big brother in the following situation: Kid (citizens of America) finally comes of an age where Mom (Government and Law) gives them enough permission and freedom to start making some of their own more important decisions and being a little more independent. Then, Mom starts seeing that Kid starts staying out later, starts shirking some of their responsibilities and even begin to disrespect Mom. So, Mom asks Brother (Patriot Act) to go see what’s influencing Kid to act so unusually irresponsibility. At this point, it really isn’t up to Kid to decide whether there should be an intervention of a sort; it’s actually in the Kid’s best interest to have someone looking out for them. So, Brother does a little investigating, and finds out that Kid has actually been hanging out with some new friends that appear to be ok, but Brother realizes that they don’t have Kid’s best interest at heart, and can actually be a danger to Kid. So, Brother has a chat with Kid and enlightens him, per say, and teaches him that had Brother not done a little lurking, Kid could be in some big trouble. If there was any bit of haziness in the story, the moral is that sometimes people can use someone looking over their shoulder even if they don’t see it at the time.

The Patriot Act isn’t supposed to be this thing we’re afraid of. It’s supposed to give us a peace of mind that we have someone looking out for us, we just have to trust that they will follow through, but that’s honestly all we can do is trust them, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to trust your Big Brother.

            The Patriot Act as we all know is a way for the United States Government to get a few steps in our lives and future. I believe that the government has too much power over the American Citizens. Letting them to come in and out of our lives without notice shouldn’t be aloud. I feel as though if we are free people, why are we being held down by this law? I understand the need to be on high alert because of 9/11, and all of the following treats that America has gotten since then. I don’t understand how such law got passed so quickly through while usually it takes months to a couple of years. This makes me suspicious.

            The Patriot Act has its pros and cons just everything in this world does. In this case the cons out way the pros in my opinion. The thought of someone wiring into my phone, computer, or TV is a little freaky to me. I don’t think the government needs to see who I talk to wirelessly, where I’m at 24/7, and who are my friends. The citizens don’t the government personal lives so why should they know ours. If there should ever be a time for the government to bug is when the have protected proof. Which means a physical or item of evidence. I also think they should confirm with the person that there “Stalking” so that the person can either tell yes or no that their committing a crime. If the person isn’t guilty they wouldn’t lie or try to hide from it. If they took the time out to be nice then maybe people wouldn’t lie, run, or hide from them.

            In my opinion I think the Patriot Act shouldn’t exist. There are so many other laws that they can create that can protect the privacy and lives of America. It’s like there butting a war with their own Citizens. I believe if they did more research on the foreigners that come over to the states they wouldn’t have to be concerned in who is coming over to attack America. I do want to be protected from harm, but not in this kind of way. Make a law where everyone is protected and trusted with their homes, jobs, lives, education, and money. Make a law where if someone is being considered of committing a crime has some evidence. Don’t just take a random person from the street accuse them and then lock them up for years. It’s not fair to the American people. It’s cheating up out of our freedom that we are suppose to have. Our rights. 

Enemy of the state is a kind of interesting movie because as i was watching it i was learning about the government. in this movie, government is portrayed as intelligent as well as evil too. They were also a kind of superior to other American people. When we talk about the privacy of citizens in this movie, then i think citizen's privacy is not being respected in this movie as i saw they were putting some camera and all that showed me that citizens privacy in not being respected in this movie. 

I think government should have all access to our personal information because i believe that if government is not having any kind of personal information of any citizen, how would they be able to find terrorists living around us ( which is their responsibility to protect citizens from any suspicious or threatening activity). So in this case, government should have every kind of access to any kind of personal information of citizens. Also i don't think so that any individual's freedom should be restricted for safety of community because its citizens right and may be it can be restricted in some cases like when someone is doing any kind of suspicious activity being in a community of freedom, then in this case freedom can be restricted.

The patriot act is a word that stirs conflict in the world of politics. It’s a controversial touchy subject that has two stories the good and the bad. Those who fight to keep it, as well as those to fight to oppose it. Even though each person has their own opinions on why and why not there is truth behind each claim against and for it. I believe that if both sides work together to create something that worth talking about and fighting for then no one will have a problem. The Patriot Act which was created with the idea of protecting america from terrorism through surveillance means. It was strongly fought against because people felt as though they would lose all control over their own privacy. As well as the fact that the government would have too much control. 

As technology advances so does the ability to hide dangerous weapons that can hold the power to harm more than ever before. Which is something that the government will instinctively revolt back to create even better means for safety. Though surveillance may seem to be something that invades someones privacy it is also a means to protect the people who need privacy. I see the patriot act a a double edged sword, because is in the wrong hand this amazing surveillance power can be used for evil as much as it is used for good. Though i am not saying that Having this doesn't inflict strain on the basic necessities of everyday privacy but if the privacy is kept with in newly recreated laws and restrictions then people won't have to feel like everything in their life is at steak.

Even though we may want to believe in the fact that the government is only using their new power to investigate terrorism. We know that some where in our minds is that they are using there power for the cases that that have nothing to do with terrorism. There are even facts about "The Widespread serious abuse" of the power. As stated in the passage show that even thought there are some precautions in place it is still not enough. To stop things that could have easily be stopped.

The Patriot act despite it's criticism it is a useful weapon in the war on terrorism. Since it allows the F.B.I to investigate Criminals that have ties to terrorism easier than ever. Safeguards to halt misuse have been newly forced in to effect. Though not strongly backed it is a start to protecting america from terrorism. Though it may not me perfect as of yet there are always faults and failures until the final product is finished.

In today’s world the patriot act is still needed to protect us from harm. It has been crucial in fighting the war of crime and terrorism. This law gives us more knowledge on terrorism throughout the world that we will need to prevent future attacks from happening. The Patriot act makes it difficult for terrorist to get ahead of the law.

The law was signed shortly after the September 11th attacks, with little appeal. While this law is in effect we have more intelligence on crime and illegal things that could be potentially harmful.  One of the main duties of this law is to improve the security in the United States of America. The Patriot act prevents international money laundering and the illegal use of the United States financial system. Without this act we would be more vulnerable to threats from around the world.

The main keys of this law is  improving surveillance which is used by investigators to track suspected terrorists also it allow the federal government to attain business records, business could be prosecuted without warrants if they are suspected of fraud. Another Main key is that the united states government can track non-us citizens who are not connected to a terrorism group

The patriot act is benefiting us years later.  A real life example of this working is the death of Osama Bin Laden, through the intelligence that we gathered over a large period of time , helped us find the leader of al-Qaeda , and kill him . In addition,  we are still working on the ways we can gather information throughout the world.

With the passage of the Patriot act, America is safe and secure. The act prevented many attacks from happening, such as the Buffalo Six which was a group who were convicted of providing money and material support to al-Qaeda.   This is one of the many ways that this law has helped us.  Without this law I think that our country would be at more risk for future attacks , and we would basically take a step in the wrong direction , because our country has come a long way in improving the way we live and operate things since 9.11 .

Now to the matter of privacy. The Government now has access to roving wire tapes, which they can follow a person if they switch companies. Before they would have to get another warrant, for the different company. To the average american it means nothing to you because you first must be behaving suspiciously. Not too much to worry about. The Government now has access to library records. This, I feel, is does not help the government at all and so vague. Just because someone reads a book about Osama Bin Ladin does not make them a terrorist, or researching explosives because you have an interest in become a bomb technician. It is highly speculative and doesn't, to me, provide any real benefit. Plus, if there is freedom of the press, what's the point if what you read can mark you on there list. Some where on that law says an officer can seize any "tangible" thing that can be used, without a warrant. This is too much power, an invasion of privacy and a perfect setup opportunity. 

Finally, the NSL's (Nation Security Letters: a demand for information, not needing a judge) gives the government too much power. There is no checks and balances here, which makes it a bit of a wild card. Other than the things listed above it is a fitting update to America's security.

            The Patriot Act is probably one of the most complicated laws passed in American history; it was a necessity. America was in danger- with events leading up to attacks- something needed to be done. Reactions of the government were straight to the point, under immense pressure, they needed to ensure the people’s safety which lead to the law being passed so quickly. Some may say that we give the government too much power, but I believe it suffices our safety- better safe than sorry.

            On September 11, 2001 two planes crashed into the Twin Towers, leading the citizens of America into chaos. There was never an Act allowing the government to tap into services of anyone to stop any danger. Once 9/11 happened the vision of safety for America changed dramatically for the better. Anti-terrorism safety precautions are necessary even today, with all the new technologies out in the world we may even need to “fine-tune” the act.

            The government’s ability to tap into anyone’s services may be upsetting to some people, but we do need to consider that citizens of this very country can be high-risk criminals. There are countless benefits of the Patriot Act applying to anti-terrorism conditions and other organized crimes within the country, for example, gang violence.

            Overall, the Patriot Act should remain a law in the United States of America to ensure the safety of citizens. The government must have all the power when it comes to keeping their citizens in safe, if not, then all chaos would break loose and there would be no support for the country.

Do we still need the Patriot Act? How about No? How about Yes? Does it really matter? Seriously have US citizens really noticed the patriot act over the last 11 years. I know I really haven’t noticed it in my life, and apparently it’s been there for the last 11 years. That’s the majority of my life. It’s not going to hurt us by having it, and its not going to hurt us by not having it. If terrorist want to attack the USA the Patriot act won’t stop them. I think the Patriot Act is being used so the country can get complete control of its citizens. I think that’s good for the country and the citizens.

Lets just say a group of citizens are on a 4-way call planning to attack the white house or a city hall. With the Patriot Act the government may be able to pick up on that call and nip it in a bud as soon as possible. Without the Patriot Act the government would be clueless, and one of those places would go down. Or would it? Didn’t the government know what we were doing at all times before the Patriot Act? I think so. The Patriot Act just may be in order so nobody complains about his or her rights because the patriot act is a law. There is really nothing we can do about it.

If that is not the reason why we have the Patriot Act then I think it still needs to stay in place. Because without the Patriot Act Pearl Harbor was Bombed & the Twin Towers were attacked. Since the Patriot Act has been put in place I can’t recall any terrorist attacks on the country, but I can recall some attacks to the country’s citizens. I’ll just name two of those attacks; “The V-Tech Massacre” & “The Dark Knight Massacre”. Could the Patriot Act have prevented these citizen attacks?  I’m not sure, but if it could have I’m pretty sure they would have.

Is there still a need for the patriot act? My answer is I don’t care. It stops the big things from happening but the little things still happen, so I don’t think it really matters. "That's the bottom line cuz Stone Cold said so."

The Patriot Act was a response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. It allows the government to track things such a personal communication for the purpose of the government. What the government is not understanding is the passing this act would stop privacy and freedom rights. Yes the Patriot have numerous reasons to improve the security expense of privacy, but people are having trouble with the Act. This law gives people to believe the U.S is going to have a bad reputation. People who are from different countries that want to come to America, it would change their perspective because now the United State are under surveillance. Especially for people that come from the middle east that are muslim.

Patriot Act: Battle of the Beliefs

The government only investigates potential terrorists, meaning if you don't associate yourself in illegal actions you should not be intimidated by their capabilities. You have access to all your constitutional values if you behave in a proper manner. In society, technology continues to advance making it easier for terrorists to target America, therefore it is necessary to take precautions before the damage happens. I definitely believe the Patriot Act is imperative for the safety of the citizens in the United States.

From reading all the articles and comments, from New York Times, there are still debates playing between being for or against the Patriot Act. I believe that my government is doing everything in their power to prevent another 9/11. 9/11 was a wake up call to America, that our government was slacking off. Because of the Patriot act they are now fighting the War Against Terror by hacking in to the accused dangerous people's records and history. Now our government can seek another attack before it happens. Statistics have shown that at least 15 terrorist plots have been tampered since 2002. And normal citizens should not worry because unless they are doing something illegal then they have nothing to worry about. I believe this law has the potential to be and continues to be a game changer.

Although this law is a pivotal moment in our recent history, there are still many controversies surrounding it. I understand perfectly why American citizens should be upset. Although I did mention that normal citizens should not worry because unless they are doing something illegal they have nothing to worry about, sometimes the information the government receives can be misleading. For instance, if a college student wanted to do a paper on the Manhattan project and he needed information on Atomic bombs and how to make them. The government could misinterpret what the student wanted to do. Because the evidence is against the student he might get life in prison. (The scenario is fake and made up) Other scenarios that could be mislead the government would be  like if an American-Arabian brought 3 guns for protection but was arrested because someone thought he wanted to engage in terrorism. American citizens do have rights to the first Amendment and should have their privacy protected. Also in a way government will become enraged with power. The affect of that will result in corruption. The corruption could ruin what America has fought so hard to become. If that is the case then America will lose the value of what it once was and as a country we can not allow that to happen.

With those scenarios in mind along with the statement I made before I'm going to believe what one of the comments made in the A Vital Weapon article. The Act should remain and stay as is but there should be a fine line between what should be looked into and what should be considered terrorist. Every American should have the right to do what ever without being questioned by the government. Unfortunately to do that at this point peoples privacy will remain tampered but for the greater good America will be safe.

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

Do We Still Need the PATRIOT Act?

 USA PATRIOT ACT is about providing security and safety to citizens of USA and to prevent any national r foreign criminal activity or terrorist attacks. Also, it was created in response to 9/11 which was a definitely a big reality and a threat to all citizens of America. As this law provides safe and secure life to the people of its country, i think it still need to be in state of law because terrorism has not reached to its end in USA and people living in America still have right to live their life freely without fear of being targeted by any terrorism attack. Also it is the responsibility of Government to make such anti terrorism laws which can assure citizens of their safe lives. In this case, it is definitely true that this law is the need of people because they want there secure lives and no one in USA want to see any other attack similar to 9/11 and no one want to loose lives of their loved ones. 

So in conclusion, i would say PATRIOT ACT should remain in the state of LAW as it promises secure lives of Americans and protects people from domestic or international terrorists.

The Patriot Act was put in place to protect and secure the American people, however, more than a decade later the act has not been altered to truly give back the privacy that the constitution promises Americans. While some sections of the Patriot Act are still very much a necessity, others can be altered or even removed to provide an up to date version of the act. In the place of these out of date sections new and , what should have been, required sections need to be inserted. Sec.101. Counterterrorism Fund, which serves as the introduction to the act, states that the fund is to provide finances to Federal agencies for a multitude of different reasons including reestablishing offices or facilities that have been damed or destroyed as a result of terrorism. Although this claus may be perceived as helpful we no longer have a direct and immediate need for this type of fund. To put it in perspective, other funds of the United States are severely lacking to say the least and Americans are suffering due to the misplacement of crucial money. 

In addition, the concerns of the Patriot Act should truly begin with the man in charge. "If an agent makes the required assertion that he or she believes information relevant to a terrorism investigation might be found, the court “must” issue the order without actually reviewing whether there is any justification for the agent prying into the affairs of someone who may not even be suspected of anything." - Susan N. Herman. This is where the trouble begins. With the amount of spying or "supervision" that agencies have the authority to conduct on any person(s) there need to be some serious revisions to make sure that authority is not being abused. 

             The Patriot act is just a pretty painted legal opportunity slowly striping away U.S citizen’s rights. The patriot does have its perks when the person that they are targeting is actually planning a terroristic act. The problem that the government might “run into” is targeting individuals who show no sign of being a terrorist.

             In my opinion the Patriot act is simply racial profiling behind wires. After the nine eleven attack the news and other sources that deliver our information to us put the idea in the peoples head that anyone from the middle east is a terrorist and we should be afraid if we see these people in garbs and near tall buildings. With that being said             when the act was passed everyone thought it was a fantastic idea because it would only focus on the people who attacked our country.

            The issue with that is this act not only takes away the privacy of the citizens but takes away the right for us to know when it is happening to us as well. It is too much power for the government to have. The government gets to define what enough evidence and how appropriate it is for a tap to be done on someone’s phone, search emails etc.

            I honestly do not believe that the Patriot Act is explained to the citizens enough for them to understand exactly what it means and how it will affect them. I also believe that the Patriot  Act not longer serves as its original purpose if more citizens within the country are under surveillance than the “terrorist” we are trying to stop and keep track of. 

In this film, a deaf woman has an intense argument with her boyfriend. At the end of the argument, the boyfriend storms out of the apartment and leaves his girlfriend home alone. While he's gone, everything around her shakes and she has no idea what's going on outside. Soon after the shaking stops, the boyfriend comes home covered in dust and crying. 

As a director, I was inspired. The entire film was silent, minus the vibrations of the shaking apartment. It made me think of the many different kinds of people that experienced 9/11, and how only one perpestive is told. It's always able-bodied men or women that can hear and see. I didn't even think of any other perspectives until I saw that film.

As an American, I was speechless. I was in first grade when the attacks happened, and as far as I could tell, that was a pretty good day for me. I got out of school early, and my family was all at my house so I got to play with my cousins. It wasn't until later when I was told the actual story did I understand how horrible that day was for Americans everywhere. And every year it's a reminder that we as a country are stil not over what happened.

There is no room for debate, at least according to the way in which this bill was passed. The patriot act was introduced for one over arching reason, terrorism. Even though it seems like terrorism has gone away and no need for the law and therefore should be abolished, right? No, wrong! It is more vital than ever to have this law in place, to show we are a strong country but also a smart one. If something happened once its bound to happen again if nothing is changed, If they got rid of this law it would be like wiping the slate clean allowing terrorism which could bring us mere moments away from a catastrophe like 9/11.  Why would one need to abolish this law and start a new? So people don’t get scanned at airports? There are two reasons people would decide against this law, one being convenience purposes because people rather be lazy then be safe or people don’t feel safe with their information/privacy in the governments hands. This law, the U.S.A.  P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act allows the government access to information they could use to help them capture terrorist. On a personal level I wouldn’t mind my privacy being “violated” if it is to help catch terrorist. Listening in on my phone calls, tracking web traffic? All they would find is I’m a nerd, laugh, and then move on. What are you teenagers hiding, your conversations with your special someone? The government doesn’t care.

Now I feel like a stronger rebuttal to this topic is the government has too much power, and I could see this being a problem in countries that are not the US. The Patriot Act simply asks if they could use information that they need access to help capture terrorist.

Imagine it like this… We go to a school in the School District of Philadelphia, in the SDP they filter websites and don’t allow access to certain websites, that they decide are beneficial or not. There have been times where you needed to find information or watch a video to complete a task and it was blocked. Well imagine the government trying to capture terrorists and they had a filter like this, figuratively. Imagine if they had these exact same filters. It holds back the process and delays the capture of terrorists, sometimes delaying them too much… 

Nathan A. Sales states that the Patriot Act is needed to protect America from terrorists. He also states that there will be some elaborated safeguard measures so the officers are not going to abuse this power. However, when I watched "Enemy of the State" I can't just say that this movie is not going to happen in real life. Someday -hopefully never, someone inside of the government or someone with power will use the tools for their own vain needs.  

"This tool can only be used to investigate international terrorism, not domestic. And it doesn’t apply to Americans, only to temporary visitors like tourists." - Nathan A. Sales

I have some slight dilemma in this statement because what if, just what if, someone inside US and that is a citizen started to work for the terrorists? Because to be honest, we can never trust everyone because everyone has their own needs. The Patriot Act will give us more problems than we already have. Great power comes with great responsibilities. And who define the word "appropriate"? Also, what are the necessary tools that we need to prevent terrorism?

And where will be our privacy go? Just like Susan N. Herman said in her article, "The Patriot Act is jeopardizing the people's values, freedom of speech, association and religion, privacy and dude process." Everything that is being recorded can backfire and ruin everyone. Privacy is the big problem in this law.

It's not that I am fully hating on the Patriot Act, I am just trying to voice my opinion that this topic needed more time and tweaking for it to be okay. There has to be a lot of thinking and debate when it comes to this kind of protection. Yes, we need protection but this protection can be our weakness in the future. 

I feel as though we should keep the Patriot Act because it ensures the safety of everyone. As shown in this quote. “As we lose some of our security, it is natural and proper for government to increase surveillance and other security measures..” This quote is valid because the less security we have the more the government will need to step in and take control. As many people don’t know their are restrictions and strict safeguards to the Patriot Act such as you must show proof as to why you suspect someone is a terrorist and you also must get a judge’s permission before tapping into anyones phone.  The F.B.I is flawed as well as everything else, nothing is perfect. Social media and technology has become so advanced that nothing is truly private. You don’t need the Patriot Act to have your privacy violated when you have social networks. The Patriot Act isn’t made to be in everyone’s personal life, instead it is to ensure that everyone is protected from terrorist and other threats to life. In conclusion, keeping the Patriot Act would be very beneficial and productive in the long run.

America, being the top dog of the world, is not only a country with many hands to hold and many countries that are holding on with it. America is also a country with many guns pointed at it. Many envious hearts, and evil eyes. Though, America cannot stop the threats that people hold against, America can try to stop those actions that are have been and are being portrayed. One way that America has decided to help themselves and the citizens, is with the Patriots Act. There may be so much debate or whether the Act is good for us, or an invasion of privacy… what does one have to loose? Aside from if the Government uses this weapon as a way to "stop crime" , or if they use it as a way to block terrorism for the country. With my person opinion, a regular citizen should not care. The government does not have the time, space, or ability to care that your child may have stolen a dollar candy bar from a store and it calling all their friends about it. Rather, when there are physical and literal threats being announced to potentially bombing that family house. Now for a Mofia family, the privacy act may be a bit more threatening. So in result, only those objected to the act are those with something to hide. &Those who feel the act gives the government 100% lethal ability to override your life, don't understand that's NOT what it's for. I feel as if they could care less for the one individual, vs the millions around the country. If it's a way to protect us, then so be it. But if it's a way to get out of hand and ruin the lives of the people, then fight it.