As you may have begun to gather I believe that a basic level of political awareness is important not only as a responsible member of a democracy but also so as to be educated about your own rights should a time come when you believe them to be questioned. In contrast to my belief, however, a general political apathy in recent years has caused the continued success of sensational and irresponsible journalism and a general lack of knowledge as to current legislation. The Patriot Act has fallen victim repeatedly to such media and, in the mass fear and paranoia of a post-9/11 world, myth concerning the piece of legislation is difficult to discern from fact.
~~
When looking for sources for my research this became painfully obvious. Speeches at well-respected venues from well-respected speakers directly countered each other, even when in reference to the same section of legislation. Careful detective work, however, has made it clear that the restrictions so quickly ignored by the media are, in fact, there. The Patriot Act is not the all encompassing, Big Brother-esque piece of legislation that the mass media has created and popular culture spoofs. Instead, the Act is merely a continuation of older laws, clarification of outdated laws and creation of newer laws and harsher penalties that are necessary to deal with the greater technology available. As this is only a rant I will spare you many of the specific citations or legal technicalities available: but it must be noted that probably cause and court orders are still necessary in order to utilize any of the tools authorized in the Patriot Act. Of these tools of communication, surveillance and law enforcement one would be hard pressed to find a 'new' right of law enforcement not previously used during the "War on Drugs." Instead, the Patriot Act merely allows the same tools that are publicly accepted and worldly used to follow organized crime and the drug trade to protect the American public against terrorism, the most immediate threat to the safety of American lives and property. (The September 11 attacks can not be overlooked. Such terrorist attacks, which were previously though impossible on American soil, show the danger that an unaware and unprotected country could find themselves in.)
~~
This is not to say that the cautions of those people against the Patriot Act are not valid. It is the cautions of such civil rights groups that will be the prime tool in preventing abuse of power where it may lie and encouraging and stimulating the creation of new legislation to protect the public. When the sensationalism of an often biased media prevents the public from becoming educated about such legislation, however, one may find that the 'mass fear' that some accuse the Patriot Act of causing is merely internal.
~~
When looking for sources for my research this became painfully obvious. Speeches at well-respected venues from well-respected speakers directly countered each other, even when in reference to the same section of legislation. Careful detective work, however, has made it clear that the restrictions so quickly ignored by the media are, in fact, there. The Patriot Act is not the all encompassing, Big Brother-esque piece of legislation that the mass media has created and popular culture spoofs. Instead, the Act is merely a continuation of older laws, clarification of outdated laws and creation of newer laws and harsher penalties that are necessary to deal with the greater technology available. As this is only a rant I will spare you many of the specific citations or legal technicalities available: but it must be noted that probably cause and court orders are still necessary in order to utilize any of the tools authorized in the Patriot Act. Of these tools of communication, surveillance and law enforcement one would be hard pressed to find a 'new' right of law enforcement not previously used during the "War on Drugs." Instead, the Patriot Act merely allows the same tools that are publicly accepted and worldly used to follow organized crime and the drug trade to protect the American public against terrorism, the most immediate threat to the safety of American lives and property. (The September 11 attacks can not be overlooked. Such terrorist attacks, which were previously though impossible on American soil, show the danger that an unaware and unprotected country could find themselves in.)
~~
This is not to say that the cautions of those people against the Patriot Act are not valid. It is the cautions of such civil rights groups that will be the prime tool in preventing abuse of power where it may lie and encouraging and stimulating the creation of new legislation to protect the public. When the sensationalism of an often biased media prevents the public from becoming educated about such legislation, however, one may find that the 'mass fear' that some accuse the Patriot Act of causing is merely internal.
