Almost everybody has heard of the Patriot Act, and quite a few people even know there is a Patriot Act II. Why do people recognize these two documents, at least in name? Simple. After they were shoved it through congress right after 9/11, there was a huge public outcry against it. For just about the one and only time during the Bush administration, people had a little foresight to recognize the possible problems. However, just because people have heard of the Patriot Act and its bad connotations doesn’t mean they understand the consequences. I believe you would be hard pressed to find a random person off the street who could actually tell you something contained in the Patriot Act. This is the problem facing people today. The Patriot Act is arguably the most far reaching, broad, powerful executive-power-legislation this country has ever seen.
Among literally hundreds of other provisions and regulations, a few of the powers outlined in the Patriot Act include giving the federal government the legal right to access any citizens medical records, tax records, and un-warranted search of person and property. It even goes so far as to allow them to access the books your buy or borrow from a library. The most prominent and far reaching new allowance that was reaffirmed much stronger in the revision of this act, under Patriot Act II, was the ability of the government to detain without a warrant, any person, citizen or not, within the United States if they are suspected of any type of terrorist activity for any amount of time, and with no rights.
Really think about what that means for a minute. I am sure most people know someone, or at least have heard of someone, who has had trouble getting through airport security because their name somehow got onto an FBI watch list because of a similarity in spelling or otherwise to a “known terrorist or associate.” Picture one of those people, someone in your town, who is an American citizen. Now imagine them being snatched right off the street by the government, with no warrant, and then having no rights whatsoever. The government can then hold them as long as they feel necessary, and without any real cause if they feel like it. Again, that is a primary characteristic of a military police state, and it is all “legal”, though miles from constitutional, under the Patriot Act.
Cited:
Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA Patriot Act) Act of 2001, H.R. 3162, 107th Cong. (2007).
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