The USA PATRIOT act is a controversial topic in many aspects. Its infringement on personal rights is unconstitutional yet the act is exactly what the US was asking for to battle the war on terrorism. This essay explains both the pros & the cons of the USA PATRIOT act. USA PATRIOT is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. This long phrase pushes a long held debate between civil liberties activists and the U.S. government. The USA PATRIOT act was enacted only 43days after the September 11th, 2001 attack in New York and Washington D.C. In this essay there will be an argument towards the pro’s and con’s of this act.
In The US Department of Justice explained in its July 2004 "Report from the Field: The USA PATRIOT Act at Work":
"Immediately after the brutal terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, both Congress and the Administration reexamined the legal tools available to investigators and prosecutors in the fight against terrorism... As a result of those efforts, Congress overwhelmingly passed, and on October 26, 2001, the President signed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act ("USA PATRIOT Act" or "Act")...
The USA PATRIOT Act equips federal law enforcement and intelligence officials with the tools they need to mount an effective, coordinated campaign against our nation’s terrorist enemies. The Act revised counterproductive legal restraints that impaired law enforcement’s ability to gather, analyze, and share critical terrorism-related intelligence information. The Act also updated decades-old federal laws to account for the technological breakthroughs seen in recent years... the Act enhanced America’s criminal laws against terrorism, in some cases increasing the penalties for planning and participating in terrorist attacks and aiding terrorists. The Act also clarified that existing laws against...