The Patriot Act was originally signed by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The act was initiated after the attacks on September 11, 2001. The entire title was USA PATRIOT Act which stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. Since the initial passage of this act there have been several extensions and revisions. The latest extension is set to expire on May 29, 2011. I applaud the Congress for granting the extension of the provisions of this act.
Acts of terrorism are the reality of the world as it is today and we as a country have been openly threatened with violence. The current legislative process in Congress is to revisit previous legislation for possible revisions, to update and address current conditions associated with laws in place. This part of the process is the right thing to do as many times laws need to be updated to address inadequacies that surface which were not intended. This can and does happen, and as such Congress must make the corrections where necessary to address these instances. The Patriot Act and its purpose as it is should not apply to this review process for the reasons noted in the subsequent paragraphs.
The first point to make is that discussions held with regards to making revisions to the various provisions and authorizations have become political in nature and the current extension is no different. There are many complaints involving various aspects of this act associated with civil liberties. The fact remains that in all probability acts of terrorism will never go away in the foreseeable future. Acts of terrorism and the manner in which they are planned as reported in several news events create the need to have the tools to counteract these actions. This is what this act provides. Granted there may be some areas that cause concern and I am not discounting that they may exist, but we must give our security forces from the top down the tools they need to protect us. We as a nation are subject to acts of terrorism from sources outside the United States and sometimes within our own borders. Terrorism must be dealt with on a continuous basis.
The authorizations in effect do have some restrictions in an attempt to protect civil liberties.
There have been countless reports which have identified terrorist cells which were prevented from carrying out their missions. The reports we hear are only the ones which make it in the news, while there are probably many others that do not. The manner in which some terrorists cells are prevented from carrying out their mission would possibly open the door for terrorists to take measures to counteract the methods utilized. National security methods should never be publicized.
The Patriot Act is just one example where security provisions are written into legislation to provide the protection we need against acts of terrorism. This act and others that provide the tools and authorizations needed to protect us in any situation should not be subject to constant review. When this occurs it makes the provisions subject to political pressures which have no impact on the need to have the authorizations in place. Our national security is something that should not be constantly negotiated as has been the case with the Patriot Act since its inception. The current extension of the Patriot Act which expires in May 2011 should be extended permanently.
Another issue which surfaces with a constant review of the provisions in the act is that it affects those in positions to protect us. Each time this act is reviewed for revision and/or authorization, those in positions of protecting us do not know what may be in place and what may be eliminated. This kind of subjection involving the security of our country should never exist. Making the provisions of the Patriot Act permanent will allow those who are in a position to protect us know where they stand. The lives of our security forces and those who support them must not be continually subject to these conditions.
Many are afraid of losing their freedom of privacy due to the Patriot Act, and yet, without this act, we as a nation become extremely vulnerable to terrorism in the USA. Sign in to noomizo and share your thoughts about this important subject.
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