Question

As has been played out since its inception, the use of the Patriot Act has been controversial on many levels, yet it has also proved to be a useful tool in fighting terrorism, and preventing another large-scale attack on American soil. Some see it as an absolute infringement on long-treasured civil liberties in the United States, while others see it as an absolute necessity to deal with the reality of modern terrorism.

Taken as a whole, how do you feel about the Patriot Act? Do you agree with those who oppose or support the act, or are you somewhere in between?

Do you think there is a way to possibly bridge the gap between both parties at any point in the future, so that civil liberties continue to thrive, while law enforcement and intelligence agencies can continue to keep us safe?

Answer 1

yes i agree and support the ACT.

Patriot Act simply expanded the application of tools already being used against drug dealers and organized crime. The act aimed to improve homeland security by:

• allowing law enforcement to use surveillance and wiretapping to investigate terror-related crimes
• allowing federal agents to request court permission to use roving wiretaps to track a specific terrorist suspect
• allowing delayed notification search warrants to prevent a terrorist from learning they are a suspect
• allowing federal agents to seek federal court permission to obtain bank records and business records to aid in national security terror investigations and prevent money laundering for terrorism financing
• improving information and intelligence sharing between government agencies
• providing tougher penalties for convicted terrorists and those who harbor them
• allowing search warrants to be obtained in any district where terror-related activity occurs, no matter where the warrant is executed
• ending the statute of limitations for certain terror-related crimes
• making it harder for aliens involved in terrorist activities to enter the United States
• providing aid to terrorism victims and public safety officers involved in investigating or preventing terrorism or responding to terrorist attacks

The nation has committed enormous resources to national security and to countering terrorism. Between fiscal year 2001, the last budget adopted before 9/11, and the present fiscal year 2004, total federal spending on defense (including expenditures on both Iraq and Afghanistan), homeland security, and international affairs rose more than 50 percent, from $354 billion to about $547 billion. The United States has not experienced such a rapid surge in national security spending since the Korean War.

This pattern has occurred before in American history. The United States faces a sudden crisis and summons a tremendous exertion of national energy. Then, as that surge transforms the landscape, comes a time for reflection and reevaluation. Some programs and even agencies are discarded; others are invented or redesigned. Private firms and engaged citizens redefine their relationships with government, working through the processes of the American republic.

This act is very usefull in us.