A Government not for the People

Joseph Wu

A01

Response 6

The USA Patriot Act was signed into law after the September 11 attacks in United States Soil. It has generated a lot of controversy among citizens. What the Patriot Act did was it allowed the government to “track and intercept communications, both for law enforcement and foreign intelligence gathering processes” (Doyle). Many leaked documents from people on the inside, or whistle blowers, revealed that the government have been recording people that don’t have any reason to suspect them of being potential terrorists. They had webcam snapshots from people who used several messenger and chat services. So far, the government’s spying hasn't stopped a single terrorist plot from unfolding. This is another instance of the government asserting its power over the people. The supporters of the act say that if you have nothing to hide, this shouldn't affect you, but the Constitution states that we have a right to privacy. Once we allow the government to take away one right, who’s to stop them from taking more and more of our rights. If the government is “for the people” yet infringing upon their rights, why haven’t the people stood up against them? Or at this point, can we?