Is the USA PATRIOT act patriotic?

Esther Ho

Section A02

Reading Reflection #6

In response to: "The USA PATRIOT Act: A Sketch"

The article "The USA PATRIOT Act: A Sketch" discusses the USA Patriot Act that was passed in response to the 9/11 terrorist attack. USA PATRIOT stands for, “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.” The purpose of this act is to give authority to federal officers to track and intercept communications during investigation in order to maximize security. This was a legislation that was passed to further eliminate foreign terrorists and remove those that are within United States. However, this Act imposes a widespread effect on all citizens, as it also infringes on the rights of innocent citizens. Due to the panic attack that was occurring post-9/11, some citizens were willing to allow for these provisions to violate some of those rights. But others believe it gave the government too much power, as it allowed them legal access to the violation of the citizen’s rights.

I have heard about the policies of the government being able to intercept and track telephone, face-to-face, and computer communication when I was in elementary school, but I did not know it was an enforced act. It seems that over time, we have grown to live in a world where we expect government to have that power over us. I remember joking around with my friends about how our phone calls and emails are being tapped. We didn’t give much thought, but now that I think about it, it seems this act that was enforced in 2001 have become a part of our lives, where we don’t consider the power that the USA PATRIOT Act gives to the government.

How effective is this act in response to 9/11? Why is this act still in effect now, after 13 years since it has been enforced? Is this an act to ensure an amount of power over its citizens?