Just what is freedom?

Jimmy Nguyen
ASA 2 A01
Reading Reflection #6
The USA Patriot Act: A Sketch

The land of the free was attacked by terrorists on September 11th, 2001. This date would be engraved in the hearts of Americans everywhere and it would also push America's paranoia. In response to this act of terrorism, the Patriot Act was passed on October 26, 2001. Simply put, this act gave federal officials greater authority over the citizens in order to "stop" terrorism. Many people supported this act because they were shaken and scared after the 9/11 attack; however, many began to question their freedom. I learned about the Patriot Act in history class growing up, but I never quite understood the problems with it. As the name suggests, I believed that this act was patriotic and was beneficial for America's security. Only as I got older that I realized that this act was wrong in every way. Humans are easily corrupted and blinded by power. By giving officials the power to act upon their suspicions, some may go too far. It is true that there is reasonable suspicion of terrorism that may occur in the states and places outside the states that are connected, but it wrong to put power into suspicion. Our rights as citizens are violated and it is not right for the government to do this, especially if they put the label on freedom on it. The Land of the Free is envied by countries around the world and for the US to introduce the Patriot Act that violates this freedom is unjust. After reading this article, I started to wonder what freedom really was and after debating America's long history, what is freedom to America? With everything's that's happened to us, can we really be called the Land of the Free anymore? Thankfully, 13 years later, although the world is still in turmoil, fears of terrorism have finally settled and I believe that America will be able to reclaim their true definition of freedom in due time.

Question: Could the Patriot Act been done a different way in order to not affect the freedom of the citizens, but still protect them? Could there have been another action the US could have taken after the 9/11 attack that would've saved America from grief and turmoil?