Why do people oppose the USA Patriot Act? Doesn't it protect us from terrorists?
It's a bit more complicated than that, and as a general rule, I would caution against simply going with what seems to be the popular and obvious interpretation of any complex subject.Many people, both knowledgeable and merely reactionary, have concerns regarding the privacy risks that the Patriot Act appears to generate. For example, it appears that since the implementation of the Act, sensitive information can now be collected by government agencies far more easily than before. One example of this was an audit by the Justice Department during the Bush administration that found abuses of the Act by the FBI, using national security letters, rather than court orders, to obtain private information from private citizens.An author of the Patriot Act, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, stated during an interview with PBS, "I am shocked. I think that the Justice Department has overreached. There's something seriously wrong with the internal management of the Justice Department, and that better be fixed, because if it isn't, the support for the internal part of our war against terrorism is going to evaporate rapidly."It appears, however, that there has not been much progress with regard to aborting the many uses of the Patriot Act to curtail civil liberties. A similar, more recent, example is the FBI's collection of phone data from millions of Verizon customers using Section 215 of the Patriot Act to justify their action.
Does the PATRIOT Act violate the U.S. Constitution?
Yes, here is a published researched paper from Katarina Uhalova from Kean University. For the full paper: http://www.kean.edu/~eslprog/accents/2006/page2006_13.html The Patriot Act breaches the First Amendment, which declares our rights to freedom expression, speech and information. Freedom of information and individual liberty had a tremendous impact on the people in the 20th century, which allowed them to have their perceptions and examine situations from their own point of view. The Fourth Amendment should also protect us from search and seizure. Our society should deny the Patriot Act because it raises controversial issues, such as violating the Constitution and having a tremendous impact on our social lives. One of the first reasons why the Patriot Act violates the First Amendment rights is because, as it states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The Patriot Act does not just violate the Constitution, but re p resents the loss of our individual liberties by violating our freedom of speech, information, and expression as stated in the First Amendment and the protection from search and seizure guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment. Most serious is that it threatens democracy and gives the FBI uncontrolled power to gain personal information without adequate charges. For all of these reasons we should realize our liberties and fight for them. The Patriot Act does not just violate the Constitution, but re p resents the loss of our individual liberties by violating our freedom of speech, information, and expression as stated in the First Amendment and the protection from search and seizure guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment. Most serious is that it threatens democracy and gives the FBI uncontrolled power to gain personal information without adequate charges. For all of these reasons we should realize our liberties and fight for them.
What seven amendments (or parts of amendments) of the Bill of Rights were violated in The Crucible?
I've read the Bill of Rights. I'm NOT asking people to do my whole assignment for me, I just want something to start off with "/ One example I can think of is the right to a speedy & public trial (Amend. VI) because I believe in Act III, only the accused girls and several adults were the only ones in the courtroom.