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Pros And Cons Of The US Patriot Act

435 Words2 Pages

The opposition suggests that the USA Patriot Act grinds down several elements in the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment, the freedom of speech and assembly, is violated because it restricts our speech, albeit, indirectly but it is still restricted. People are losing the right to say what they feel and they have to be careful with their words when discussing politics or the government because they can be prosecuted for saying what they think. The Fourth Amendment, the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, is violated because the Patriot Act does not require a probable cause or a warrant to search through someone's data and personal information and with the Patriot Act, the victim does not need to be informed this search is happening. The Patriot Act violates this right in every way. This act allows the government to suspend property of a supposed terrorist without a notice or a warrant, whether the person is innocent or not. The Fifth …show more content…

They argue that the USA Patriot Act did not expand the law enforcement powers as dramatically as critics say. They argue that the act only made minor amendments to the electronic surveillance laws and that many of them were preexisting. They argue that the Patriot Act isn't perfect, but no policy is, and it is hardly the "Big Brother" people believe it to be. Unfortunately, the policy itself is clear in its purpose.
CONCLUSION
The USA Patriot Act violates the Unites States Constitution. The Patriot Act's purpose is to protect Americans from foreign threats and domestic terrorist attacks, however, the cons of this Act far outweigh the pros. It is important to protect Americans, but the illusion of homeland safety is not worth relinquishing civil rights for. The Patriot Act was wrongfully put into action and the American people need to fight back for their freedoms, promised to them when America's beliefs were

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