the patriot act essays

the patriot act essays The Patriot Act enacted by Congress post September 11th emerged as governments reaction to combat and prevent terrorism in the United States, by maintaining Homeland Security. The attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th sparked a new fear of terrorism in America. Society called for action, for governments protection from further assault. Government capitalized on these fears emotion, and patriotism. An ethnic group of Middle Easter decent were identified as the attackers, thus the entire group became the faces of terrorism. With ulterior motives, government responded, enacting The Patriot Act and commissions such as Homeland Security. The Patriot Act outlines procedures for federal and state law enforcements when detaining and prosecuting suspected terrorist. Included are over two hundred codes regulating every part of American society from banking to entrance into the United States. The most controversial of its codes are those prescribed for detainees. Included are prisoners of war captured in Afghanistan; unlawful combatants" arrested in Afghanistan outside the United States, illegal aliens in the United States or aliens on student or visitor visas, with intentions of committing terrorist acts, and legal aliens with permanent resident status. Detainees are not allowed the same rights as citizens to due process, outlined in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. (1) Threat and vulnerability information. Except as otherwise directed by the President, the Secretary shall have such access as the Secretary considers necessary to all information, including reports, assessments, analyses, and unevaluated intelligence relating to threats of terrorism against the United States and to other areas of responsibility assigned by the Secretary, and to all information concerning infrastructure or other vulnerabilities of the United States to terrorism, whether or not such information has been analyzed, that may ...