In the U.S. Constitution citizens are granted certain rights and civil liberties especially when it comes to movement at home and abroad. We also had rights of privacy through our communication but all of that came to an end on 9/11/01. The implementation of the Patriot Act allowed for people to be held without due cause but rather suspicion. You could simply be accused of being a terrorist or connected to one and you could be detained for years without any contact or phone call to family members. There were multiple ethnic groups with similar religious backgrounds and skin color now lumped together and stereotyped which made them targets of public scrutiny, humiliation, and some times violence. People who are from Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, etc...were now facing scrutiny and suspicion from other American citizens. I say other because these too are American citizens and most of whom were born in America. African Americans in this country should be familiar with how that scrutiny feels. This unfair treatment was driven by fear and had serious consequences on daily life for Americans.
Air travel had changed for the worst as it related to time for travel due to heightened security. Passports are now need for travel from the U.S to places such as Jamaica, Mexico , and Canada when before all you needed was a birth certificate. People began to feel violated by the intrusive nature of the search process at the airport from aggressive groping to full body x-rays. Citizens were no longer living with the civil liberties granted to us by the U.S. Constitution. Although this was happening it was a slow process that some did not recognized because they co-signed to this because of fear and probably rightfully so. This leads us to now the recovery of these rights and liberties due to the U.S. success in killing Osama Bin Laden.
This was a great day for the families and the world. President Obama did a great job and displayed great ingenuity and execution to accomplish this task. Where does this leaves us with getting some of these rights back? Should travel be eased as far as the security measures? Should the Patriot Act be revised, amended, or abolished? Should we remain in the same state of paralysis as far as movement about the country and abroad? Are we going to obtain our original rights and civil liberties? Should we?
I believe that the Constitution as a whole needs revision. Many of the Acts and old laws that are on the books need to be revised as well.
ReplyDeleteI think the Patriot Act should be revised, but not abolished. The Supremacy Clause found in the Constitution gives Congress the authority to make new laws appropriate for the society we live in today. In today’s society, we live in a world where terrorism puts fear in the heart of many, a problem that did not exist when the Constitution was created. The Patriot Act may be abolished soon, but I think it should be revised instead. Although the leader of Al Qaeda has been killed, he still has countless followers in addition to a successor, that could danger the well being of many American citizens. While it is not right to stereotype certain groups of Americans, for the safety of this country and its people, the Patriot Act should continue to exist.
ReplyDeleteI mean the Necessary and proper clause. Sorry I was in a rush
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