Patriot Act Essay Example for Free

Patriot Act Essay To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, a country that is willing to sacrifice civil liberties for safety deserves neither. In the aftermath of September 11, the United States has found itself living that prophetic statement: the country is neither safe nor free. Politicians played on the fears of the American public after the terrorist attack and stole the most basic and trusted of American freedoms: the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Prior to the Patriot Act, anyone arrested by American law enforcement was guaranteed to be charged or released within 48 hours. Then, under the speedy trial provisions of the U. S. Constitution, those who were charged were guaranteed that their cases would progress. This is not so since September 11. This is not the first time in American history that persons living within the United States have been held indefinitely during times of war. Japanese-Americans from southern California were taken to so-called â€Å"detention camps† after the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. The crime is that we have not learned the lessons of history, that we apologize and in some cases make restitution for the same thing we are now repeating at Guantanimo Bay and in other places around the world. The biggest tragedy of the Patriot Act and the methods used by federal law enforcement in the wake of September 11 is that none of these actions would have prevented the terrorist attacks. Instead, these methodologies encourage people to be more secretive and less open. The only way the attack on the World Trade Center could have been avoided would have been for there to have been a better exchange of information. Perhaps it is a sign that American education is lacking, or evidence that those in power will always seek to increase their power, but the reality is the Patriot Act has not done anything to discourage international terrorism or increase American safety. We have, in fact, sacrificed our freedom and in return lost both it and our safety.