Patri

to actio

Patriot Act? When I think of the word patriot, I think of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. I think of Benjamin frankilin, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Paine. I think of the 16 year old boys who fought and died for our freedom in the War of Independence and of the farmers who happily gave their whole year’s harvest to the starving soldiers at Valley Forge. Yet does the Patriot Act not stand for everything these true patriots fought against? Does it not infringe on our rights in some of the very same ways the British crown infringed on their colonies? What would our founding fathers think of the way our country is headed, if they were here today? They would be outraged that their worst fears could be coming true. That the very country they created to escape the control of a powerful government is now turning into the same thing.

Our civil rights are in jeopardy today. Actions are being taken all in the “good of the people.” Americans are being thrown into secret detainment facilities with no hard evidence against them. The writ of Habeas Corpus is being ignored, and the constitutional right of a fair and speedy trial being scoffed at. Fear is controlling our nation, fear being spread by our very government with their color-coded terror levels, and their news of how attacks are imminent. Civilized nations, such as ours, have lost all moral fiber in times of terror and fear. The Japanese internment during WWII shows how easily such a drastic and unconstitutional action can be taken by the government, and supported by the people. If we can’t uphold the integrity of our Constitution’s Bill of Rights during the worst situations and the most troubling times, then what is the point in even having these rights written down? What does that make our Constitution other than a piece of paper that can be thrown away as an outdated guideline for a nation that has evolved and changed with time?