Mgt 493

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were of the nature of not easily forgotten. To help counter any future recurrences of such events, the U.S. government enacted what is most commonly known as the “Patriot Act.” The full name of this act is “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA Patriot Act) Act of 2001,” and was passed only 45 days after the terrorist attacks. There are many arguments on whether or not the Patriot Act is designed to work for the better of the world, or to take away many of the civil liberties that belong to citizens of the United States. On the surface, it seems like the Patriot Act is working towards the right goal: “To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes.” However, many would argue that the last two objectives of the act (the majority of the act) have been taken too far.

A closer look at the Patriot Act reveals well intended items, some of which also having consequences. Section 101 of the first title, Enhancing Domestic Security Against Terrorism, of the Patriot Act (USA Patriot Act) creates what is known as the Counterterrorism Fund. This fund is set up to recover costs that are spent in association with terrorism. The only drawback to the fund is that there is no limit to the spending. Section 102 condemns discrimination against Americans of Arab, Muslim, and Southern Asian decent. The first part of the section is Congress’s findings, such as “Arab Americans, Muslim Americans, and Americans from South Asia play a vital role in our Nation and are entitled to nothing less than the full rights of every American,” and “The acts of violence that have been taken against Arab and Muslim Americans since the September 11, 2001, attacks against the United States should be and are condemned by all Americans who value freedom,”...