Government Spying Exceeding The Laws And Values Of A...

Government Spying: Exceeding the Laws and Values of a Democratic Society The war on terrorism immediately followed the 9/11 attacks on American soil. However, shortly after the horrific event came the USA Patriot Act. The Act, was immediately passed by those in the House of Representatives and signed by the president became the new law. It passed abruptly and by the majority without being fully examined giving new privileges to the U.S. Government over the private individual. The USA Patriot Act consists of hundreds of pages of changes and revisions of law that could eventually affect the rights of American citizens forever. In particular, the Act entails major alterations to existing surveillance laws expanding the government s authority to spy on citizens, while at the same time reducing their public and constitutional accountability to American citizens. The main idea is that spying on citizens is a useless weapon; its methods are misused, it is unnecessary, it threatens a constitutional democracy, and it is unconstitutional for the United States gover nment to spy on its citizens when combating terrorism. Spying on American citizens is now a common method employed by the government striving to protect the nation from terrorist attacks. Nonetheless, since its incorporation, the Act has been controversial as politicians and citizens alike have argued between the need to keep society safe and abusive powers of the government over its citizens. Although, mandated to serve as