Civil Liberties and Terrorism Ashley Larman POL201 Instructor Tracy Trunnell 4/22/12 Civil Liberties and Terrorism “All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it” Alexis de Tocqueville. I personally believe that we do not need to restrict our civil liberties as stated in the Bill of Rights in order to protect American citizens from terrorist organizations. Civil liberties are the personal guarantees and
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PROTECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES IN THE AGE OF TERRORISM Name Institution Professor Date Protecting civil liberties in the age of terrorism Balancing civil liberties and fighting terrorism is a delicate task that is affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is evident that most Americans want the government to fight terrorism and at the same time, efforts against terrorism should not infringe on their civil liberties that are enshrined in the constitution. Polls conducted in the
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All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it” Alexis de Tocqueville. I personally believe that we do not need to restrict our civil liberties as stated in the Bill of Rights in order to protect American citizens from terrorist organizations. Civil liberties are the personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge, either by law, constitution, or judicial interpretation which include the
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lawyer's perspective in his book titled Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge. In an article from the book titled, Should the Ticking Time Bomb Terrorist Be Tortured, many of his suggestions such as the use of torture, are rather controversial; however, Dershowitz encourages people to rethink current notions of security, liberty, and international law. Alan Dershowitz acknowledges that he is not an expert on terrorism; his opinions, suggestions and methods in his
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existing laws to developments in international terrorism and technology (Gerdes 29). These new modifications are hardly critical to enhancing national security. Sure, they might help to improve it, but there are other “courses that can be taken to improve” national security other than just updating legislation with blanket terms and blasé definitions of terrorism. More importantly, those who believe that the PATRIOT ACT does not violate civil liberties of citizens are deluded. Not only was the Act
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philosophers. This idea of a social contract is one of our most essential foundations of our American political system. The debate of how much of our liberties needs to be taken away to ensure our security has been a long lasting one. One of our most iconic founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, said, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” When we give governments power, they will use them for their own self-interest and when
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society grapples with the relationship between civil liberties and homeland security. Belief structures underlying the relationship of liberty and security vary among different political orientations in the United States. The disclosure that the Obama administration surreptitiously accessed phone records and infiltrated the internet activity of millions of Americans, has elevated brand-new questions about the public’s enthusiasm to sacrifice civil liberties in the interests of homeland security. This
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Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. Commonly known as The Patriot Act, it was meant to provide justice to an emotional nation. Its significance lays in expanding the definition of terrorism, and affords government agencies and law enforcement the tools they need to combat terrorism wherever it may be. The Act proved to be a controversial from its early stages.
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Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, or USA Patriot Act was established on 26 October 2001 “just forty-five days after it was introduced” (Alex, Carrington, & Ward, 2008). The aggressive security measures combined with “the vague nature of the wording and the broad exception clauses” has steadily kept the light on the Patriot Act (Theissen, 2012). The Patriot Act was supposed to protect and builder a stronger defense against terrorism, to prevent future attracts on U.S soil
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act President George W. Bush signed into law on October 26, 2001; this act was enacted by the 107th United States Congress. The acronym stands for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001” (Doyle) The Patriot Acts stated purpose is to
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