Executive Summary

The Unpatriotic Acts

In my paper I discuss the dilemma that America has seen between National Security and personal freedoms. Many things are promised to us in the Constitution, especially in the Bill of Rights, that our current government seems to have blatant disregard for. In cases such as the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 Americans were asked to hand over many of our rights to privacy to ensure National Security. Nobody could argue with that, who wants to vote no on something called the Patriot Act, only one Senator did. Thankfully, the American Civil Liberties Union has not turned its back to the American people. They are still fighting to make sure that no more of our liberties are taken away in the name of National Security. The government has begun to lose separation of powers and checks and balances. It is scary but in the paper, George Orwell’s Big Brother from 1984 was mentioned as a comparison to our current government. I still hold that this is a valid comparison, President George W. Bush has done all in his power to make it possible to know all there is about every citizen. The government has access to your oral, wire, and electronic communications. They monitor your bank account, your library card usage, and even “sneak and peak” into your home without your knowledge. For all of these invasions they no longer need prior judicial, completely eliminating checks and balances. This leaves our government open to all sorts of abuse, at our expense, in the name of National Security.