Controversy ove the Patriot Act Essay - 2105 Words

Still Free to Speak about the USA PATRIOT Act To some, the United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) act is a law essential to winning the War on Terrorism; for others, this act is viewed with utmost contempt for its Orwellian nature allowing Big Brother to read your email and look through your library records. The security versus liberty debate prevails with both sides citing legal and ethical reasons in support or in opposition to this controversial act. Hastily passed with virtually no debate forty five days after the terror attacks of September 11, the USA PATRIOT act’s stated purpose is to â€Å"deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the†¦show more content†¦The controversy surrounding this law mounts from claims from civil libertarians that the USA PATRIOT act interferes with many constitutionally guaranteed rights and liberties including the First Amendment; many neo-conservatives maintain that the act is nec essary to protect Americans from future attacks of terrorism. Critics of the USA PATRIOT act are unified in their claim that the law is unconstitutional. In the case Humanitarian Law Project v. John Ashcroft, U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins handed down the first ruling against the USA PATRIOT act since its inception calling the ban on providing â€Å"expert advice or assistance† â€Å"impermissibly vague† and in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments. In another, more recent, ruling, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled that a key component of the USA PATRIOT act, which allowed the FBI to demand information from Internet service providers without public review or judicial oversight, violates free-speech rights by imposing permanent silence on targeted companies. Marrero wrote that â€Å"democracy abhors undue secrecy (Doe v. Ashcroft).† In a current challenge to the USA PATRIOT act, the ACLU claims that a certain fear of the law has caused a â₠¬Å"dramatic decline† in memberships and donations of mosques and has forced a church-sponsored group that aids