Is it More Important to Be Safe or Be Free?
An Internet Hotlist on Dystopia

created by Mrs. Cinco in partnership with Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. Stumpf, and Ms. Schibani
Sagamore Middle School Library

Introduction | Constitution | The Issues


Introduction
 The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the 'Patriot Act') is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001. The title of the act is a ten letter acronym (USA PATRIOT) that stands for Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required (to) Intercept (and) Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.

This act was created in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Let's look at what both the proponents (supporters) of the Patriot Act and the opponents (challengers) of the Patriot Act have to say.

Proponents of this act claim IT DRAMATICALLY REDUCES RESTRICTIONS ON LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES’ ABILITY TO SEARCH TELEPHONE, E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS, MEDICAL, FINANCIAL, AND LIBRARY RECORDS.

Opponents of this act claim IT DRAMATICALLY REDUCES RESTRICTIONS ON LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES’ ABILITY TO SEARCH TELEPHONE, E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS, MEDICAL, FINANCIAL, AND LIBRARY RECORDS.

What do you notice about how the proponents view the Patriot Act compared to how the opponents view the Patriot Act?

Many people believe the USA Patriot Act is much more likely to be a threat to the rights of ordinary Americans than an impediment to terrorists while others believe it is important to maintain national security. Let’s look at the issues regarding this topic. How great is the risk that the rights of innocent people will be violated for the sake of safety? Use the information from the links below and the articles from our class to decide on the following:

•You are in favor of the Patriot Act (there is no loss in civil liberties and safety is more important than personal freedoms).

Or

•You are against the Patriot Act (there is a loss in civil liberties and maintaining personal freedoms is more important than safety).





The Internet Resources

Constitution

The Issues
created by Filamentality Content by Mrs. Cinco in partnership with Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. Stumpf, and Ms. Schibani, dcinco@sachem.edu
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listdystopiaci.html
Last revised Wed May 16 5:48:24 US/Pacific 2012