Patriot Act does more damage than good for Americans

A decade has passed since 9/11 and the rights of U.S. citizens are still being encroached upon by "counterterrorism" tactics—most notably by the Patriot Act. This past anniversary calls for mourning, but also for reflection. The attacks occurred 10 years ago, but the Patriot Act, as of this summer, has been extended to the year 2015. As years pass since a terrorist attack, citizens are becoming more and more monitored rather than restoring their rights that have been, to the say the least, tenuous, this past decade.

The most notable victim of the Patriot Act is the Fourth Amendment. Which states, "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures." The Patriot Act allows law enforcement looser restrictions on wiretapping, seizure of personal belongings, etcetera. This was in the name of combating domestic threats and potential incoming threats of terrorism. And it has proven itself to no be very beneficial and that while Americans have sacrificed for this, little has been gained from that sacrifice to ensure our safety.

The Patriot Act has only helped prevent two cases from reaching attack level, according to multiple news outlets that cite the Breakthrough Institute for conducting the study. Two cases out of thousands. These numbers seem to satisfy the Obama administration enough to extend the Act until 2015. Citizens are expected to exchange their liberties for their safety. This has been the sacrifice made and more regulations keep mounting up on U.S. citizens. We boast about freedom while our basic rights are taken by our elected leaders. A fearful public, plagued by images of jihadists and pundits, have engendered this inherent fear in a vast majority of the American public. How are we to progress as country without the rights that the country was built upon? When citizens are subjected to unlawful searches and invasions of their privacy the country suffocates any voice of dissent.

The Patriot Act has become an accepted form of surveillance on American people. It is time we throw out this enormity and restore what has been lost. If we look at this objectively and consider that with such little evidence to prove that the Patriot Act is working, it is not serving even the best of intentions to citizens. It is a blanket security that has proven itself irrelevant, so why do we continue to feel such security, or indifference, to it?

Other laws such as GPS tracking, unwarranted intrusions into homes and more Fourth Amendment bending were also proposed by the Obama administration. The case for GPS tracking without a warrant will appear in the Supreme Court in November under the names United States v. Jones, No. 10-1259. This case will more than likely replace the current precedent which was set almost 30 years ago. It will bring into question whether the Fourth Amendment can apply to the ever-evolving technology used by law enforcement to conduct operations without a warrant. On Sunday, the New York Times quoted Susan Freiwald, a law professor at the University of San Francisco, saying, "The Jones case requires the Supreme Court to decide whether modern technology has turned law enforcement into Big Brother, able to monitor and record every move we make outside of our homes."

To what ends are we willing to sacrifice our rights for the deceptive idea of safety from attacks? This seems to be a question without answer. The U.S. is becoming a monitored state; and with this, the rights we have always taken for granted will fall to the wayside. It is important to remember what has been lost, but it is also important to know how the events a decade ago continue to shape our lives and remove our rights.

Billy Lineberrry can be reached at libneberry2@marshall.edu