America and the USA Patriot Act

The United States of America was attacked and war has been declared against our nation, our principles, our way of life, our democracy, our beliefs, our history, and our future. Most Americans may think it started with the coward and evil attacks of September 11, 2001. In fact terrorism attacks have been growing since the 70's but the main event that caught our attention toward a new phenomen was the Hizbollah attack to the Marine compound in Beirut in 1983. Between 1983 and 2001, nothing was done to prepare in the fight against terrorism. It did happen in our soil. It didn't affect Americans. And the President of the United States back then, Ronald Reagan, already apologized to the military and the family members.

As a nation of complacency, little by little we started stabbing our own nation by doing exactly what we are good at, nothing.

With the poisoned dart through the heart after the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York, America developed and implemented a powerful tool to intercept and obstruct terrorism, the US Patriot Act. Although, this act generated protest from civil rights organizations to include the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the advantages and disadvantages of it are aspects we must deal with it while fighting the war against terrorism.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, dawned temperate and nearly cloudless in the eastern United States. Millions of men and women readied themselves for work. Some made their way to the Twin Towers in New York City. Others went to the Pentagon in Virginia. In Sarasota, Florida, President George W. Bush went for an early morning run. For those heading to an airport, weather conditions could not have been better for a safe and pleasant journey. Among the travelers was Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari, who arrived at the airport in Portland, Maine (The 9/11 Commission Report).

This was the end of the old America and the beiginning of the new America. Because of the "We have some planes" expression by Mohamed Atta, Americans can say "We have the USA Patriot Act." While the Muslim community feels targeted by the Act, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims that essential American freedoms are at risk, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) rejects it because its anti-constitutional elements, the development and implementation of the US Patriot Act is the best legal tool ever created to identify, investigate and counterattack individuals and organizations involved in acts of terrorism, directly or indirectly, against the sovereignty of this great nation, our nation, the United States of America.

It is obvious that the Act has generated controversy among Americans and definitely among foreign individuals living in our communities, especially the Muslim community.

The coward attacks on September 11, 2001 changed our way we do certain things, the way we make new sense for security measures, and the way the world pays attention to the catastrophic consequences of a terrorist attack. This has to be the wake up call for all American citizens to realize the danger and reality of radical Islamism as the vivid and evil force committed to destroy and erradicate anything or anybody that does not meet,or is not compatible, or is not of Islamic beliefs.

This commitment is written in the holy book, the Qur'an. It advises, "Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelive in Allah. Make a holy war.......When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any of these, you also accept it and withold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to accept Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them......If the refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya (the tax on non-Muslims especified in Qur'an 9:29). If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah's help and fight them (Sahih Muslim 4294)."

President Bush made it clear during his speech on November 6, 2001: "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terrorism," while looking for international support to bring terrorist organizations down around the world just two weeks after the USA Patriot Act entered into effect. The following are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the Act:

Advantages:

a) Enables law enforcement agencies and intelligence personnel to share information that is needed to connect the dots and disrupt potential terror and criminal activity before they can carry out their plots.

b) Enables US Customs and Border Protection to screen international visitors and determine whether an apprehended alien presents a threat to security or public safety.

c) US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seeks to deny criminal organizations accessto financial systems that terrorists and other criminal organizations may exploit in rising, moving, and storing illicit funds.

Disadvantages:

a) It provides sweeping powers to government agencies to monitor the personal habits of not only those that have been identified as suspected terrorists, but anyone residing in the United States as well as US citizens residing abroad.

b) It allows the arrest and imprisonment of suspected terrorists without traditional legal protections for often unknown reasons.

c) It has been compared to the Sedition Act of 1918 and even the Reichstag Fire Decree and Enabling Act, which ultimately gave Adolf Hitler the opportunity to seize Germany.

Michelle Ricardson, a Legislation Consultant for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) commented: "Most Americans than expected would end up in government database. I think people are generally unhappy about that." And Nadira Al-Khalili, National Legal Council of the CAIR organization commented: "The Obama administration should review the FBI surveillance guidelines and bring them into comformity with the Constitution and with the cherised American values of religious freedom and respect for civil liberties." In my opinion, a Reichstag-alike decree should ban and prosecute those who in times of war against terrorism, seduce the masses by disseminating discomfort, opposition, and promote disloyalty against our government and pretend to advocate for those who have hurt us the most, radical Islam.

In conclusion, although the Muslim community feels targeted by the USA Patriot Act, the ACLU claims that essential American freedoms are at risk, and the CAIR rejects it because its anti-Constitutional elements, the Act provides the power needed to interfere and obstruct acts of terrorism against this nation, our nation, the United States of America.