Ethics of the USA PATRIOT Act Essay -- Foreign Intelligence Essays

Ethics of the USA PATRIOT operationAnother week, another series of patches to download from Microsoft. It seems like every week, Microsoft is at a lower place siege from one virus or another. The complexity in the billions of lines of computer code embedded in its products make it impossible to be error-free. If it is this easy for hot-headed M$ haters to breach the worlds largest software maker, one has to ask how firmly would it be to expose vulnerabilities in the most sophisticated and technologically certified country in the world? That is exactly what the US establishment is mulling about. The schooling Age has brought unparallel speed of communication plus an immeasurable fullness of information to our fingertips. On the same token, it is also seeing the birth of newer and cleverer ways to create weapons that are alike small to detect, too easy to produce, and too widespread to catch them all. For years, the government tried expanding its powers, first in the Reaga n Administration, then(prenominal) the Bush (I) Administration, only to be rejected in the Legislature clock after time. However, after the 1996 Oklahoma Bombing, the executive branch received almost powers. But not until 9/11 did the government win unique expansion of powers from the USA PATRIOT Act (Incidentally, Congress was going to fail a law to repeal those won in 1996 prior to 9/11). 1The USA PATRIOT Act stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (USAPA). It entrusts government agents to a whole new arsenal of weapons to counter terrorism. Besides fully upgrading many watered down surveillance laws, it also promotes the use of the pen register, trap and trace devices, carnivore, sneak and pea... ...p because I wasnt a Jew. past they came for the grapple unionists, and I didnt speak up because I wasnt a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didnt speak up because I wa s a Protestant. Then they came for me, save by that time, no one was left to speak up. 21 http//www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/MiddleEast/TerrorInUSA/USAPA.asp2 http//www.epic.org/ secretiveness/terrorism/usapatriot/3 http//www.yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=4444 http//www.aclu.org/Files/OpenFile.cfm?id=147995 http//www.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/Terrorism/PATRIOT/safe_act_analysis.php6 http//www.lifeandliberty.gov/subs/q_support.htm7 http//www.lifeandliberty.gov/subs/s_articles.htm8 http//www.lifeandliberty.gov/9 http//www.lifeandliberty.gov/subs/p_congress.htm10 http//www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/33106.html