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Terrorism And Individual Freedoms Essay

Terrorism Suppression and Freedom

The aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks was characterized with the establishment of various measures and initiatives towards war on terrorism. As the government has constantly enhanced its war on terrorism efforts, it has emerged that these initiatives have evolved into reshaping the country's national security policies and challenged the value placed on individual freedom. The attempts towards preventing terrorism and enhancing homeland security in the United States have entailed the enactment of various anti-terrorism laws such as the Patriot Act. While these attempts may not have been developed to limit the civil liberties of American citizens, they have contributed to a significant diminution of freedoms for Americans (Whitehead and Aden, 2002).

Anti-terrorism law has been characterized by unintended consequences that threaten the essential constitutional rights of individuals who have completely no involvement with or link to terrorism. The war on terrorism has unexpectedly provided ways for law enforcement agencies and personnel to infringe on American's civil liberties in various ways. For instance, government leaders and law enforcement personnel have been given the right to carry out searches without prior notice under the disguise of preventing terrorism. In some cases, many citizens have shown the readiness to surrender some of the freedoms in order to obtain improved security in light of increase in terrorism.

This trend towards considerable diminution of freedoms for Americans in the name of the fight against terrorism cannot be justified. This is mainly because civil liberties are the constitutional principles through which the country was founded. Civil liberties act as the necessary foundation for the creation of responsible, independent citizens in the country (Mitrano, 2003). Therefore, there is no justification for lessening these freedoms in attempts to improve homeland security. In addition, the government can develop effective ways for dealing with terrorism without necessarily resulting in lessening of civil liberties for Americans.

References

Mitrano, T. (2003, January 1). Civil Privacy and National Security Legislation: A Three-

Dimensional View. EDUCAUSE Review, 38(6). Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/civil-privacy-and-national-security-legislation-three-dimensional-view

Whitehead, J.W. & Aden, S.H. (2002). Forfeiting 'Enduring Freedom' for 'Homeland Security':

A Constitutional Analysis of the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act and the Justice Department's Anti-Terrorism Initiatives. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/CAofUSAPA.html

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