September 11, 2001 is burned into minds and hearts forever. Words cannot express the pain we felt as a nation and as Americans. Congress responded to the attack the best way it knew how. Congress appropriated substantial new funds for existing security agencies and also enacted a "Use of Force" resolution authorizing the president to deploy the nation's standing armed forces - - a textbook move. President Bush used this newfound power and launched a campaign against the terrorists and their home base in Afghanistan; he did what any man in his position would do. A 342-page bill was not needed to mobilize our troops to Afghanistan.
A few weeks after the September eleventh terrorist attack, Attorney General Ashcroft ordered the proposal for new police powers including dramatic new authority to obtain sensitive private information about individuals, eavesdrop on conversations, monitor computer use and detain suspects without probable cause, all with diminished judicial oversight. Ashcroft demanded that his proposal be enacted or he would suggest publicly that members of Congress would be responsible for any terrorist attack that would occur during the bill's legislation (Weich). The bill came at the same time the anthrax scare crippled congress, and some of the members could no get access to their office to read over the bill (Weich). On October 26, 2001 President Bush signed the USA Patriot Act and sealed our fate as Americans, signing a deal with the devil. The legislation is a threat to our freedoms and civil liberties and any true American would oppose the new law. "This just the first step. There will be additional items to come," declared Justice Department spokeswoman Mindy Tucker (weich). What's the new step? Taking our freedom of speech, or better yet how about the right bear arms? .
The Attorney General and the Secretary of State no have the power to designate domestic groups as "terrorist organizations" and deport any non-citizen who belong to them.
