An Excerpt from 9/11, Patriotism, and the Patriot Act

This is an excerpt from a paper I am putting the wraps on called 9/11, Patriotism, and the Patriot Act.

The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of our great nation and was written in a way that limits the powers of government and protects the powers of people (SOURCE 14).  Look through the Constitution and not once will you find a restriction on the rights and power of the people; every word is meant to specifically outline what the federal government can and cannot do. The 4^th Amendment is a good example of limiting the power of government, while protecting the rights of people. The 4^th Amendment guarantees the citizens of the United States the right to “be secure in their persons, houses and papers,” and prevents the government from unreasonable searches and seizures (SOURCE 13). However, in the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 the people of the United States were vulnerable; the federal government used this vulnerability as a chance to expand the powers of surveillance disguised under a blanket of security used to cover up the infringement of American liberties.

An article written by Abdullah Al-Arian was published in the St. Petersburg Times near the one-year anniversary of September 11, 2001. Al-Arian describes the mood of the country and patriotism in the wake of 9/11. “Essentially, American patriotism lay in a healthy and impervious repose until its rude awakening one morning in September,” he writes (SOURCE 20).  “The sights and sounds of that horrific day are unforgettable. We witnessed a nation coming together, first to aid the victims and then to begin our collective healing. Blood, sweat and tears were all literally given to that end. That was patriotism,” Al-Arian continues (SOURCE 20). It seemed as if the red and white stripes of the American Flag were holding together our nation. This outpouring of patriotism made the people of the United States more vulnerable rather than strong.

Soon after 9/11, the complexity of patriotism only grew as a vast array of influential persons from politicians to authors to critics and religious leaders “sought to advance particular notions of patriotism over others,” (SOURCE 9). Patriotism is often the solution to one’s want for safety and relatedness and some politicians try to connect their agendas to this want (SOURCE 9). It is clear that following 9/11 partisan politics quickly entwined itself with patriotism in order to promote their partisian agenda. One result of this advance was the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act of 2001, also known as the Patriot Act.  “…Our president rushed to remind us after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, that a “good America was under attack…Floods of flags covered our land. Journalists, academics and religious leaders were asked to defend freedom by closing ranks against a hostile world. We ended up with the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act, which defends freedom by restricting it,” (SOURCE 8). The Patriot Act has long been considered controversial, but when it was passed it had overwhelming support from both the people of the United States and its leaders. The Patriot Act passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 357 Yeas and only 66 Nays (SOURCE 22). “Driven by fears of another terrorist attack on our country…most Americans, as well as Congress, remained willing to compromise their rights and their privacy in favor of the overriding desire for security,” (SOURCE 1).

The sources will be posted when I add the complete paper.