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Us Patriot Act
The Patriot Act was enacted in October 2001 shortly after attacks from terrorists on the United States on September 11, 2001. The act gives Federal officials and state agencies greater authority and tools to investigate and track suspected terrorists with the goal of bringing them to trial. The attacks on the United Stated on September 11, 2001 were planned and carried out by 19 people affiliated with the al-Qaeda network. This group hijacked four commercial airlines with the intent to crash them into government and civilian buildings on the East coast. Terrorist crashed one into each of the two world trade center towers in New York City, a third was crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the fourth was believed to target either the White House, the U.S. Capitol, or Camp David was crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania following a passenger rebellion (Wikipedia, April 2005). The attacks on the United States had major political effects across the globe. The attacks also had a profound impact on the citizens of the United States. Nearly half of the population wanted the United States Government to put an end to terrorism (Patriot Act Overview, Nov 2004). United States Congress enacted the Patriot Act in response to the terrorist attacks that took place in September 2001. The Patriot Act includes two very powerful tools to prevent future terrorist attacks. The first is information sharing provisions that allows the Department of Homeland Security to go on the offense "to substantially expand America 's information-sharing capabilities" (Ridge, Nov 2004). Increased collaboration between federal and state agencies is a critical concept of cooperation across all levels of the federal and state government. The second is investigative tools to identify, apprehend, and stop terrorists before they can complete their objectives. Tools to assist the Federal Air Marshals, Border Patrol officers, the United States Coast Guard, and


References: 107th Congress 1st Session (October 2001). H.R. 3162 S. 1510, Public Law 107-56. USA PATRIOT ACT. Retrieved 23 April 2005 from http://www.fedworld.gov. Department of Justice, (2005, April 5). Fact Sheet: USA Patriot Act Provisions Set For Reauthorization. Retrieved on May 16, 2005, from http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2005/April/05_opa_163.htm Doyle, Charles (2004, January 7) Federal Court Ruling (Nov 2004). Federal Court Ruling. Congressional Digest. Vol. 83 Issue 9, p269. Retrieved April 25, 2005 from EBSCOhost Online Database. Frontline, (2003, October 16) Harrison, A. (2001, November 5). Behind the USA Patriot Act. Retrieved April 30, 2005, from http://www.alternet.org/story/11854 Legal Information Institute, (August 6, 2004) Lithwick, D., & Turner, J. (2003, September 8). A Guide to the Patriot Act, Part 1 Should you be Scared of the Patriot Act. Retrieved May 15, 2005 from http://slate.msn.com/id/2087984 Lithwick, D., & Turner, J Lithwick, D., & Turner, J. (2003, September 10). A Guide to the Patriot Act, Part 3 Should you be Scared of the Patriot Act. Retrieved May 15, 2005 from http://slate.msn.com/id/2088161 Online Newshour Online Newshour, (August 19, 2003). Considering the USA Patriot Act. Retrieved on May 17, 2005 from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/july- dec03/patriot_8-19.html PATRIOT Act Overview (Nov 2004) Ramasastry, Anita (2005, April 20). Reform the Patriot Act to ensure civil liberties. Retrieved on May 16, 2005 from http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/20/ramasastry.patriotact/ Ridge, Tom (Nov 2004) Swartz, Nikki (Nov/Dec 2003). Patriot Act Provision Ruled Unconstitutional. Information Management Journal. Vol. 38 Issue 6, P6. Retrieved April 25, 2005 from EBSCOhost Online Database. The U.S. Constitution Online. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2005, from http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am4 Wikipedia (April 2005) September 11, 2001 Attacks
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