The USA Patriot Act: Its Personal Consequences
...ught this was ridiculous because I had done nothing wrong. My mom explained to me that since the terrorists attack on September 11, 2001, the government watches people more cautiously and anyone could be targeted just by the way they dress. She told me to be careful of what you say as you go through customs because they can misinterpret it as threatening words. The Patriot Act was supposed to make us feel safe not paranoid. I’ve always been very out-spoken with my opinions and views of our government. I’ve never been afraid to say what was on my mind, nor have I ever been afraid to buy any book I wanted to read or any CD I wanted to listen to. Now under the Patriot Act, the books I check out from the library and buy at the local bookstores can be secretly monitored by the Federal Government. There are certain bands whose music is monitored by law enforcement agencies. This angers me as well as scares me. This is a clear violation of the first amendment. The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 forced the government to take a hard look at our national security policies. New laws were enacted, sanctioned by the American public in an effort to protect us from future attacks. We are giving up our liberties to feel safer. But are we really safer? And who are we safe from? I work with a guy who was born in Egypt but raised in Pasadena all his life. He is as American as Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, due to his ethnicity, he is denied many of the rights I take for granted. He can not travel freely and every time he tells someone his name (Ahmed), he is stereotyped. I have witnessed him being harassed because of his religious beliefs. He can’t even enjoy a simple activity such as hunting because he is prevented from legally purchasing a firearm. Seeing what he goes through every day makes me realize the freedom we once had is no more. I feel like I am imprisoned in my own city, my own state and my own country. I am ashamed of what our country has become and what it is doing to numerous ethnic gro...