Revolution and Terrorism in the Modern Era
The USA Patriot Act of 2001, 115 Stat. 272 (Links to an external site.) The USA Freedom Act of 2015, 50 U.S.C. § 1881 (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, 50 U.S.C. § 1801 (Links to an external site.) Next, review the following amendments to the United States Constitution: U.S. Constitution: First Amendment (Links to an external site.) U.S. Constitution: Fourth Amendment (Links to an external site.) U.S. Constitution: Fifth Amendment (Links to an external site.) U.S. Constitution: Sixth Amendment (Links to an external site.) U.S. Constitution: Fourteenth Amendment (Links to an external site.), Section 1. One of the most difficult issues in criminal justice has been the balancing act between public safety and security and civil liberties. This balancing act has become even more difficult in the ongoing war on terrorism. For instance, in 2013, a government contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked classified material from the National Security Agency (NSA). The leaks revealed NSA programs that secretly collected data regarding emails, texts, and phone use by Americans without probable cause. Many people felt the actions of the NSA were appropriate and that the government should be able to compromise constitutional rights to prevent terrorism. Others felt the NSA actions were illegal and had to be stopped. While most would agree that terrorism is a serious concern, how far should the government go? After reading the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the USA Patriot Act, the USA Freedom Act and the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 14th Amendments, research the actions of the government post 9/11 and write a paper. In your paper, – Determine whether the governments overriding need to fight terrorism outweighs the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 14th Amendment rights of the people within the United States. – Evaluate whether or not 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 14th Amendments apply to terrorists since the writers of the Constitution could not have envisioned mass shootings and suicide bombers. – Assess whether the USA PATRIOT Act, USA FREEDOM Act, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act violate the Constitution. – Determine whether United States Government violated the Constitution by its actions pursuant to the USA PATRIOT Act, USA FREEDOM Act, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance – Assess whether the 4th Amendment requirement of probable cause should be waived when investigating terrorism.