Name Name
Paper #3

	
	The rise of terrorism and the threat we feel against rivaling countries has forced us into a state of max security. The rise in security has caused many difficulties in travel and everyday life. Yet are these difficulties frustrating or calming? The rise in security is be stripping us of our civil liberties. With our civil liberties battling national security head on, which will end up on top? And which is more important? After 9/11 we willingly gave up our civil liberties. Though we did and did not willingly give up our civil liberties individually. Certain Americans acted on their liberties, and certain Americans surrendered their liberties. It all depended on the person at hand. 
        Civil Liberties are individual rights that are protected by law against governmental interference. Such civil liberties are freedom of speech or religious freedom. These liberties are something that we may take for granite and not realize how important they are until they were taken away. Since September 11, 2001, we have been stripped of many liberties that we took for granite. We have been caused many discomforts, and annoyances. Most people are fed up, yet others are not yet satisfied. The question lies at the fact that, will security ever be tight enough, or will we be stripped of all our civil liberties until security is tight enough?
	Our civil liberties are a part of us being an American.  They are the reasons that make America the country it is today. It draws people here and keeps people content with being a citizen of America. Being a citizen of America we are guaranteed rights that give us a kind of freedom that is unavailable in any other nation. 
	As individuals I believe that we have and have not willingly surrendered our individual civil liberties. Some of us who agree that you should be searched from head to toe at airports, concerts, sporting events, and other transportation stations knowingly or unknowingly are supporting us being stripped of our civil liberties. Most agree that airport security should be increased and tightened. Yet why give up our freedom, especially to be searched and embarrassed in a crowd of strangers. You’re now looked upon by others as a threat. If you pass security, you may have people looking at you, feeling threatened because you were searched before boarding. Yet how do we not check people who could possibly be threats to hundreds of American lives? Is there an answer?
	
	After September 11th, people were forced to be careful about what words that came out of their mouth. Though we still had our freedom of speech, we were restricted on what we could say due to the emotional state that the United States was in. With the verge of war and the deaths of so many people were in a state of mind unlike any other. Though many other people chose not to cater to others feelings and spoke out against retaliating. 
	This is where I believe that freedom of speech could tear our nation apart. I am a firm believe in freedom of speech and all of our other civil liberties, yet freedom of speech can divide us  because of the people who oppose war. When at war, the citizens of our country should support their troops and their countries decision. With the negative opinions of so many, the country becomes somewhat divided in what seems like a “one” nation debating over a history changing event. After 9/11 we were forced with the decision to retaliate or not? Most were behind it due to the fact that we were so innocently attacked and so many innocent lives were taken. Yet there were many of people who opposed war, and said it was not the answer. Yet these people were only hurting us, only dividing us into to types of people in this nation. Loyal citizens and disloyal citizens were the people that divided us. So this is where our civil liberties hurt us, by people’s freedom of speech showing negative thoughts towards the country that enables them to have that liberty. 
	Another civil liberty that some people have unwillingly given up is the freedom of religion. The Muslim people of America are supposed to be able to live with their customs and be faithful to their religion. With 9/11 a lot of Muslim people were forced to go into hiding because of who was responsible for the terrorism. They were unintentionally stripped of their freedom of religion, by the citizens and some authorities of the United States. Because people were so afraid of Muslims, there was racial profiling against them. They were therefore stripped of their freedom of religion as United States Citizens. It was unwillingly, but some were still forced to hide who they were and what their faith was. 
	As a nation we willingly gave up our liberties due to the fact that we felt so threatened. Yet as individuals, some of us kept our liberties and some decided to surrender them for the sake of safety. After 9/11 we were forced to surrender many things we had before the tragic terrorism attack. Our civil liberties were one of them and we must be careful to submit our liberties because it is what makes our country the unique country that it is.