Paper #3 

Protection or Privileges 

	Part of the American Dream involves the idea of safety in one’s own home.  The United States is our home.  On September 11, 2001, our home was invaded.   Feelings of anxiety and uneasiness were felt throughout the nation and all over the world.  Because of this act of terrorism, millions of people watched the television waiting to learn how our country would begin to rebuild itself after this tragedy.  Although our civil liberties have slowly been taken away from us since September 11th, I believe our reaction to this tragedy has made the majority of Americans willing to sacrifice freedoms and liberties in order to restore tranquility. 
	Over the past couple of years, Americans experience more and more invasions of privacy.  Freedom of speech is the most eminent of the civil liberties being taken away as a result of September 11th.  For example, the government can tap every postal service to every phone line in order to gather information about any suspicious activity.  Before the terrorist attacks on the United States, many may have felt that the government does not have a right to listen in on conversations or read e-mails that are being sent out to friends in search of keywords that threaten the safety of America.  However, following September 11th, we gave up the right to privacy.  Because of this tragic day, we demanded that the government take measures to safely secure our country.  We willingly gave up our right to privacy; as a result, we felt and still feel safer.   
	Another aspect of freedom of speech that has gradually been taken away is the right to peacefully disagree with the President and government.  Negatively talking about the President or the government is now grounds for investigation.  Opposing government policy is probable cause for them to accuse one of being a threat to the safety of the American people.  No one truly has privacy anymore.  Everyone is a suspect.  Is this a sacrifice the American people are willing to make? 
	Yes.  The attacks on the United States on September 11th were the worst acts of terrorism in United States history.  Previously, people took for granted their safety because our nation is positioned between two oceans and is isolated from the rest of the world powers; therefore, allowing the people to take on the belief that attacks and war would never reach their homeland.  After the attacks on America, people have reacted with feelings of panic and distress.  They demand to know what the government will do to obtain order again.  The American people want to again feel safe.  
	According to a CNN-USA Today survey, “Eleven percent of those surveyed thought the Bush administration had gone too far in restricting civil liberties, fifty percent said it has been about right and twenty-five percent that it hasn’t gone far enough” (Lane A9).  Even though there are people that dislike giving up their civil liberties, many more would protest if the government did not take them away in order to ensure the safety of our country.  The poll clearly shows that Americans are willing to sacrifice their individual liberties for the safety of the country as a whole.  People want to know that their family, religion, health, and shelter are not being put in jeopardy by the lack of government actions to secure the United States from future attacks. 
	In conclusion, many individual civil liberties are gradually being lost.  However, because of these sacrifices, the people of America are able to live their everyday lives without worrying in which city the next attack will occur. Our reaction to September 11th has left many with negative feelings about our country’s safety.  As a result, many Americans are willing to forfeit their rights and freedoms in order to have the feeling of security and protection in their own home, and at work.  This following statement by William Barr sums up the derivation of the government actions to the terrorist attacks; 
“ ‘We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the way 9/11 affects our civil liberties comes not from the government’s response, but from the danger caused by terrorists in the first place’” (Lane A9). 

















Works Cited
Lane, Charles.  “Restricting Civil Liberties vs. Fighting Against Terror.” The 
	Washington Post-Gazette 10 Sept. 2002: A9.