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The Sacrifices We Will Make - Civil Liberties
The primary reason why Americans are cautious about how the government responds to the attacks of September 11 th is because of the likely risk that civil liberties guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution will be restricted. It is understood that in a time of war changes will be required and inconveniences overcome. But what are we really talking about?
Clearly, after September 11th the discussion shifted to concerns about the proper balance between civil liberties and the need for national security. Professor Allen notes that the USA PATRIOT Act “weakened provisions of the law limiting government access to electronic communications, including email and phone conversations.” In addition, she points out the loss of some privacy already because of heightened airport screening and profiling of passengers, and the stricter enforcement and enhancement of laws permitting detention of undocumented persons and visa violators.