This Act reins in the war-making authority of the president by demanding that the executive notify Congress within 48 hours after deploying the armed forces in combat. The presidents after Nixon have generally complied with the requirements of the Act, however they have all argued that the Act infringes on the president’s constitutional duty as Commander-in-Chief. They are well in their right to believe that, but many constitutional scholars maintain that Congress is within its right…
Operation Fly Trap was written by Susan A. Phillips, published in 2012 by the University of Chicago Press. Phillips received her Ph.D. in anthropology in 1998 from UCLA. She is interested in theories of violence, in the relationship between gangs and the state, and in utilizing academic writing and scholarship toward criminal justice reform (Susan). All of these intriguing interests led her to write Operation Fly Trap. However, all of this wouldn’t be possible without the help she received from the Harry Guggenheim Foundation award. That grant helped her begin her fieldwork in 2005. Her fieldwork was conducted in the Pueblos neighborhood in Los Angeles, this is where she got inside information from the gang members themselves. She also studied from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), here she befriended a couple of FBI agents that were in charge of Operation Fly Trap. All of this fieldwork paved her way in writing a very objective book. She received individually received both sides of the issue and wrote this book to give her point of view on the subject. In her fieldwork she would study the effects of the justice department and the consequence it has on the community and family of the criminals involved. The time she spent on the inside, with the people of the gangs and the lives they lead, would lead Phillips to question both the success of this operation and the methods used to conduct it (Phillips 175).…
On September 11, 2001, about 3,000 people were killed, and over 6,000 people were injured in the United States. Al-Qaeda, a group of Islamic extremists, hijacked four airplanes to execute suicide attacks. Two of the compromised airliners hit the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Another plane struck the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the last plane crashed in Pennsylvania in a field. The American people were unfortunately surprised because of those attacks; many loved ones were lost, and many terrorists escaped from our government’s reach. Because of this infamous event, the officials of the United States government have debated and are currently debating whether they, the government, should be allowed to observe and retain information…
Bibliography: “10 USC § 113 - Secretary of Defense.” Cornell University Law School. October 08, 2013. Accessed October 08, 2013.http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/113.…
national security strategy, “remains the only nation to project and sustain large-scale operations over extended distances.” During his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama frequently pledged to reform the defense budget. But his defense budget, released in the same week as the QDR, shows no clear- cut separation from the spending habits perpetuated in the budgets of his predecessor, George W. Bush. It allocated more funds for Special Forces, helicopters, missile-launching drones and other equipment for the “asymmetric wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq but it also provided for a new aircraft carrier and attack submarines. My society will address the issues involved within military operations that are currently scrutinized by many individuals in current society. Currently in the United States, the voting system for federal, state and municipal elections allows for a representative government headed by a majority party, yet the President may not in all cases be represented by that party as he or she is elected separately. This being the case, often legislative actions are stalled such as those currently involving…
A Christmas Carol is a play that visits the past, present, and future lifestyle of Ebenezer Scrooge in order to show him how his attitude could shape Christmas. In A Christmas Carol there are many characters. In this essay, I will attempt to explain on in particular, Ebenezer Scrooge. Ebenezer Scrooge was a tall, middle-aged man with a white beard who sometimes wore reading glasses. Scrooge was also a wealthy businessman who hated Christmas and only cared about himself.…
On September 11, 2001, four passenger planes were hijacked by sixteen members of the terrorist organization known as al-Qaeda. Two of the planes were sent to the World Trade Center in New York City, another was sent to the Pentagon in Washington D.C, while the final plane was forcibly brought down in fields outside of suburban Pennsylvania. These hijackings led to the loss of 2,980 lives, and the events of 9/11 would become the largest terrorist attack on United States soil. In the wake of these attacks, Congress quickly passed the USA PATRIOT Act, also known as the “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” Act. The Patriot Act, as it is more commonly referred to, was created with the goal of providing government agencies the tools to seek out and prosecute any terrorists planning an attack within the country. Unfortunately for the American people, Congress was indifferent to the fact that many provisions of the Patriot Act were a violation of the Constitution. The Patriot Act has granted government establishments the capability of…
After the 911 terror attacks congress passed a law to start using the predator drones/…
Police, fireservices armed servuces and the army all have to be ready for a terrorist attack and theyve become more affected by these attacks more recently throughout the 200-2010 period with the 9/11 and 7/7 incidents that the public services has knuckled down on situations like these so that in future they wont happen again.…
This paper presents the topic selected for the final Public Safety Case Analysis Project, an overview of the USA Patriot Act, its impact on local law enforcement, and the potential for net widening. Congress reacted to the violation to our country on September 11, 2001 by passing the USA Patriot Act into law on October 26, 2001. (USA Patriot Act, 2001). Since its enactment, the USA Patriot Act has both validated and victimized the American public in the name of securing our Nations freedom.…
As the Patriot was enacted so quickly, and with little oversight, a full review with the complete participation of Congress could allow for positive revisions. Without losing the major benefits, such as increased security and safety for our nations citizens, collective law enforcement cooperation and information sharing, and speeding up investigations by making legitimate use of surveillance easier to enact, taking another look at this incredibly powerful law is imperative. Allowing government authority to surpass that which the Constitution allows is completely contradictory to the founders intentions, and to the principles on which this nation was founded. As stated by Benjamin Franklin in his Pennsylvania Assembly Reply to the Governor, “those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” (Franklin, 1755). This is important to remember, as our nation becomes more accepting of tighter scrutiny in our private lives, all in the name of safety and security. Our world is changing, to be certain, though the extent in which we allow that change is solely in our hands, we, the people of the United…
The USA Patriot Act was rushed into law in the post-9/11 hysteria and with many congressional offices closed to the Anthrax scare. Many of the senators and representatives voting for it admitted they had not read the entire bill, but voted for it anyway…"…
Equally important, as we all understand that the government of the United States is mandated to strike a balance between the civil liberties and overall security, some of the Acts such as that called PATRIOT Act are supposed to ensure that the future challenges that will face the homeland security will have tomust provide a secure air transportation system (Nakaya, 2005). This is because PATRIOT Act will offer the best way to go alongside other existing laws in the United States. When such laws are in action, it is the function of the Civil Authorities to see into it that the same laws are not abused in any way.…
In the aftermath of September 11, Congress was eager to put laws on the books to prevent another attack. In an unprecedented spirit of bipartisan patriotism, a law was passed in the House by 357 to 66 (Clerk of the House) and in the Senate by 98 to 1 (Secretary of the Senate). The title of the act, USA PATRIOT Act, is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Since its historic passage there has been much debate on the constitutionality of the act. Some would claim the Legislative and Executive branches acted opportunistically and enacted a law that infringes on the rights of Americans. This paper, for sake of brevity, focuses on Section 213 of the Patriot Act, the “sneak and peak” section. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the arguments on both sides of the issues and determine whether or not Section 213 of the USA PATRIOT Act is indeed unconstitutional. This paper examines the history of the Patriot Act, evaluates recent litigation concerning this act, and considers precedents that would give or withhold from Congress the authority to enact such a law.…
An American’s civil liberties are among some of the most important rights awarded to a citizen. After 9/11 some of those liberties were taken away by the expansion of executive power, the National Security Administration or NSA’s domestic surveillance program, and the use of “national security letters” to force information from citizens. Research conducted by Benjamin A. Kleinerman concludes that there are three criteria that must be met in order for a president to expand his executive power. First, it must be justified, or pass the “necessity test”, which means public good is insufficient grounds for discretionary power because “only political necessity and not popular or congressional approval can legitimate any discretionary action taken by a president.” This is to keep constitutional order in-tact (Rajaee). Second, Kleinerman states, “Discretionary action should only take place in extraordinary circumstances and should be understood as extraordinary.” A president should be able to justify their behavior in terms of their constitutional responsibility, which would require a restoration of “the notion of executive prerogative to the sphere of public discourse” (Rajaee). Third, “A line must separate the executive’s personal feeling and his official duty. He should take only those actions that fulfill his official duty and the preservation of the constitution, even…if the people want him to go further.” The Patriot Act for example, is a…