Homeland security begins at home -- in credit card statements and cell phone wiretaps.
This week the U.S. Senate examines the government's reach and ability to use the Patriot Act in secret searches of homes across the country. Many provisions in the act will expire at the end of the year if not extended.
The Justice Department defended the act as a critical tool in the fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, bipartisan opposition states that the act gives the government too much power to track suspects covertly.
The Fourth Amendment states citizens have the right to be secure in their homes and protects them against unreasonable search and seizure.
In utter contrast, Section 213 of the Patriot Act gives federal agents the right to enter and search a suspect's home for evidence without notifying the resident. The delayed notification is intended to prevent a suspect from flight and protect innocents close to the suspect.
But use of this section has more than doubled between 2003 and 2005, increasingly in areas unrelated to the common perception of terrorism.
The Patriot Act redefines domestic terrorism as activities "dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state."
The act is being used in cases of child pornography and drug-related crime, both of which fall weakly under the definition of terrorism. The government can use it on credit card, library, business, medical or gun sale records, in addition to cell phone wiretaps.
The act was instituted to unify and strengthen America, but it has served to make citizens less secure in their homes.
Police are allowed to break into homes and offices to plant wiretaps and other devices. Any federal felony can fall under the act and allow a suspect or residence to be searched.
Many lawmakers want to eliminate the wiretaps and raise the requirements that must be met before a search.
FBI officials want to increase their abilities to access records without consulting a judge or jury. Meanwhile, the Bush administration and its agencies are hiding their own records by refusing to disclose documents under the Freedom of Information Act and marking more documents classified.
Government officials claim the ability to fight terror will be reduced if the act is not renewed, yet Osama bin Laden remains at large, weapons of mass destruction were never found and troops are still stationed in Iraq.
As Americans, we have been given liberty from our forefathers and mothers. As we evaluate the Patriot Act in an attempt to ensure the safety of our citizens -- as a gift to generations to come -- we must consider our liberties and continue to exercise them.
As Benjamin Franklin stated at the birth of the nation, "They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Audra Baker is a journalism and biology senior. Reach her at audra.baker@asu.edu. or by attaching a special device to her cell phone.
