Satire about Wiretapping and the Patriot Act for English class my Junior year - includes works cited list and parenthetical citations

Essay by szmydeyHigh School, 11th gradeA+, May 2006

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Wiretapping Our Calls is a Really, Really Bad Thing

After the 2001 terrorists' attacks on the United States, the Patriot Act was passed, allowing the National Security Agency (NSA) to listen in on our calls. At the time, the American people were panicking about terrorism and the danger of other attacks, but now the danger has clearly passed. It is time to let down our guard a little by limiting the power of our government to protect our people, and let Americans live free or die.

Many key provisions of the Patriot Act, namely the wiretapping sections, will expire on February 3, unless there is a majority vote in the Senate to renew these provisions. Many senators, Democratic and Republican, oppose some sections of the Patriot Act because it threatens people's right to privacy, and they are absolutely correct. Joe Schmo should be able to call his buddy in Iran to chit chat about nuclear power without the unwarranted NSA breathing down Mr.

Schmo's neck. The executive branch of our government is clearly overstepping its bounds by allowing independent agencies such as the NSA, FBI, and CIA to obtain and share wiretap information, voicemails, emails, business records, computer communications, all without court order or search warrant (Center for Democracy and Technology). This wiretapping scandal is clearly a dirty, low, and immoral form of criminal investigation, and must be stopped.

Though some more conservative people, such as President Bush, believe that wiretapping is necessary, there is little evidence that wiretapping has benefited our country. So it helped uncover a few Californian weapons dealers selling Stinger missiles, and helped convict two New Yorkers financing $20 million to terrorist groups, but these are minor accomplishments compared to the expense of our civil liberties (CBS/Associated Press 7). Section 206 of the Patriot Act...