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September 11, 2001 was a day when many things changed in the American way of life. For the first time in our history there was a large scale terrorist attack that succeeded with implausible accuracy. The only attack in American history that comes close to the 9/11 attacks is Pearl Harbor. However, without digressing to much the fact remains that after the attacks the government passed a series of legislation that effectively stripped the American populace of their rights.

Now the fact remains six years since that fateful day Americans are still without their rights. The government soon to be known as Big Brother still has the ability to arrest and detain a person without access to a lawyer for as long as they see fit. These officials who are supposed to be accountable to the citizenry of this free nation are now saying that the only way to have security is to give away our freedom. This is insane. The Founding Fathers would be appalled by what has happened to our Republic. We are no longer free. One can not go to a library and borrow a book without the government being able to claim your a terrorist by what your reading. Yes, that is a bit extreme however the government can gain access to what was once your private library records. There are people who claim if you have nothing to hide then why fear this intrusion into your life. Well I have nothing to hide but I am bothered by this intrusion because this country was meant to be free.
The Patriot Act passed through Congress without a thought because anyone who voted against it was worried that they would look unpatriotic in light of 9/11. However, in hindsight one can see what it truly is the beginning step towards a dictatorship. In every single totalitarian state the process is always the same. The Hegelian dialect explains it best. Hegel put forth the idea of Problem, Reaction, Solution. It worked well in the Nazis case. They burned down their own Reichstag blamed it on the Communists, creating fear and then harnessed the fear into control of the population. Now whether 9/11 was real or an inside job is meant for another topic. However, it worked the same way after the attack everyone was scared that there could be a terrorist anywhere and they might attack at anytime so they willing gave up there rights. Now that the government has all these laws allowing them to strip its populace of freedom of speech, demonstration, privacy and many other rights it will only be a hop skip and jump to creating a full dictatorship.
Ben Franklin once said "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." So the Question is do you wish to live in a state of fear of the government or do you wish to live in a free nation?

Learn more about this author, Thomas Griffenkranz.
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