by Wesley Fantini

Created on: October 20, 2007

Americans have been deceived by the ultra-conservative Republican Party. After the devastating attacks of 9-11, the powers that governed America decided to go for all or nothing policy. This policy has been in the back burners of this nation for a long time and if not for the Democratic Party, the power grab would have gone unabated. The transgression on America's civil liberties became apparent when the Patriot Act was enacted.

The Patriot Act which was enacted after 9-11 was supposed to give authorities the power to protect America and Americans from another terrorist attack. However, because all Americans were in a patriotic fog following the attacks of 9-11, no one really paid much attention to the details of the patriot act and this included some of our senators. The act was passed through the senate in the middle of the night and sent for the president's signature. The full scope of the act did not become apparent until much later on and according to some reports, the patriot act was not fully read by many senators before being enacted into law. The rush to enact a law to protect Americans began the dwindling of civil liberties unlike any other time in America history. In time, when the dust settled and many Americans got out of the fog, a realization became apparent, the government became more powerful and by doing so allowed law enforcement agencies to act without judicial oversight. One example of this was when law enforcement was able to conduct surveillance on Americans without warrants. This act alone proved and showed most Americans the disregard the Bush's administration had for civil liberties, the judicial process and the checks and balances that made this nation the greatest nation in the world. President Bush wanted to forgo many of the judicial process that has protected Americans liberties for over 400 years. The Republican Party, under the guise of protection attempted to challenge and bypass the Foreign Intelligence Act. The Democrats had enough of the abuse of power and challenged the President and thus was labeled unpatriotic by ultra conservative Republican Party. However, the elections that followed proved that Americans were not ready to give up the Civil Liberties that so many died for.

The Democrats challenged the powers of the executive branch and many court rulings have affirmed that parts of the patriot act are unconstitutional. The Democrats are protecting Americans while keeping civil liberties from being eroded. The leadership

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