Is "USA PATRIOT" an acronym? What does it stand for?

Yes, it's an acronym for the formal title of the Act: "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001."

The USA PATRIOT Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. The Act contains provisions on diverse topics such as: money laundering and bank reporting, domestic surveillance procedures, entry-exit procedures and immigration provisions, foreign student monitoring programs, information sharing between federal and local/state law enforcement and within agencies of the federal government, and definitions of new crimes involving terrorism and terrorist organizations.

After passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Bush Administration has issued numerous other orders enhancing its powers to wage the "war on terrorism," with disregard for legislative or judicial oversight.

Why should I care about the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act and other Administration actions impacting civil liberties?

The Bush Administration claims that the erosion of civil liberties post-9/11 is necessary to advance the "war on terrorism." However, Congress has not issued a declaration of war. The Administration has not defined an identifiable enemy, has not named an enemy-state, and has not given the American public a benchmark to determine when the "war" has ended. Under this rubric, the Administration's encroachments on civil liberties can be continued forever.

Some citizens argue, "If I'm not doing anything wrong, then I don't have anything to worry about." But, who decides what conduct is "wrong?" In anti-terror legislation and Executive Orders, the Administration has the capacity to decide what conduct is "wrong," without Congressional oversight, without public input, and without judicial review. Under this structure, Americans have no assurance that the exercise of free speech or political dissent will not become prohibited conduct.

Draconian detention sweeps and reporting measures imposed on immigrants to our country from the Middle East and South Asia are reminiscent of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and black-listing during the McCarthy era. Our nation is repeating the shameful errors from our past. We must act now so that we don't look back on this, the post-9/11 era, with shame as well.

The trade-off between civil liberties and security is a false choice. The exercise of civil liberties does not increase the likelihood of terrorist acts. Likewise, the curtailment of civil liberties does not increase public safety.

What emerging trends impact civil liberties during this post-9/11 era?

1. Reduced judicial review of Administration actions.
2. Limited Congressional oversight of Administration actions.
3. Decreased publicly-available information about government activities.
4. Increased surveillance over citizens' private information without suspicion of crime.
5. Increased federal control over state and local law enforcement.
6. Deteriorating treatment of immigrants.
7. Melding of previously separated federal law enforcement and intelligence-gathering functions.
8. Increased use of "emergency" legislation without sufficient public hearing and input.