The Patriot Act Vs "1984"

The Patriot Act Vs "1984"

The Patriot Act vs “1984"

In the world today, the Patriot Act says that it is protecting US citizen’s freedoms by giving the FBI the ability to look at people’s daily activities.   To me, this doesn’t make sense.  

The Patriot Act is basically saying that the government has the power to control our freedom.   According to the Patriot Act, law enforcement has the ability to access highly personal files like medical records, financial records, and student records.   This goes against our freedom by saying it is okay to let government officials have surveillance on our daily life.

Some of our rights are being threatened like the Fourth Amendment: freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.   This was very evident to me when I went to Flordia this past winter to see my Friends.   I had to be at the airport about 2 hours early.   I had to be there that much early because it took that long to check my suitcase.   I was very restricted as to what I could take in my suitcase.   They looked through my personal stuff and was making sure I had not taken too much mouthwash.   I mean really?   Did I fit the profile of a terrorist?   There were monitors all over the airports watching everything everybody did.

In the book “1984" by George Orwell, the people are basically free to do what they want, but they are always being watched in different ways by Big Brother.   Some of the surveillance used in the book are helicopters that patrolled the area, hidden camera like things in the TV screens called telescreens, by the thought police and just by posters of Big Brother’s face looking at the people.

After being checked at every turn in the airport just trying to go see my friends, I felt that my freedom and privacy was being taken away from me.   The airport security people didn’t tell me where I could go or what I could do...it was just kind of spooky knowing they were watching every step I was taking.   Sometimes I wondered if they were even watching me go to...