Abstracts of Papers
Mattie Bamman & Amy Ray:
Losing Civil Rights in the Wake of Fear
We as a people are told frightening things about possible terrorist attacks -
that they will happen anywhere, anytime, in any fathomable way. After creating
this paranoia, in an effort to calm our fears the government passes such
legislation as the Patriot Act. They give us 'duct tape' solutions, where
stocking up on food, plastic sheeting, and gas masks will protect us and
reassure us. While we become enveloped in fear, the Patriot Act does its work,
severely limiting our rights as citizens. Our response to terrorism is
uninhibited fear. This fear is the actual chaos, and the loss of rights the now
ever-present threat.
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