- P. Williams writes in her essay that the war on terror is a new type of war. What’s new about it, how is it different from traditional wars?
P. Williams says the war on terror is totally different from traditional wars. This isn’t like World War II or some conflict where countries clash using tanks plus soldiers. Instead, this is more like fighting an invisible enemy terrorist who could be just about anywhere as well as who do not wear uniforms or belong to any country.
The war on terror is against terrorism or against an idea (like terrorism), not a country. The enemies aren’t always in uniforms, and the “battlefield” could be anywhere, even inside the U.S. Preventing attacks is more important than fighting a military. That can make everything more complicated.
- In what ways does the “Roving Wiretaps” of the Patriot Act seem to violate the Bill of Rights? Which amendment(s) does it seem to violate, and why?
So, roving wiretaps are kind of like a permission slip for government spying upon you wherever you go, because they don’t have to name the exact phone or device they tap. That’s a problem since the Fourth Amendment says that the government has to specify their search as well as reasons for their actions.
Roving wiretaps lets them follow someone’s calls, texts, or emails everywhere. Even if it’s not clear that they are the right people. This means Innocent people could get caught up in spying, which is a shady situation. That surely seems like a violation of your right to not know they search your stuff or listen to your conversations. The Fourth Amendment is intended so as to protect that right.
- What about “Sneek and Peek” Warrants?
The “Sneak and peek” warrants allow the government to snoop around your stuff without any previous notice. They can go into your house for a look through your things. They might not leave any kind of note at all until weeks or even months after.
That scares me and many people. The Fourth Amendment must guard us from that type of covert search. A heads-up is just what you would normally expect in the event of being searched. You might not even know it happened, through sneak peeks.
