In times of extreme duress or cataclysmic uncertainty, human nature often overacts in an attempt to induce security and calm. Excessive measures may be taken that are perceived as necessary at the time. However, when viewed in retrospect, these measures are over reactionary. Such is the case with the USA Patriot Act of 2001. Although the Act may appear to protect our freedoms that we felt were threatened by horrific terrorists actions, the Act grossly invades the very freedoms it seeks to protect because it oversteps the most basic freedom of individual privacy.

The USA Patriot Act of 2001 granted law enforcement agencies extended powers in order to seek out and dismantle terrorist activities within the United States. The Act allowed for less restrictive surveillance methods, generalized wire taps, allowed for warantless searches and access to personal records (including library rentals), increased the penalties for terrorist-related crimes and conspiracies, and...