9/11 Security Policy

At 8:45 A.M. the first plane crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center; 20 minutes later the second plane struck the South tower. Within the next two hours, both towers collapsed to the ground. When the smoke cleared and it was all over, around 3,000 people were dead. 9/11/2001 is a day that will always be remembered in American history. On this tragic day, 19 Muslim extremists hijacked four airplanes and attempted to suicide attack the United States. They crashed the first two planes into the World Trade Center in New York; the third hit the pentagon, and the fourth was crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. It has been nearly 15 years since the attacks and the United States has drastically changed national security to prevent future …show more content…
Bush knew something had to be done to protect American citizens. The U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act was passed on October 26 2001, barely 6 weeks after the attack. The United States was already beginning to strengthen the security system by putting new laws into effect. The acronym stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act. The Patriot Act had 4 major goals. The first goal was to allow government agencies to use the same technology already used to track organized crime in the United States. The second goal was to help allow communication between the defense agencies. This allowed the agencies to cooperate with each other to more efficiently protect the people. The next goal updated the outdated policies on technology. The new policies allowed the government to legally use cell phones and computers to locate and track possible terrorists. The final goal increased the penalty for terrorism. The new law had harsh punishments for anyone involved in a terrorist plot. The Patriot Act is still in effect today but it is not without …show more content…
Inserra (2015) claims that as of June 2015 the Patriot Act had foiled 69 public terrorist plots (para. 6). Inserra also states that if not for the Patriot Act many of these plots could have been successful and had devastating results. One of the notable catches the Patriot Act made was stopping Lyman Faris from blowing up the Brooklyn bridge. Faris was arrested for conspiring against the United States and would never have been caught if not for the Patriot Act. Supporters of the act also point out that if someone is doing nothing wrong they should not have any reason to be nervous. Anyone who opposes the act needs to seriously consider the fact that over the past fifteen years the Patriot Act has very well saved thousands of