USA

discusses four key threats the national security state poses to American democracy, the first being secrecy, the second centralization, the third being repression and lastly distortion. We saw an increase in secrecy after 9/11 with the passage of the USA Patriot Act which many Americans were misled about until the whistleblower Edward Snowden came out and released all this information revealing that the NSA was collecting a lot more information than previously thought. We also saw it when the…

which they had turned down multiple times before. His administration did this by implying that any members who wouldn’t participate in the signing of the act would be blamed for any further attacks in relation to terrorism ("Surveillance Under the USA/PATRIOT Act" 2). The predicament that the administration put these authoritative people in shows how the lengths they would take to pursue the signing of the Patriot Act. Not only were the Senate, Congress and House of Representatives manipulated…

they cannot trust their government. We have the Patriot Act because on September 11, 2001 the United States was brutally attacked in a very violent way. Almost 3,000 Americans lost their live in only a few short hours. Congress decided to pass the USA PATRIOT Act. This act broadens what we consider to be terrorism, made the sentences for…

A few years back when I first came to the United States, my older sister who has already been here for about 6 years at the time, encouraged me participate in the Miss Africa USA pageant. At first I didn’t think too much of it and didn’t think I had the confidence to participate. After talking with my sister about it, she encouraged me and promised that she would help me all the way. I signed up for the pageant and little did I know that I was taking on a big project that was going to change…

Throughout the comic, Captain America and his team believe that the government shouldn’t have a say in the way they are run because it limits their ability to do good. On the other hand, Iron Man and his team believe that they should be regulated by the government and elected officials. The Civil War demonstrates what happens when a society is stripped of their civil liberties. In the today’s society we are facing the same problem that the Avengers are facing in the comic, some people want…

Can straying from these rights help preserve democracy? The USA Patriot Act was legislation that was passed soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which was also viewed as an attack on democracy. The Act was put in place as a response to the attacks. It was justified as a way to strengthen national security and…

With the onslaught of hacking and breaches in privacy by groups ranging from hacker cults to the NSA, individuals and corporations must take steps to protect themselves and their data to prevent any further damage. The impacts of coordinated hacking attacks are widespread and can affect any online services: ranging from PayPal to Sony’s PlayStation Network. A team of hackers, especially one with global support such as Anonymous advocate a policy called “hacktivism”. The concept of hacktivism…

Rachel Levy Senior Project Lofaso-Period 7 5/6/17 My senior project internship was interning at the Girl Scout Shop of Nassau County in Hicksville at 325 Duffy Ave. I enjoyed helping parents get what materials they need to start Girl Scouts and find the patches required to complete their…

When many think of the NSA’s data collection programs, the first thought is of whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked classified American documents in 2013. These documents revealed to Americans the ways the NSA collected their information for investigation. The agency was found wrongfully collecting information from other countries such as China to investigate previous attacks on the U.S. Department of Defense (Cate 31). Domestically, one of the biggest things Americans learned about was…

Is Your Privacy More Important Than My Security? People greatly enjoy reading books of the dystopian genre, and in many cases the protagonist is fighting against authoritarian governments. As one may recall from the Hunger Games or Divergent, these leading bodies are powerful and controlling. The reader is often rooting for the heroine, who fights against this control. However, in real life, when one evaluates the current situation of government interference in private life for the safety of…