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150 word agree or disagree 

Week 5 Forum / Counter-Terrorism / Rich G.
Richard Guregian(Aug 1, 2019 9:03 PM) - Read by: 2 Reply

Good evening classmates,

In regards to this weeks question, I do believe U.S. counter-terrorism policies have negatively affected individual rights and liberties of law abiding U.S. citizens.  Initially I asked myself how could this be possible until I read the week 5 required reading.  

Some of us may not fully understand that what we do and say could be monitored at anytime without even knowing.  Dealing with counter-terrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) foreign intelligence investigations unit has the right to obtain foreign intelligence information or conduct an investigation of international terrorism accessing hotel, airline, storage locker, or car rental business records (PATRIOT Act Overview, 2004).   Where i’m going with this is when in the investigation process, if the FBI is able to access all these for information, no telling who else’s information they me be gathering which does have a negative impact affecting individual rights.  Understanding our information could unintentionally/illegally be gone through without ones consent can cause a riff in those who are protective over their personal information being accessed.

Additionally, the way we use to handle, treat, and publicize terrorists we had captured had an effect on us here in the United States.  How were Federal agencies employing their tactics, techniques, and procedures would all be revealed.  CIA Inspector General’s 2004 Special Review of Counterterrorism, Detention and Interrogation Activities report revealed that interrogators implemented and used various enhanced improvised techniques (EIT), which violated the Convention Against Torture.  Specific finding from the CIA IG 2004 report included the threatening of a detainee (Al-Nashiri) at an undisclosed location, with a power drill and handgun” (Blakeley, 2011).  Also, there were investigators using EIT’s without even being qualified to use such tactics which sometimes, these unqualified personnel would go to far during the investigation.  With this declassified report surfaced to the public, the United State citizens who are law abiding could only imagine what else our Federal agencies were hiding from the citizens of the United States.  Negatively affecting individual rights!

- Rich G.

References:

PATRIOT Act Overview. (2004). Congressional Digest, 83(9), 258–288. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=tsh&AN=15914687&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Blakeley, R. (2011). Dirty Hands, Clean Conscience? The CIA Inspector General’s Investigation of “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques” in the War on Terror and the Torture Debate. Journal of Human Rights, 10(4), 544–561. https://doi-org.ezproxy1.apus.edu/10.1080/14754835.2011.619406