War on Terrorism and Civil Liberties of the US Citizens - Essay Example

War on Terrorism and Civil Liberties of US Citizens America has grappled with the issue of modulating human liberty and issues regarding security during war. Liberty of the American citizens faces threat when there is a security threat. Sometimes a rapid solution may be sought to counter the problem that the society faces. Security concern in United States is a great concern of the federal government because of many ugly incidences of terrorism that has claimed thousands of lives of Americans. Issues touching on the security of United States would always influence the lifestyle of the American people. The constitution of America entrenches human liberty that the American people ought to enjoy. Terror attack does not provide an opportunity for the Americans to enjoy the civil liberty, but create an environment that promote crime. The question on how to balance national security during wartime and human liberty is nagging. Former United States president was quoted saying that he believed in upholding the constitution and the laws of United States of America. He went a head to remind the public that United States was facing attack from good for nothing terrorist who wanted United States to crumple. It is an intricate issue since it involves the government machineries in establishing the cause and possible attacks that the United States of America may be facing. The government decision to handle matters of national security would not go without criticism, but the essence of war on terrorism would remain as a pressing issue to the Americans. This paper explores war on terrorism and civil liberties. The paper seeks to link the Oklahoma and 9/11 bombing to security threats in United States. Terrorism refers to a deliberate act of which instill terror or fear among the community in a bid to coerce the community to act in a designated manner. The intention behind terrorism attack is to coerce the government or the society to enact or adopt certain policies in the society. Largely terrorism activities in United States have had devastating effects to innocent citizens. Some people lost their relatives, property, psychological effects among others. Tracing terrorism activities in United States would lead to along list of events that the government security agencies have thwarted before affecting the society and events that have penetrated to affect the community. Research on terrorism indicates that planned terrorism attacks in United States of America involve gangs and people who seem to criticize the government (Kazin 82). Sometimes standoff between the security agents and the groups in the society would culminate into ugly incidences of terror. Report from the Federal Security agency indicates that Davidian cult was responsible for the 19th April 1993 explosion in Oklahoma claiming about 75 followers of the cult among other people. Many US citizens blamed the security agents for failing to protect the society against the explosion. The Davidian cult existed with a full knowledge of the federal security team. The standoff between the Davidian Cult members in Waco compound and the FBI was seen a failure of the security agents to stump out criminal gangs by some people. The anger felt by some people over the Waco building explosion led to the Oklahoma Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. Timothy McVeigh believed that the FBI was able to contain normalcy before the explosion (Cassel 44). He decided to make a plot that led to the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building. McVeigh avenged the death of children and people who died in the Waco building by instigating a bomb attack which claimed more 168 lives. The mission of McVeigh was to let the responsible persons pay for their evils in the society. He believed that the FBI had been the chief reason behind the explosion. He conspired with Nichols and Michael Fortier to bomb the Murrah Building. The revenge mission of McVeigh drew criticism to the US government and the security system that the country embraced. Largely, compromising the security situation in the US has been a big contributor to some terror attacks and threats registered in United States. The Oklahoma bombing occurred when the FBI and the ATF were aware of the intending tragedy. Findings about the bombing indicted that Strassmeir Andreas and Carol Howe had many an undercover operation regarding the bombing of Murrah Building. Negligence and lack of accountability in such critical matters that affect the society has paved and provided a safe landing spot for terrorist to mount their terror attack (Beckman36). The report about the Oklahoma bombing indicated that the undercover Carol Howe was fired a few days before the explosion because she provided unreliable information to the FBI. The reaction of the federal government to security threats has contributed to aversion of possible bomb attacks or has failed to prevent bomb attack. The argument about civil liberty has contributed greatly to domestic terrorism. McVeigh was a domestic terrorist that wanted to prove to the government that some laxity in the part of the federal security operation. The explosion is a clear show that the federal security agency is to blame for the woe of the day. Reports indicated that the federal agents failed to fabricate their tale about Murrah Building bombing (Mullard & Cole 6). Many people have questioned the reason why the ATF agents were absent in the building during the explosion. It does not surprise that people who have links with the federal security teams perpetrate domestic terrorism. The government later acknowledged the work of Carol Howe, though it was too late to react on the important information that she gave to the federal security team. Many puzzling questions about the Oklahoma bombing ask how a truck full of fertilizer could find its way in front of the building without the knowledge of the security details. Another daunting question about the Oklahoma bombing seeks to know why the fire rescue department of the Oklahoma City acted before the explosion of the building. The above questions among others, on the Oklahoma City bombing, linked politics to the terror attack that pulled down the Murrah Building and killed more than 160 people (Schmidt, Shelley & Bardes 27). Bomb experts such as Sam Cohen believed that the bomb that exploded in the Murrah building was strategically placed in some corners of the building. These suspicions make United States citizen worried about the impending future. The suspicions about the bombing beg for answers that would help the society to unravel the terrorism attack. Linking of the bombing of the Oklahoma City to agents from Middle East who got into United States through the interventions of the president has led to many questions. The American war in the Middle East had created enmity between America and other countries. The existence of people who sympathized with Middle East countries posed greater challenge in handling the terrorism issue in the United States. Jayna Davis posed many questions about the Oklahoma bombing linking Arab terrorist to the explosion. The 9/11 bombing of the twin towers projected a new approach in handling terrorism issues in the United States. President Bush administration was shaken by the revelation of events that shook the world. Over the American history, the 9/11 bombing is the worst bombing in American history. It claimed over 3000 lives and destruction of property worth billions of dollars. President Bush Statement after the blast indicated that compromising the United States security under the guise of civil liberty was out of question. Bush noted in his statement that civil liberty had been an issue in the American society, yet terrorism was a threat that it had to stump. The 9/11 bombing increased the government secrecy, executive power which the judicial system does not check. Critics argue that while the government was busy asserting its powers, it violated the rights of the citizens. Further argument about the issue indicated that the government had welded so much power without checks and balances. Civil liberty is important, but protection of people’s lives is more important. The move by the government to exert more security to the vulnerable members of the society i.e. the immigrants seemed to be welcome by the society. The 9/11 attack has attracted the opinions of many vital people in the society. Law professor Tribe Laurence argued that the fairness that America preach could not be found when a room is provided for people to perpetrate such kind of heinous crimes. Largely, reasoning has no place when the society has to curb terrorism. President Bush noted in his statement to the public that the government could not claim to defend the constitution of America when terrorist could penetrate into the society and cause such damages (Lobel). Liberal freedom that the society had had cost United States of America. The bombing elicited reaction from the society, Justice O’Connor commented on the bombing by reviewing his opinion about the freedom in the society to call for stringent measures against freedom. Report by Nationa U.S. National Security Council indicated that 9/11 attack was associated to the Al-Qaida, a terrorist group that had its base in Middle East. The terrorist hijacked the planes and crashed them on World Trade Centre twin towers, Pentagon, Virginia, Arlington, Pennsylvania and Shanksville. The nature of the plane crush left no survivors making the 9/11 terrorism attack in the US soil one of the worst in history. The unfolding and the reporting of the event as put by CNN revealed the extent of damage that terror attack had on the US soil. Many people who condemn the war on terrorism under the guise of civil liberty seem to overlook the extent of damage that terrorism cause to the society. President Bush learnt of the heart breaking terror event while in Florida. The president condemned the action and halted the air travels in United States. The security agents had failed to protect the country from the invasion by the terrorist. Reports about the attack indicates that the terrorist were had originated from Arab countries and had been in United States for some years. There actions were instigated by the involvement of United States of America in Israel war. Some critics argue that the presence of America in Middle East had a hand in the attack. It is believed that some of the terrorist were in the United States institutions learning. While planning their attack, sources claim that the terrorist smuggled knives and box cutters into the planes which their boarded at California. The choice of the terrorist to pick planes from California was because these planes carried much fuel for long journeys they took. The terrorist commanded the planes like war jets towards the targeted areas. Statement made by president Bush stated that terrorism could shook buildings, but not the foundation of America. Social liberty for the people of America had turned to haunt the country. Unscrupulous people with ill intention had taken opportunity to rock the peace that America enjoyed. Bush statement indicated that a rapid action was eminent. The offenders and suspect of terrorism are subject to detention in Guantanamo Bay prisons. Civil liberty activist have argued that the conditions in Guantanamo are not conducive for human life (Gareau13). Harsh treatment in the prisons has been a major issue in US politics since some people feel that civil rights are violated by the conditions in Guantanamo. The question is how America should handle terrorism victims. Largely, terrorism does not have a backing in the society, yet politicians would use that platform to argue against their favor. President Obama pledged to close the detainees in Guantanamo Bay prison. It is not clear whether the move was politically instigated or it had a moral standing for the Americans. Some choices against terror activities may expose government figures as people who have little respect for human liberty, but the reverse is the same. Terrorism has a shocking revelation to the American history; it has affected the civil liberty in United States. The strategy against terrorism exposes civil liberty to abuse, but the end justifies the action adopted. The fight against terrorism aims at stumping and destroying possible strategies developed by the terrorists. America invasion of Afghanistan aimed at tracing the leader and the financier of the Al-Qaida network Osama bin Laden. America pledged to pursue terrorist network and destroy them within the American boarders and outside the American borders. The Federal Security has also changed its tactics in handling information regarding terror attacks. These changes came because of the 9/11 attack which indicated that America had a porous ground that the terrorist could penetrate. In conclusion, terrorism in United States of America has led to lose of life and property. The need to achieve civil liberty and fight war against terrorism has met mixed reactions. Some people feel that war against terrorism target vulnerable immigrants, yet these is not the case. The bombing in Oklahoma City claimed the lives of than 160 people. The suspect of the terror attack Timothy McVeigh argued that wanted to avenge the deaths of Waco explosion that killed the Davidian followers. The 9/11 bombing was the worst bombing in history of America. It claimed more than 3000 lives and ten of thousands were injured. These attacks have led to change in the way the government operated. The government acquired more executive powers that the judicial system could not control. Civil right critics have termed the move by government to detain offenders in Guantanamo Bay as a violation of human rights. Work cited Beckman, James. Comparative legal approaches to homeland security and anti-terrorism. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. 2007. 25-46. Print. Cassel, Elaine. The war on civil liberties: how Bush and Ashcroft have dismantled the Bill of Rights. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. 2004. 41-50. Print Cole, Bankole & Mullard, Maurice .Globalisation, citizenship and the war on terror. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. 2007. 5-20. Print. Gareau, H. Fredrick. State terrorism and the United States: from counterinsurgency to the war on terrorism. London: Zed Books. 2004. 13-20. Print Kazin, Michael. The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 2011.80-85. Print. Lobel, Jules. The War on Terrorism and Civil Liberties. Retrieved from http://chapters.rlpgbooks.com/07/425/0742535983ch2.pdf Nationa U.S. National Security Council. From U.S. Security to Terrorism: A Three-Part Series. New York: Cosimo, Inc. 2005. 13-17. Print. Schmidt, W. Steffen, Shelley, C. Mack and Bardes, A. Barbara. American Government and Politics Today. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. 2008. 112-118. Print. Read More