WHAT'S MY AGE AGAIN? - BIG BROTHER'S WATCHING

A quote from deceased rapper 2pac reads, “And did you ever stop to think? I’m old enough to go to war, but I ain’t old enough to drink.” The USA Patriot Act gives the government authority to monitor everything from telephone conversations to financial records if they suspect any American is involved with terrorist activity. Rules are made by the people and for the people in order to maintain order, but they often backfire and create limitations on the same body of people that create them.

The legal drinking age of 21 in the U.S. was set to discourage underage drinking, but in reality, the law doesn’t stop rebellious teens from getting saturated. In fact, some feel that having the legal age set at 21 makes underage drinking more frequent in America especially in college. Underage drinking is not good and can lead to alcoholism and DUI’s, but making alcohol the “forbidden fruit” is not the solution. This is because the age of 21 in America is older than most international countries, but America remains one of the worst countries regarding alcohol abuse among youth.

The legal drinking age law in America is ineffective and appears even more excessive when compared to the age required to join the military. At the age of 18, the same kid who can’t legally get faded with his friends at a party can be enlisted, pick up a gun and hit the battlefield. Shouldn’t armed combat require more responsibility than alcohol consumption? Thank God we don’t have a military draft where an 18-year-old can legally die in battle before he or she gets his or her first legal beverage.

Another ineffective law is the USA Patriot Act which basically gives big brother full access to nearly all communications that Americans enjoy. This is a violation of privacy for the non-terrorist Americans which are thankfully the mass majority of our country. Where does the government draw the line when determining if a person is a potential terrorist or not? The law will justify and increase racial profiling by authorities and ultimately strip privacy from America. All our emails, voicemails, and financial records are at risk of being reviewed which doesn’t sit well with many Americans.

Ever since September 11th, Americans have felt more apprehensive about national security, but the Patriot Act may be creating more uneasiness. The 4th Amendment which requires a warrant for search is basically thrown out the window as it acts as an extension of the probable cause rule which gives authorities the right to search without a warrant.

Essentially, authorities can bend the law by “tapping” anyone and blame it on terrorism. What happens if the person isn’t a terrorist, but instead reveals non-related illegal activity? There is no set way to gauge the possibility of terrorist activity. Basing the law on the authority’s discretion gives them the freedom to search anyone’s personal records and that’s unfair to the innocent Americans which the law was made to protect.

Of course Americans want all the terrorists caught before they threaten our national security, but not at the cost of their own privacy. The law is on the right track in fighting terrorism, but should be adjusted to limit the authorities’ power to monitor unrelated records.

Rules are made and rules are broken when people figure the benefits of breaking the rules outweigh the possibility of getting caught. Rules can also conflict with each other making them less effective as a whole. Humans aren’t perfect and it’s only natural to have some bad laws still floating around. And remember breaking the rules isn’t what’s bad, it’s getting caught!