Race and power in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Race and power in the US - Essay Example However, the measures taken by the government and its officials have raised questions and protests regarding violations on civil liberties. This paper attempts to answer the question: "In time of war or national emergency we respond too harshly in our restriction of position, grounding it in a discussion of post 9/11 events." Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United states Constitution states that: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." However, it seems that the restrictions imposed by the U.S. government in response to 9/11 and its war on terror, h as seriously infringed on the liberties of the very citizens which government seeks to protect. A majority of Americans (65.9%) are concerned that the war on terrorism has seriously affected civil liberties.1 Several instances support the claims of civil liberty advocates. The 9/11 detainees, 750 Arab residents in the U.S., were rounded up and were held by authorities for several weeks. Hundreds were deported after secret immigration hearings were held. All of them were never charged with any connection to 9/11. Congress and President Bush signed the USA Patriot Act which allows the government to expand its powers and conduct electronic surveillance and obtain personal records in criminal investigations and terrorism cases. The Justice Department also broadened the FBI's ability to conduct surveillance on domestic organizations despite the Patriot Act facilitating for the Bureau and other law enforcement agencies, access and share information from the CIA. Around 660 foreign nationa ls are being held without access to legal counsel or judicial review at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after being captured in Afghanistan. The U.S government is preparing military trials which have few procedural rights. Two "enemy combatants" are being held incommunicado at Charleston brig, one of them Yasser Hamdi a U.S. citizen, after their capture in Afghanistan. The imprisonment of foreign nationals especially Arabs and Muslims is becoming a condemnable pattern. However, those that support government actions say that the measures taken by the Bush administration are less severe than those in the past when people of German origin were harassed during World War I while American citizens of Japanese ancestry were herded into camps in the Second World War. However, post-war generations have condemned these injustices and if we know or even feel that what we are doing today is in the same although "less severe" track as what we had done in the past, I do not believe that it is enough justification. Any form of infringement on civil liberty is unacceptable. We should condemn the government's unilateral and covert actions which undermine judicial review. The basic rights of the accused, in this case the rights to a legal counsel and fair and impartial trial, long upheld by American jurisprudence and

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Personal Statement - Essay Example It will make me feel obliged with how I take up life’s different shades every now and then. These are very significant pointers that shall shape up my life without any doubt. As far as my educational domains are concerned, I have attained the same from the United States. Even though I was born in Indonesia, my education in the States has taught me to get acquainted with the norms of life in a very comprehensible manner. The adopted country has instilled in me a sense of confidence and fulfillment which I would not have learned had I been somewhere else. More so, I have always continued to follow the footsteps of my father which is something that remains very quintessential towards my domains. Since he has been a successful businessman, I aspire to be much like him and in fact even more at times. This gives me immense pleasure to know that my father is indeed my role model as far as my professional undertakings of life are concerned. seek to attain higher level education as university offers more deep knowledge than a college. I want to absorb the knowledge that has been imparted my way. My aim is to discern how well I become apt with the information, education and knowledge that come within my domains. It will only make me feel contented and satisfied with who I am and how I aspire to get the best out of my life in essence. One of the most important reasons behind transferring to the university is because I feel United States’ education is something to feel happy about. It offers a host of opportunities to the professionals all around the world and there is reason to believe such a dictum. This shall enable me to further my career within the field of business. It will also allow me to be at par with the business avenues and advancements that are happening on a continuous basis. I would request the authorities at the helm of affairs to kindly allow me a chance to showcase my true mettle as this will be the