The Violations of the US Constitution: the Civil Liberties and Freedom - Assignment Example

The War on Terror: Assault on America The War on Terror has been fought on the twin frontlines of Iraq and the American public. Many of the policies, procedures, and methods used in Iraq have been sustained by a secret war against the civil freedoms that Americans have held dear since the Revolution. In fact, it would be illogical to assume that the Bush administration could exploit the use of torture, the suspension of the Geneva Convention, and the detention of enemy combatants in violation of international conventions, while maintaining transparency and the ability of Americans to offer legal protests.

In fact, Americans were treated as the enemy, and surrendered a significant piece of their civil liberties. George Bush was new to Washington, and a rookie in the big league world of defense secrecy, but he had a friend in Dick Cheney. The mood in the White House was set by Cheney who was "Chauffeured in an armored motorcade that varied its route to foil possible attackers" (Mayer 5). The paranoia of Cheney made a potential enemy out of all Americans. In the dark days following 9/11, this sense of fear and mental panic set the domestic agenda for the next 8 years.

Every citizen was a potential terrorist. The hastily passed Patriot Act gave the administration the tools they needed to hamper any form of legitimate protest. The freedom of assembly was repealed under the act and severely limited "permits for public gatherings, or limiting access to public spaces" (Wekerle and Jackson 38). In the eyes of George Bush, vis--vis Dick Cheney, every American was an enemy and no one could be trusted. The Bush administration was literally able to suspend the constitution, not only in regards to foreign policy, but also the domestic agenda.

These are no doubts in regard to their complete disregard for the rule of law. According to a top CIA official, "they had plans to put detainees on a ship, sailing in international waters. That way they would never have to put them on trial. They could manipulate the legal process" (qtd. in Mayer 147). If Cheney's paranoia drove him to fear all Americans, then he had no plans on stopping with foreign detainees. It would not be a far reach to soon see anti-war protestors or environmentalists sailing in international waters, never to be tried, and out of sight of the American mainstream media.

In fact, it has been the media's failure to challenge the Bush policies that has been the greatest threat to our civil liberties and human rights. America has a long tradition of a free press and the power of public outrage. However, even the New York Times developed a fear of the Bush administration "that had chilled the pursuit of truth even inside the most esteemed daily newspaper in the country" (Mayer 226). The end result would be that "not a single administration investigation had questioned the top policy makers in the war on terror" (Mayer 306).

The Bush administration hid behind a wall of paranoia at home and in Iraq, and our free press had given them the run of the camp. In conclusion, the American public was viewed as an enemy no less than the terrorists in the Middle East and in Iraq. The paranoia that ran through the White House left Americans vulnerable to the same tactics used against the enemies in Iraq and elsewhere. Where was the protest It was lost in the free press's reluctance to challenge the administration on the issues of torture and illegal detention.

The US government will treat its people the same as it treats its enemies. The violations of the US constitution have been a full frontal assault on the civil liberties and freedom of all Americans. Works Cited Mayer, Jane. The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. New York: Random House, 2008. Wekerle, G R., and P S. Jackson. "Urbanizing the Security Agenda: Anti-terrorism, Urban Sprawl and Social Movements." City 9.1 (2005): 33-49.