Combating TerrorismEssay Preview: Combating TerrorismReport this essayAt 8:45am, on September 11th, 2001 Americas heart was torn by a hijacked plane crashing through the north tower of the World Trade Center. Eighteen minutes later, a shocked country received a second blow as a second plane tore through the south tower. An estimated 2,819 lives were lost that day. The attack seemed to have come out of nowhere. As a country, we were not properly prepared to defend ourselves. America needs to devote as much money and as many resources as possible to combating terrorism.
It has been argued that if we focus too much on preventing terrorism, we risk ignoring or reducing support for measures designed to reduce other threats to life and health (Source 1). The suggested threats we risk ignoring included heart disease, automobile accidents, and drunk driving. While these are completely valid daily threats, they are also often easily preventable. While there is not much an individual can do to protect themselves from terrorism, they can definitely have a strong influence on preventing the aforementioned. Many of societies concerns can be prevented by the self control of the individual. With the exception of heredity, heart disease may be prevented by eating healthy and exercising. Car accidents can be prevented by being more aware, and focusing on driving instead of text messaging on cell phones at every red light. The American individual needs to be more responsible so that the government can focus on bigger things such as terrorism.
The proposed law is designed to make it more difficult to obtain and keep an identity card. Using the Visa system to obtain a foreign ID means a person can use their foreign ID as they go into an unfamiliar country, especially in Africa. A person may need to stay in a country long distance from their birth to use their foreign ID. To this end, the National ID Program has been established. In theory this may give many people a way to obtain a valid identity card, but has often proved a cumbersome process. Some other ways to obtain an identity can include purchasing from a seller, obtaining a loan from another person, and even having the individual signed into a government online identity service such as Social Security. It could all be much simpler and cheaper to do this if a foreign person would have no need of a foreign card.
The proposed law is currently in its 2nd year in implementation. The National IDs Program was introduced in the 2nd year of the Obama Administration because a significant number of non-white minority immigrants, including many of these immigrants, had moved to the U.S. from other countries in recent years. The policy shift has been mainly driven by economic and social change (Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/the-island-immigration/2011/03/18/poverty-and-the-social-market-to-keep-and-spend/). The number of non-white immigrants in the U.S. decreased from 1.85 million in 2013 to 1.72 million in 2016 over this same period.
The majority of the immigrants to the U.S. who are in the U.S. illegally are either legally eligible for the U.S. Citizen’s Protection Program or have a valid permanent identity card. Thus, an applicant who is already a US citizen can keep his or her identity card while seeking work or education, while still maintaining a valid visa (and a work permit), or if an applicant has an undocumented parent or guardian, for a period of time beyond that required by the Immigration and Nationality Act. Many of these immigrants are employed or employed partly or wholly overseas, are not required to maintain their current legal status, are poor and in need of employment, or are disabled.
The National ID Program has also been used to maintain the identity of U.S. citizens for at least twenty-five years in many countries. In addition to the current US citizenship, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Consulate (USIC) have had limited enforcement authority for the issuance of an immigration card as of late 2008, with few cases brought. Immigration officials are sometimes asked about such claims and will respond with clarification that it is usually for the reasons outlined in this Policy.
Additionally, the program provides people who are lawfully present in this country with a means to live, work and study. They are subject to basic legal protections and may also be legally required to present in certain national ID documents. In many cases, the person they are taking these immigrants for may need special travel documents, such as passports and visas. Even if the person they are applying for has lived lawfully in the U.S., they have to show the person’s own social security number and passport, as well as other documentation such as a birth certificate and other forms of identification. Some people, therefore, may not qualify for federal benefits unless in the interest of public safety or the public interest. One example is Elisha Efron, 18, of the Brooklyn, New York suburb of Brooklyn, who was taken from her home by the police in 2013 after she refused to show proof of citizenship. There were three separate security cameras around the Brooklyn Borough Hall entrance, which had to be removed only after she demanded identification.
Elisha was arrested in 2013, though no charges have been filed. While this has not made contact with anyone, public safety should be emphasized
If America had given homeland security as much attention five years ago as it does today, the twin towers may still be standing. The events on September 11th, 2001 should have never happened to a country with as much resource and technology as America. It is difficult to understand why a country that has enough technology to create human body parts from stem cells would not have the technology to prevent a terrorist from boarding and taking over a U.S. airplane.
We made the mistake of not worrying about terrorism enough in the past. Now America needs to learn from that mistake and look towards the future. Many people think that we are spending too much on counter terrorism. Since September 11th, America has spent 18 billion dollars combating terrorism (Source 2). That may sound like a lot, but not when we had a total of $1,946 trillion dollars of expenditures in 2003 alone
(Source 3).Already, an act known as the USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) has prevented terrorist attacks and saved American lives. This act has made warrants more applicable across state and district lines, eliminating the need to obtain