The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed America forever. Never before had we felt so vulnerable, so exposed to the threat of violence. Leave it to the government to exploit those feelings and seize a sweeping new set of powers. On October 26, 2001 President George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act into law.
Like so many government policies, the Patriot Act is a shell game, promising to protect us from enemies abroad but instead being turned inward to persecute American citizens. The right to protest the government is fundamental to a free society, but under the Patriot Act, almost any effective demonstration can be silenced from the top down. This is not a partisan issue. Whether you’re a fan of Black Lives Matter or the Proud Boys, it’s likely that sooner or later something that you think is vital to the survival of our democracy will be shut down by a corrupt administration. Free the People creative director Sam Martin explains in this episode of Freedom Over Fear.
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