Wiretapping and covert operations are part of America’s war on terror. Since September 11th, 2001 the U.S. Government has utilized methods of detecting potential plots through the use of tools that have commonly been thought of as a major infringement on privacy.

Long lines at airports and sensitive personal searches are just part of the procedures when security officials detect something suspicious.

While many applaud the security measures associated with Homeland Security there is another side to the debate.

Privacy is something that Americans have always prized; yet an invasion from without has caused a fear factor from within. In some ways many Americans feel as if because terrorists from another country perpetrated horrific acts on the United States it is the people of the United States that have been forced to sacrifice their own civil liberties.

It can be argued, I suppose, that the security measures are designed to protect the innocent and detect the guilty. Each new regulation and restriction is designed to ensure the safety of American lives.

Many people understand this to be the emphasis of Homeland Security and are grateful for the protection afforded by this new governmental arm.

However, there are those who have meant harm that have been able to get through airport security while several law abiding citizens have been removed from an airliner because their names mistakenly showed up on a watch list.

In a country where there once seemed very little fear it now appears the events of September 11th have instilled uncommon anxiety and has caused us to perceive many phantom threats among the real ones.

Certainly there are legitimate terror plots that have been deterred. This is due in large part to the new safety and security procedures adopted as part of homeland security.

Those that lament the loss of personal freedoms do so because they have difficulty coming to grips with the fact that circumstances not originating with them have conspired to make life more difficult in many ways and allowed seeds of distrust to blossom and grow in what had been more trusting soil.

I had a woman tell me recently that she will no longer travel by airline because they make her remove her shoes. It seems like a simple request, but for her it has made a striking impact in how she travels.

Others view the measures as a mild inconvenience especially if the net result is safer airline travel and the ability to deter terrorists from using airplanes as missiles.

A question often raised is how personal freedoms could be held hostage in a country that has always prided herself on civil liberty.

Perennial debate is often seen on Capital Hill where lawmakers debate the ongoing use of certain Homeland security measures.

Similar debates can be seen in coffee shops, family gatherings and especially in the lines at airports where many do not trust the system to adequately protect them.

Is the restriction of personal freedoms in response to the events of September 11th, 2001 a fair exchange for the promise of improved security or are these restrictions the makings of a police state?

Therein lies the heart of this debate.

About the author of this article:

discuss all of life’s most controversial issues at controversialforums. discuss the civil liberties and have debates.