Introduction to the Patriot Act Culture:

As periods of social and political conflict confront the state there is often a corresponding period of lost liberty. In America this is a phenomenon seen during the era of Alien and Sedition Acts, the Palmer Raids, McCarthyism and CoIntelPro. Historically there appears to be a cyclical rise and fall of American liberty. Using reflective analysis many feel this cycle is responsible for the current state of the country. However, a clear separation between the historical and the contemporary context of human liberty can be distinguished by the economic viability of any domestic policy infringing thereon. In a nutshell; witch hunts cost money and slow the economy; because of this, their long term viability in a democratic republic is limited. Profitability is the key for any legislation in opposition to the public. This former idea is also illustrated throughout history.


For example, Nazi Germany rose from a democratic constitutional republic that was, perhaps, more liberal than its American counterpart at the time. As with the internal destruction of any democracy, repressive measures created by the state were made in the name of security. In the case of Germany, these measures were met with approval and enthusiasm by a fear driven populous. The German Enabling Act, fundamental to the rise of Adolph Hitler, was only possible due to the industrial development it created. Nazi fascism infringed upon liberty as it created profitability. The ability of the Nazi government to subsidize its war machine and its domestic policy proved to be expansive and profitable for its economic growth. However, an eventual inability to sustain this growth, partially due to the waste of resources used for the Holocaust, resulted in the downfall of Nazism. The same trend of viability can be seen in the Soviet Union or any other failed dictatorial state. When intrusive domestic policies impede growth those policies or the states behind them ultimately fail. Therefore, the success of any policy infringing on liberty relies on its continual economic viability within the population it oppresses. So far, the continual economic viability of an overly oppressed public has not proven possible, but the advent of technological advancements may retort such a statement.

This discussion will examine the separation of America’s current political and social climate from all others in its history. Referring to the Patriot Act Culture , the rise of technological advancement and media domination has essentially negated the traditional cyclical nature of American freedom. In short, the following will discuss a threat to American liberty greater than anything in its history.

This threat to liberty is also a phenomenon that is growing in nearly every country around the world. With a more instantaneous economy (a more globalized world), the state is desperately fighting for survival by promoting nationalism and religious adherence. At the same time the world’s elite strive to unite the market and create a New World Order. The result of both of these efforts within the United States has been a loss of individuality, a loss of liberty, and an increase in fear. This is the Patriot Act Culture. When people do not know what to do in the face of the unknown, they rally around the flag; when they fear an outside (or internal) demon they give their own country whatever it demands.

In reflection democracies seem to end in cheers, not tears. The general populous, believing their freedoms created an indefinable evil, willingly sacrifice those freedoms for what they view as security. Evidence for this phenomenon can be seen in the overwhelming approval of the USA PATRIOT Act, senate vote, 98-1.

Some uphold a belief that liberty must be sacrificed for security; these individuals are the proponents of this Patriot Act Culture. The ideal of neither liberty nor security as being mutually exclusive from one another is foreign to them. They uphold a constitution they believe to have been in exile and in so doing wish to exile seventy years of judicial review. These so called fundamentalists tied to the neoconservative spearhead of the Patriot Act Culture may believe their actions are just but they base their analysis on an interpretation of history that has clearly been perverted. Liberty is the blood of the United States; it is the foundation of democracy. Too suck that dry for perceived security is as misguided as those doctors who in the 19th century used leaches on children with smallpox.

It seems that the founding fathers would rebut the so called Patriot Act with their own creation, the Bill of Rights. “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety” said Benjamin Franklin. In such spirit, it is the obligation of every American to make their stand - for the founding fathers, and the millions of Americans who have fought and died to preserve one essential idea, liberty.

This stand must be a nation wide movement, a movement heard in the hearts and the streets throughout the country. However, political protest is not enough. The difference between the current state of American liberty and those of previous scrutiny is a matter of profit. For the first time in American history sustainable economic growth has developed from the loss of liberty. Government outsourcing in technologies like datamining, CIP’s, the MATRIX, CAPPS I + II and RDIF has created an industry in opposition to American Liberty.

A movement that wishes to preserve liberty must be two pronged. First, a national movement against legislation like the USA PATRIOT Act must lobby congress in efforts to amend unconstitutional legislation. Second, a national boycott must begin against the profiteers of tyranny. The first of these two prongs has already begun with organizations like the Bill of Rights Defense Campaign and the ACLU. However, there has been little headway made on impeding the economic growth of legislation restricting liberty. Boycotts are a vital aspect of any movement for civil liberties or civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used such a boycott against the Montgomery Bus Company to put an end to segregation. The American forefathers used the Boston Tea Party to bring attention to their cause. Economics in this regard is key. The opponents to freedom depend on the profits of the Patriot Act Culture, without those profits there will be little fuel to the fire. Legislative and economic actions against the impediments of democracy are the greatest tool for securing American freedom in the 21st century.

Introduction to the book Patriot Act Culture by Jon Stepanian,

Special Thanks to Marc Klein who coined the phrase “Patriot Act Culture” and the other inspiring activists of the SBORDC.