This easy-to-use core reference work takes on perhaps the biggest issue in the U.S. today: freedom of speech during the 'War on Terror'. The Patriot Act is one of the longest, broadest, most sweeping pieces of legislation in American history. It introduced a vast edifice of domestic surveillance that has defined the post-9/11 world. But the legislation itself is so dense and technical that both supporters and critics have been free to interpret it loosely and in partisan fashion.Supporters of the Patriot Act believe that 9/11 irreversibly changed American politics and law enforcement, forcing every citizen to cede some traditional civil liberties in order to protect the nation from terrorism. Critics respond that many provisions of the Patriot Act were simply resurrected from old FBI wish lists, having no relevance to the war on terror and providing little security in exchange for precious liberties. This book will not silence the raging debate over the Patriot Act, but by presenting relevant source documents, analysed and placed in context, it may provide a more reliable basis for the ongoing debate.