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Grace Sutphin Malcolm Campbell English 1102 January 21, 2014 War on Terrorism Introduction/Overview The War on Terror, also known as the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is a term commonly applied to the international military campaign started as a result of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. This international military campaigns main goal is to eliminate Al-Qaeda and other militant organizations. The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama uses the term overseas contingency operation instead; however, GWOT is still commonly used by politicians, the media, and some aspects of government, such as the United States Global War on terrorism Service Medal. This brings up the issue of the governments ability to take away rights when it comes to terrorism. The Patriot Act is one example, and its constitutionality is still debated. Some of the most controversial parts of the Patriot Act surround issues of privacy and government surveillance. The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures . . . ." It requires law-enforcement officers to obtain warrants before making most searches. To get a warrant, officers must make sworn statements before a judge "particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." The judge may only issue a search warrant if officers show "probable cause" insinuating the person is engaging in criminal activity.

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Federal law requires that officers report to the court on the results of the search. Surveillance such as wiretaps and physical searches requires officers to prove "probable cause" of criminality. Even before the Patriot Act, there were exceptions under federal law.

Initial Inquiry Question(s) What Is the Proper Balance Between National Security and Individual Rights? Congress passed the Patriot Act shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Did this law go too far in the name of national security? These are my two favorite questions, as they can be argued from opposing points of view.

My Interest in this Topic I am not really sure why Terrorism is so interesting to me. There is no significant event or trigger that led to this. When I was little, all I wanted to be was a Marine. I dont have family in the armed forces, but I think I might have seen one on TV and just thought it was the best thing ever. As I have grown older, my dreams grew bigger and more complex. One day, I was watching something on terrorism and I just decided that I might enjoy that even more. Im interested in collecting intelligence, following leads, and putting the puzzle together. Now I hope to work in counterterrorism. I want to help our country to the best of my ability.

1. What do you already know? a. Honestly, I only know minimal details about historic terrorist events. I watch documentaries and the news from time to time, but with the media

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you can rarely take what you're hearing at face value. 2. What do you hope to learn? a. I hope to learn about major issues involving terrorism today, and how we plan to deter it in the future.

Next Steps For my research, I am hoping to find a lot through nationwide and worldwide news. Obviously, I will use the internet. The Federal Bureau of Investigation houses a counter terrorism task force, and their webpage seems to be fairly credible. A lot of the research for terrorism is based off of past attacks. 9/11 and events prior would be a decent place to begin doing research. I think America has a lot to learn from previous mistakes, so making use of events from the past, can better prepare us for future attacks.