ACC professor lectures on post-9/11 civil liberties

Karry Evans, a government professor at Austin Community College, challenged students to question the government's reaction to the Sept. 11 terror attacks in "Freedom vs. Order: Search and Seizure Protection after 9/11," a lecture at the Rio Grande Campus held on March 3 by the ACC Ethics Resource Center.

Evans, whose specialty is in Middle East politics, mediated a discussion on the trade-off between civil liberties and security in a post-Patriot Act political climate. Despite a less than ideal seating situation and lack of air conditioning, students packed into the campus's Gallery Theatre for two hours of education, discussion and debate.

The lecture began with a definition and brief history of the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which protects American citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures.

"Most open for interpretation is the word 'unreasonable,' " said Evans. She detailed court cases and decisions throughout the last century that cyclically shifted the burden of proof from law enforcement to citizens and back again.

When the floor opened to student responses, the topic of discussion shifted to the U.S. government's controversial response to 9/11 and the Patriot Act of 2001 that gave the government new powers to fight terrorism in both domestic and international arenas.

Though the general population is seemingly divided in its opinion on the Patriot Act, the overwhelming majority of the lecture's attendees seemed to view the new laws unfavorably. One student said he was concerned with whether the government could listen in on his cell phone calls.

Another student called the domestic surveillance programs "a squandering of government resources and time." A third student expressed irritation at the government's decision to list so-called "eco-terrorists," such as PETA, among the most dangerous.

Not everyone in the audience was so steadfast in opposition to the new measures. "A lot of us are willing to give…up [our civil liberties in a time of war]," said a female attendee.

Evans said, "We can never be completely free or completely safe. It has to be an individual decision-would you rather be free or would you rather be safe?"

The lecture was supplemented with three videos. The first was a PBS documentary on the passing and new provisions of the U.S. Patriot Act. A clip then followed detailing the congressional investigations into the Bush administration's secret domestic surveillance program. And a humorous clip from Comedy Central's spoof news program, "The Daily Show," closed the lecture with a laugh.

Although the ACC government department will not be directly involved with the next ethics lecture, planned for April 7 at the RGC Gallery Theater, other academic departments will continue to pose controversial questions and challenge students to work together to find answers.