Maybe America's Patriot Act prevents domestic terrorism - Canada might want to borrow our law

Tragically, the world is laced with terrorism now and in the foreseeable future. Those of us alive today may never experience the innocence of life as we knew it, before terrorism.

As a potential deterrent, post a gunman's attack on the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa today, it might be time for Canada to consider implementing a law similar to America's Patriot's Act.

Ever since its implementation, the American Patriot Act has been received with some reticence, especially among civil liberties advocates.   Although I'm not a lawyer, I've been skeptical about the law. Nevertheless, the intention is to protect Americans from terrorism, like the September 11, 2001 attacks on our nation by Al Qaeda.  Some civil liberties must be put at risk to protect our nation from avoidable terrorist attacks

Many Americans were naive enough to believe that the war on terrorism would have a beginning and an end. Tragically, we're living in a world where terrorism is an ongoing threat for our future.  

The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush, on October 26, 2001. The title of the act is a ten-letter "USA PATRIOT" that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.

On May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, a four-year extension of three key provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act: roving wiretaps, searches of business records (the "library records provision"), and conducting surveillance of "lone wolves"—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist groups.

There's no way of knowing how many "lone wolves" or other kinds of terrorist attacks have been prevented by the provisions in the USA Patriot Act. 

It's possible the Canadians will now accelerate the provisions of the Patriot Act, for their own national security. Seems like a timely consideration. Obviously, today's attack on the Canadian Parliament will raise awareness about the potential deterrents in the USA law.

Sadly, nothing will be 100 percent effective against terrorism.

Our "new normal" for our time includes the realization that millions of Muslim extremists are obsessed with destroying Western civilizations.

Consequently, implementing the USA Patriot Act isn't enough of a deterrent. What's evidently needed is an international strategy to destroy Muslim extremists and their recruitment of misguided Western sympathizers. 

If Canadians become as focused on destroying international terrorists as we are in the USA, then passage of the USA Patriot Act might also become a model for international law. 

It's even possible the USA Patriot's Act could become one of the rare successes of the George W. Bush presidency.

Americans send our deepest condolences to the victims of the attack on the Canadian Parliament today, as well as the killing of Canadian military, murdered for no apparent reason in Montreal and in Ottawa.  

Hopefully, Americans can cooperate with Canada to defeat terrorism, by leading the international efforts to destroy the evil intentions of extremism, wherever it festers.