Answer to Question 1
Preschoolers, 2 to 5 years
Answer to Question 2
The USA Patriot Act of 2001 gives law enforcement agencies greater power to monitor electronic and other communications, with fewer checks. It allows increased sharing of information between the states, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The law expands the authority of the government to allow roving wiretaps, which intercept communications wherever the person is. Both e-mail and voice mail may be seized under a search warrant. The government may track Web surfing and request information from Internet service providers (ISPs) about their subscribers. The law also establishes a DNA database that will include anyone convicted of a violent crime.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 expands and centralizes the data gathering allowed under the Patriot Act. A new federal department of Homeland Security is established to analyze data collected by other agencies. The law includes expanded provision for the government to monitor electronic communications and authority for the government to mine databases of personal information at the same time that it limits Congressional oversight. Any government body at any level can now request information from your ISP without a warrant or probable cause as long as there is a good faith belief that national security is involved. Your local library is required to turn over any records to the FBI if asked. The act also limits an individual's access to information under the Freedom of Information Act. If a business states that its activities are related to security, that information will be kept secret. The law gives government committees more freedom to meet in secret. It limits liability for companies producing antiterrorism products, including vaccinations, at the same time that the government gains wider power to declare national health emergencies, impose quarantines, and order forced vaccinations.
