As of June 1st, one of the most controversial laws to ever be passed in this country, the Patriot Act, has now had major parts of it expire. It’s an event that should have the majority of our focus as citizens, but instead, it has to live in the shadow of something we’ve decided is just a little more important.

Caitlyn, not Patriot, is now why many of us will remember the first of June as a day of importance. For me, and hopefully many of you, that just shouldn’t be okay. Bruce Jenner, father of the Kardashians, has been the center of attention due to his recent sex change, and as of now, he continues to be just that by landing on the front page of Vanity Fair in his new gender. The cover says, “Call Me Caitlyn” and that’s something that we’ve chosen to give our interests to regardless of the freedoms (that I’m convinced we don’t really care about too much) being affected at this very moment.

Here’s my problem, and excuse how blunt this may come across, but how does Bruce Jenner’s sex change affect our lives in any way? Why is his magazine cover so important to the point where we would rather talk about that than be concerned about what is ACTUALLY going to make an immediate impact in how we live as citizens?

Don’t get me wrong, entertainment news is fine. It has its place and most of the time it’s good to know what’s going on in that realm, but it should never overshadow what’s relevant to our living or the events that directly concern us. Entertainment news for most of us is all-consuming. That’s a problem and as of late, it does more distracting us than informing us in times where the greatest importance is elsewhere. That ultimately leaves us completely ignorant to things we should know about. In this case, it’s the Patriot Act. The bad thing is, many of us still don’t even know what it is despite it being around for 14 years (shortly after September 11, 2001). We can’t really point the finger at anyone else but ourselves for that. We’ve disconnected with what’s important and choose to feed our days with media that offers nothing challenging, is remedial, has very little long-term value (if any), or simply temporarily entertains us.

Because I find this very beneficial for all of us and hopefully I’ve gotten to at least one of you, I’ll help you guys do less research and kill two birds with one stone. For those of you who aren’t quite sure what the Patriot Act is, the entirety of it is posted here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/3162/summary/81

For those of you who know what the Patriot Act is, here are the provisions that have now expired according to USA Today: • The "lone wolf" provision of the law has expired. This allows U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to target surveillance at suspected terrorists who are acting alone without any direct ties to terrorist groups or rogue nations. It specifically says that it does not apply to U.S. citizens. It has never actually been used, White House officials said. • The "roving wiretap" provision has expired. This allows federal agencies to monitor a person rather than a specific phone or electronic device. The government can keep track of suspected terrorists regardless of how many cell phones they use and throw away. Approval for the surveillance must be obtained from a federal court. • Section 215 of the Patriot Act had expired. This section has generated the most controversy and debate because the National Security Agency has used it as the basis to collect the phone records of millions of Americans not suspected of any crime. Many members of Congress would like to see this section changed or repealed. • Lesser-known powers under Section 215 also ended. While the mass collection of phone records by the NSA has been the focus of attention, this section of the law is also used by the FBI and CIA to collect other information. For example, the CIA uses it to track financial data, such as wire transfers, that can help expose terrorist networks. The FBI has used it to obtain companies' Internet business records. • All investigations of phone records under Section 215 of the law will not stop immediately. A clause in the Patriot Act allows the NSA to continue investigations it has already started. The agency collects data that shows who made and received calls, how long those calls lasted, and when they happened. The data does not include the substance of those calls.

Now consider what I’ve said thus far. Does the Jenner news really compare to something on the magnitude of the provisions of the Patriot Act that are now expired? Which one of these really constitutes as worthy of our time and which one should we really be concerned about? My biggest point is this, we all need to take the time to reshape our perspective just a little bit. Not everything can be the center of our focus. Not everything should be of catastrophic concern or even warrant an in depth discussion. There are things happening that we need to not only know about, but be intelligent about as well. That takes paying attention and knowing what is invaluable and worth investing in and what simply isn’t as important as it seems, no matter how much others boost it up and place it on a pedestal. Social awareness doesn’t just happen. It’s a mindset that begins when we choose the responsibility of being knowledgeable about what’s going on. So instead of arguing about Bruce or Caitlyn, how about we channel that energy and learn more about what’s currently changing the landscape of how we live as American citizens.