Assignment- National Security and Civil Liberties

Domestic wiretapping and surveillance have been a big uproar lately ever since the Snowden leaks. It's frightening to know that everything you say is being heard and everything you text is being read. Many people consider it a violation of their rights, but is it a violation of our rights or is it the government trying to protect us from the dangerous, scary world out there? Maybe they're trying to be helpful, or maybe they're abusing their powers. The real question is what is the best for our nation.

Everyone knows that the NSA has been doing constant surveillance, but is it effective? According to some news stations it is and to some it is doing absolutely nothing. The NSA was formed in 1952 meaning that they have been doing things to ensure our safety for the past 61 years and here we are today as the worlds foremost superpower. Technically they could take credit for our success in the world because they have kept us safe, and recently have protected us from terrorism. They also employ anywhere between thirty and forty thousand people which is a big stimulus for our economy.

NSA surveillance could very well be a violation of our rights. According to The Guardian and Huffington Post it is a direct violation of our first amendment rights and, thankfully, a law suit is going on as we speak over the legality of the NSA's actions. Whistleblower Edward Snowden is to thank/blame for the law suit and complete outrage in our nation. It is true, though, that the data they collect can reveal our intimate secrets, our political affiliations, and even what our beliefs are. Is it necessary to have all this information to prevent terror attacks?

In my opinion, I believe that it is a direct violation of our rights. They are collecting information they don't need to prevent terror attacks. All the personal data that they obtain is obtained for all the wrong reasons and could be possibly used for political gains and unfair advantages. Not only is it a violation of our rights, but it is a violation of morals. Domestic Wiretapping is entirely too far and gives us no individual privacy.

In conclusion, domestic wiretapping may possibly have its perks, but it is honestly too much. Having that much information at their fingertips is just calling for corruption, if there hasn't even been some already. A very small amount of terror attacks have been caught, and a very large amount of people have had their rights violated. The Bill of Rights gives us the rights we deserve and it needs to be strongly enforced in our country if we want to keep our world dominance. We need to be the moral, disciplined example to every single other country, because we act as the big brother in the world. We need to be the best and it starts with every single person and their voice.