So over the weekend the news was abuzz with the NSA’s top-secret monitoring system. Whistleblower Edward Snowden came forward in an attempt to inform the people on how the US government is lying to us and abusing our freedoms. The link to the CNN article is below:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/10/politics/nsa-leak/index.html?c=homepage-t
This is a very tricky issue for many reasons, and opinions on the matter will definitely vary greatly from person to person. My personal take on it is to trust the government despite them blatantly abusing our freedoms for belief it is for the common good. I, probably unlike most people, tend to believe that the government inherently wants to look out for the good of the US and its people. In my opinion the overall good that can be achieved through monitoring of emails and phone calls to prevent foreign terrorism on domestic soil is definitely acceptable. Even though I may occasionally make phone calls and send emails that a governmental officials may find to be against the laws of the US, I know that it is not these types of things they are keeping an eye out for. How do I know this, Because I would already have been rounded up by now. The petty discrepancies many of us deal with on a daily basis is not and should not be the focus of the NSA’s attention. The NSA is using this program to monitor conversations between people with connections to terroristic groups and individuals. I don’t think anyone will deny that we don’t want another 9/11 or anything even remotely similar to ever happen on American soil again. I’m willing to sacrifice some of my freedoms to make sure my entire country is as safe as possible from those who wish to do harm to us on mass scales. Terrorists don’t care who they’re killing and for all you know it could be your dad, mom, brother, or sister who is getting caught in the crosshairs. Most people may feel differently about the NSA program if they found themselves in that situation.
What’s most paramount to my opinion on this situation is that the government actually uses their technology how I believe they are. If the government is using the program to monitor Americans for any other reason then to prevent acts of terrorism they clearly are unfit to wield this type of power. Americans should be allowed to have a better look (or at least a team of trusted government officials, maybe elected by the people) at the program to ensure it’s being operated appropriately.
All in all the NSA monitoring program does infringe on some freedoms that we are guaranteed as Americans. I still tend to believe it is being done for the overall good of the country, and believe a more strict system of checks and balances must be used to ensure proper enforcement of the program. However, it does still beg a few questions:
1. Why didn’t the government suggest this program in an open forum to the people so it could be designed to fit what Americans are comfortable with?
2. Is there any way to ensure the government isn’t abusing the program already, or won’t in the future?
And 3. What do we do now that the program has been made public?
Please comment below and let me know what you think.
– Jayto Descartes
philosophizer 