When is Enough, Enough?

Shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, the United States Congress enacted legislative measures to ensure the safety of American citizens, and protect the country from another terrorist attack. Law enforcement agencies throughout the country were given broad powers and flexibility to put in place initiatives to ensure national security. Do these laws and law enforcement measures go too far? There are some among us who think so.

Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower who leaked classified NSA documents about NSA spying on American citizens, has said that the U.S. government is building “an architecture of oppression,” where rights of American citizens are being slowly taken away. Counter-terrorism expert, Brian Jenkins suggests that America has put in place the foundation for a very oppressive state that could very “easily undermine basic democratic freedoms we enjoy in this country.” Tom Hintze, a freelance writer, believes that the Patriot Act, passed just nine days after the 9/11 attacks, is one of the ways that the “architecture of oppression” is being implemented in the U.S

The Patriot Act,  intended to help government agencies detect and prevent possible acts of terrorism, has been used by the government and law enforcement entities to collect and store our personal data, collect cell phone records, regulate our personal financial transactions, criminalize political dissent, and give broad powers of surveillance of Americans to the NSA.  In 2013, the Patriot Act was used in 1,618 drug cases, and only 15 terrorism cases.  This level of scrutiny by the government and law enforcement entities beg the question of when is enough, enough. The image below, which we looked at in class, suggests that our government is spying on us under the guise of national security. Is national security more important than individual rights? 

http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/42-16309641/usa-american-flag-man-peering

In The Crucible we see many instances where individual rights were in conflict with the hunt for witches and the safety of the Salem community; as perceived by those in power. Despite instances of cruel and/or unaccepted treatment towards the accused victims, Parris says that “All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem,” and Danforth adds that “either a person is with this court or he must be counted against it.” Like Parris and Danforth in The Crucible, it appears that the U.S. Government is saying either you are with us, or you are not. And, if you are with us, then you should be willing to give up some of your rights and freedoms.

Our right to privacy, as provided for in the Bill of Rights, is a human right that protects us from unnecessary government intrusion in our lives. Laws like the Patriot Act threaten this right, and should give us reason to pause and ask questions. Is the Patriot Act a precursor to an oppressive state? Under what conditions or circumstances is it acceptable to use these measures? What limits should be placed on how measures authorized by these laws are used?  Each of us will probably respond to these questions, and the issue of individual rights versus national security differently; however, the important thing is that we respond. We must make our wishes known.