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Personal liberty vs national security
National security more important than individual freedoms
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Security is the state of being free from danger or threat. The increase of terrorism in America had aroused a legislative request for heightened security. Strengthening security would also lead to invading Americans' privacy. Privacy is the state of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people. While numerous people feel that security for the whole nation dominates over the privacy of an individual, many others think that heightened security measures will invade their personal privacy and will allow the government to exceed moral limits. Regardless to the political circumstances or the climate, protecting individual rights is predominant to strengthening security in several ways. Americans constitutional rights would be taken away and people would no longer feel safe anywhere if they believed that someone was always watching them. Also, protecting individual rights is paramount to allowing the government to overstep their boundaries and abuse their power. Documents A, B, …show more content…
"Free societies turn their backs on privacy at their own risk, for privacy is one of the fundamental human rights from which all other human rights are derived, (C)." If you take away individual rights like privacy, there would be no way to tell if someone is listening in on your conversation or watching you. For instance, document C states that "people can't have honest discussions with one another if they think their words are being overheard. The freedom that allows Americans to have their own opinions would be taken away because if people can not trust anything, they will say what everyone else is saying and do whatever everyone else is doing. There would be no individuality and everyone's identity would be
Our nation seems as if it is in a constant battle between freedom and safety. Freedom and security are two integral parts that keep our nation running smoothly, yet they are often seen conflicting with one another. “Tragedies such as Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombings may invoke feelings of patriotism and a call for unity, but the nation also becomes divided, and vulnerable populations become targets,” (Wootton 1). “After each attack a different group or population would become targets. “The attack on Pearl Harbor notoriously lead to Japanese Americans being imprisoned in internment camps, the attacks on 9/11 sparked hate crimes against those who appeared to be Muslim or Middle Eastern,” (Wootton 1). Often times people wind up taking sides, whether it be for personal freedoms or for national security, and as a nation trying to recover from these disasters we should be leaning on each other for support. Due to these past events the government has launched a series of antiterrorist measures – from ethnic profiling to going through your personal e-mail (Begley 1). Although there are times when personal freedoms are sacrificed for the safety of others, under certain circumstances the government could be doing more harm than good.
...vil rights and losing protection. Protection is more important but unnecessary spying should not be tolerated. “The sad truth is that most Americans have already lost the battle when it comes to keeping personal information absolutely private.”( Lee, M.Dilascio, Tracey M.4).
A clash that arises when we talk about privacy is the question of what should be given preference - our rights or our safety (which the State claims is taken into consideration and is usually the driving force for the creation of surveillance projects). Those who agree with the State assert that they’ve got nothing to hide and therefore have nothing to worry about . Trent Lott, a former Senate majority leader asked rhetorically whether the reason for
There are a number of reasons why this freedom needs to be protected. The number one and most important is to keep the individuality of the American people from becoming controlled by the Government.
The privacy toward each individual is important. Without any privacy the democratic system that we know so well may not exist. It is fundamental to have the right to privacy. The defense and security need the right to privacy due to how they are created. Right to privacy was not an issue when our country was founded. Throughout those times the people knew their neighbors knew what was going on in their community. It was not like how it is now; drunk drivers, terrorist, or any other threats. During those times their only transportation that was used was horses. The government that we have now in place is what organized our society. (Right to Privacy)
Benjamin Franklin once said: “ They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.“ Today, we may agree or disagree with Franklin’s quote, but we do have one thing in common: just as Franklin, we are still seeing freedom vs. security as a zero-sum game – one where one can gain only at the expense of another and where the two cannot possibly coexist. However, this is not necessarily the case. There does not have to be necessarily a trade-off between privacy and security; the proper balance is the one where neither security nor privacy suffers from both of them being present in our daily lives.
First of all, mass surveillance can invade personal privacy. Snowden eloquently says, “arguing that you do not care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is equal to saying you do not care about free speech because you have nothing to say” (Kleeman, “In One Quote, Snowden Just Destroyed the Biggest Myth About Privacy”). In other words, the right to privacy, just like the right to speak freely, is essential for all people. He added that people who think in such a way do not really understand the basic foundation of human rights. Basic and innate rights mean that nobody should be required to justify why they need the rights : one person agreeing to disregard one’s right to privacy does not mean everyone should follow suit. Also, Rand Paul, who conducted a filibuster about the renewal of the Patriot Act, claims that the majority of American people want to see mass surveillance reformed or ended (Kleemman, “In One Quote
Terror is becoming a major threat to the security in the United States following the September 11 attack. The government has increased its security, and one way to do this is to increase surveillance. Now, part of the citizens believes that the government has gone too far in the use of these cameras. The surveillance cameras are now being used for many other purposes, some of which are not related to security in any way. Top government officials can now monitor actions of people they suspect to be a threat to the country, but others think that this action is spying on the innocent citizens who are busy developing the country in their own private ways. There is a limit to which this security measures become a public pain. As much as people may want to feel secure at all times in every place they go, they also value their privacy. That is one of the essentials that define a human being. Even wild animals in the forest enjoy this right to be private. No one wants to be monitored at all times because it creates a psychological feeling that he or she is in a prison. One feels that their world has been narrowed to the corners of their own house. In fact, some members of the society claim that this privacy inside one’s house is lost as soon as the curtains on the window are removed due to the presence of
When we think of privacy the first thing that pops into an individual’s head is normally independence, or the ability to do what one pleases without someone else controlling the situation. When it comes to the constitution a lot of the amendments have to do with privacy and what can or cannot happen when it comes to invading it. Some may not be familiar, but federalism is a very important fact when referring to privacy rights and the constitution. Currently, this country has a different way of working the federal system. Different laws are applied when it comes to state and the actual national government. Privacy in my eyes, is one of the most important pieces when it comes to rights of the people. Without the system that we have set
Security and liberty cannot be separated; furthermore, it is a fallacy to think you can give up one for the other. However, assuming that the government is a benign entity involved in our best interest, you might say that giving up some of our liberty to the government would be a reasonable trade for the security of ourselves and our families against both external and internal threats. This is not the government itself. With this assumption, and providing that the government would act appropriately on the information gained, with the relinquishment of our privacy, the government then has the ability to prevent possible shootings, terrorist attacks, organized crime, gang activity, financial fraud, identity theft, and any number of crimes both large and small. In this mindset, privacy is a very miniscule price to pay for the “greater good”.
Security is only a personal psychological feeling that we can only feel for ourselves. I believe it is an idealistic illusion we can only pursue. You may feel safe from threats because you live in a neighborhood with a low crime rate, safe drivers, a security system, but your neighbor could feel exactly the opposite. If it were an unsafe neighborhood, you could feel secure even though the crime rates are at an all time high, it's all a matter of personal feelings.
In conclusion, the modern use of surveillance assists public safety, but not as much as they are an invasion of privacy. Americans should be aware of their civil liberties and protect them. There should not be a fine line between public safety and an invasion of privacy. NSA programs are illegal and overbroad. Do not let the U.S. constitution be un-followed. Remember wherever you are, “Big Brother is watching you.”
In the book Little Brother this is displayed by the increased security and surveillance after the terrorist attacks. The extra surveillance is there to help stop any further attacks. Although it might be stopping further attacks it is also causing people to be self conscious of their lives.some people enjoy the extra security while other feel it is against their rights as a US citizen.“This sounds like you’re saying that national security is more important than the Constitution” (Doctorow 55). Marcus believes that the surveillance is breaking some of his constitutional rights. Marcus wants to fight the surveillance and get his rights back. He states“The important thing about security systems isn’t how they work, it’s how they fail” ( Doctorow 64). Knowing that someone is watching your every move people become paranoid. This paranoia causes people to resent the system and fight against the things that are there to protect them. When Marcus finds that his computer had been wired he felt scared. When a person shows that someone is watching they can become afraid to do anything . In the book the line that is too much surveillance is crossed and this causes people to feel uneasy about being watched. Some surveillance is helpful but when it is overused people begin to resent
Security is what helps us, as individuals, to be individuals. It helps us sleep at night without a worry; it provides us food and keeps us healthy; it protects us from harm, be it internal, external or even Mother Nature’s wrath. It is something that gives us a sense of belonging and ownership. What is regarded as ‘security’ by each individual, translates to that of a community, a town, a city, a state, a nation and eventually the whole world.
To begin with, most Americans do not realize how much the government trespasses on their privacy. Some might argue government surveillance is necessary to control terrorists and harmful information exposed at the government. However, there needs to be a boundary between oppressing personal freedoms of citizens and protecting the well-being of our nation. The United States is a country that represents freedom around the world.