National Protections or National Violations?

        There is no denying that technology has boomed over the past few years. With this new advanced technology readily available, it also makes it available for misuse and abuse.

       For years now, the NSA has been tracking citizens, loved ones, or just cheating the system. The intelligence allows the government to spy on American telephone numbers, calling patterns, and IP addresses.

        However, this misuse of the technology is unconstitutional and denies Americans the rights for privacy. Not only is this currently happening, but the NSA and government has been lying to the American people about it.

       In recent years, NSA employees have spied on women, significant others, and numerous other instances without a warrant.

     In the years following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the government has upped security and surveillance in order to "protect" America. All of the snooping and spying done by the government has been under the guise of terrorist connections.   
 
            The misuse of surveillance powers is a huge problem because of its illegality. In order for citizens to trust the government again, changes must be done to the Agency’s intentions.

 "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

   All of these security scandals leads us to think, so where is the line? Where is the boundary between keeping Americans safe and protecting the rights of citizens that were granted in the Bill of Rights (Fourth Amendment)?

   The truth of it is that it is extremely difficult to determine that line, especially with constant terror threats against the United States. While keeping Americans safe needs to be a top priority of the government, the rights of citizens should always come first when making decisions.


In additions to the abuses of the NSA, the CIA has recently been under attack for unconstitutional torture of detainees, specifically Guantanamo Bay.  Like the NSA, the CIA tightened their powers after the 9/11 attacks and tried to conceal what the agencies had done.

The interrogation process of detainees is far from civil. Some atrocities include: 

• rectal rehydration
• rectal feeding

  

  Form of torture: water boarding

• water boarding 
• ice baths
• personal death threats, along with threats to families
• confinement 

It doesn't take a judge to determine the unconstitutional nature of these acts.These tactics go far beyond the terms laid out, unquestionably violating the rights of the detainees.


 These recent events have truly made me think about American society and power. In each

case presented in this blog, one group in power clearly destroys the rights of others, with no consequence. Instead of continued protests and violence, it is time that we, as a society, changed what we are doing for future generations.



For a timeline of NSA events, see NSA SPYING