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Security vs civil liberties
National security vs individual rights
National security vs individual rights
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Just picturing a society without national security is only enough to get many of us feel extremely anxious, especially of the society we are living now, we would be under continuous attack by terrorist and we would have so many outlaws. Without security there wouldn't be any rights. National security serves as our protection and our rights. I believe that national security should be prioritized over liberty. If we consider rights and privacy, it must be compromised in some circumstances to ensure national security, as we can't guaranty that all citizen would behaved responsibly towards the interest of our nation. For examples after many attacked that has been done to our country, the government did take away certain civil liberties on the basis
In her essay “We should relinquish some liberty in exchange for security,” Mona Charen, a columnist and political analyst, speaks on the issue of security in the United States of America. She uses many significant techniques in her essay to persuade her readers of her argument. However, I feel that her essay fails to make a great argument because she relies heavily on assumptions, misses opportunities to appeal to pathos and ethos, and overall uses a degrading tone.
Typically the most basic civil liberties are found in a country’s bill of rights and then that country passes amendments as needed in order to grow the peoples’ civil liberties, or shrink them if need be. Now, in the case of the United States the people are not “granted“ civil liberties by the...
(Common Sense) Then read what Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence which states “These rights include the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government.” (Declaration of Independence) In both of these it states that they were doing what was in the best interest for the people.
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.
The aftermath of the attacks on September 11 demonstrated that this was necessary. The Constitution is not designed to render the nation defenseless against people who have no value for human life, and who will use whatever means necessary to harm others to advance their goals. In conclusion, the Patriot Act gives the government the tools in which are necessary to keep America and its citizens safe.
Many would typically conclude that there is a trade-off between basic liberty and safety. In today's society, technology has been a predominant part of our lives that gives us the freedom to say and speak freely. But when our sense of trust in the liberty we live in is broken it breaks our sense of security. A recent example of this can be seen when the government collects data from our phone calls and text messages. The government claims to collect personal information in an effort to protect ourselves from criminals and terrorists. This idea should be rejected against the masses because our own personal security should not be violated and the liberty to text and say what we want should not be looked into. Liberation is not something we should take for granted. Liberation is a commodity people in history fought for and die for. Liberation is the power to act, speak, right and do as one pleases. Liberation should make us feel secure in a nation that is supposed to protect us and our rights and privacies. When we give someone information to convey our personal information, that's not just a violation are on our personal lives but I freedom of speech. We give the government permission to read what you typed and listen to what we say. We give up our own personal liberties to gain a temporary
From the beginning, the United States Constitution has guaranteed the American people civil liberties. These liberties have given citizens rights to speak, believe, and act freely. The Constitution grants citizens the courage to express their mind about something they believe is immoral or unjust. The question is, how far are citizens willing to extend the meanings of these liberties? Some people believe that American citizens take advantage of their civil liberties, harming those around them. On the contrary, many other people feel that civil liberties are necessary tools to fight for their Constitutional rights.
Throughout American history, our civil liberties as American citizens have evolved immensely. For example, the first ten amendments in the U.S. Constitution are referred to as the “The Bill of Rights,” which contains some of the most cherished civil liberties, such as freedom of speech and religion. These civil liberties however, did not originally apply to state governments or institutions the state established. The Bill of Rights focused solely on what the national government could not do, allowing state governments to do whatever they wanted. For example, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire supported Congregationalist ministers with tax payer dollars for decades. After the Civil War, civil liberties expanded, because three new amendments were added: the Thirteenth, abolishing slavery, the Fourteenth, which redefined civil liberties and rights, and the Fifteenth, which allowed adult, male citizens to vote. The due process clause (contained in the Fourteenth Amendment) became one of the most important civil liberties, because it applied the language of the Fifth Amendment to state governments, proclaiming that they could not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law....
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.
Yet, still even with this, the American people still needed individual protection from the government. With this being said, the Bill of Rights was created to further protect the liberties of American citizens. The Bill of Rights is a list of ten amendments that would guarantee the rights of the people (Bill of Rights). This document was created to ensure the government did not get too much power, but current day it can be observed how the government is trying to clip away at these amendments, trying to convince the people that they are not necessary. This can be seen with the two most currently most debated amendments, the first and second (Discussing Controversial Topics). The First Amendment, as stated in the Bill of Rights, is as so, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
The Bill of Rights laid out the liberties and rights of its citizens. We are allowed to speak badly about our government. We are able to protest when we feel we have been wronged or we want something changed. We can bear firearms freely. We have the right against being detained without a speedy trial. We have the right not to self-incriminate ourselves. We have the to right to vote for our government leaders. Most or all of these rights we often take for granted. I would not know a life where I could not speak freely. I might not be able to write this article if there was not free speech. Many countries have a shortage of these liberties. They are forbidden to do certain things. They aren't given the basic liberties that we feel are second nature to us. They aren't allowed to follow their dreams or pursue the happiness that every one of us seeks throughout our lives. We reach for it, live for it, and even die for it. Television has illustrated that many countries are striving to procure that freedom.
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.
Tension between freedom and security has been prevalent in America since its founding. In 1798, President Adams responded to the threat of war with France with the Sedition Act, which made opposition to the government practically illegal. During the Civil War, President Lincoln suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus to prevent disputes regarding the legality of arrests. President Roosevelt authorized Japanese internment during World War II. Clearly, our government has often felt at liberty to put personal freedoms on hold for safety and control.
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the American citizens the due process of law, which guarantees the defendants the right to fundamental fairness and the expectation of fair trails, fair hearings, and similar procedural safeguards, and the Fourteenth Amendment affirms that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, and property without the due process of law (Siegel 160). In the article, “Can the CIA Put a U.S. Born al Qaeda Figure on its Kill List?” the American Civil Liberties Union and Central Intelligence Agency debate whether the United States can target one of its citizens with armed drones without the due process of law guaranteed by the Constitution. According to The Washington Times, President Barack Obama, put Anwar al- Awlaki on the kill list and approved his targeted killing in April 2010 because United States officials recognized that Anwar al-Awlaki was a danger to United States Homeland Security (Lucas 1). In addition to the President Barack Obama’s decision, the National Security Council approved Awlaki’s targeted killing as well (Shane 1). However, officials of the United States considered Anwar al-Awlaki a threat to United States Homeland Security because he was known as a suspected terrorist who had linked into many incidents such as the 9/11 attacks, the Fort Hood shooting, the potential bombing in Time Square, and the failed Underwear Bombing (Lucas1). Eventually, the Awlaki’s targeted killing is salient and significant because his targeted killing questions whether it is legal to kill a Unites States– born American citizen without the due process of law even though that citizen is a suspected terrorist. However, I believe that the decision to target Anwar al-Awlak...
“Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.” This might sounds like a section from a travelling guide, but it also describes why we as a society cannot gain complete freedom. Complete Freedom requires all negative repercussions from individual’s actions to be unpunished, making it impossible to allow any form of justice into the community, turning it into a den of criminals. Due to that, a government with security force to help regulate rules is necessary to keep the whole country going without breaking down. However, with great power comes great responsibilities, and most government that is allowed too much power will crack under the pressure and implant complete security to protect their power from being taken by another leader that is not their main choice, or by the public through revolution. A sensible country will not allow its government to achieve either, as both will affect the country significantly in a negative spotlight. However, balancing freedom and security doesn’t take away all the problems, as having same amount of freedom and security is impossible in reality and will soon tip into either side, and having more security than freedom will make citizens protest outside and inside of the area of influence by the government, and the awareness created can lead to tragic aftermath. This is why having more freedom than security while allowing the government to regulate individual actions that can adversely affect others, as total security will lead to totalitarianism and tyranny, allowing more security over freedom will generate resentment severe riot, and, total freedom will lead to chaos and anarchy.