From the mpeachinator on Smell Test states:
If this administration gets away with warrantless spying then we’ve given up the freedom and liberty we say we are trying to spread throughout the world. We’ve already lost the war on terror if we give up these ideals.
- warrantless spying
- spreading our ideals around the world
- war on terror
If you have read some of my blog I am sure you know that I am against standing by while the government nibbles away at the rights of American citizens. First I have to ask myself, when is it OK for my government to spy on anyone.
“Congress gave me the authority to use necessary force to protect the American people, but it didn’t prescribe the tactics,” Bush said, adding that the government needs to know why people linked to al Qaida are calling into the U.S. “One of the ways to protect the American people is to understand the intentions of the enemy.”
Yes, the government has the responsibility of protecting its citizens. They do not need to bypass the normal procedure of getting a warrant. Even if a warrant is received after the fact, we at least know the government values and holds true to our system of checks and balances. By going around the normal procedures we are all at risk of being spied on and put on some watch list.
Bush’s rhetoric is very selective and insincere. A superpower must be perceived as truly granting liberty and freedom to be trusted as a transmitter of them. Even the vote in Iraq did not convince the world that the United States supports the principles of freedom and liberty rather over that of neo-imperialism. Spreading democracy requires allies, particularly among the targets of one’s consideration.
How is terrorism defined and can a country war against it? If terrorism is defined as actions outside the bounds of conventional warfare can it be fought against using conventional tactics. If the term is defined to mean that the violence of an enemy is random, immoral, wanton, and unjustified and to justify violent reprisals we have scenerio where violence begets violence. What changes a National social consciousness from racism to racial equality, approving Bush’s tax programs to disapproving them, or from favoring war in Iraq to being against it. We need an answer. The future of the human race may depend on a radical change in political and social consciousness. Social conscious must force the American political conscience to uphold the fundamental concepts set forth in this countrys CONSTITUTION and BILL OF RIGHTS. The Separation of Powers were written in for a reason!
A story with a moral:
A guy has a dog that only barks, a lot. So he got tired of hearing it bark and decided to take it to the vet. After the doctor checked the dog, he told the owner: listen, this dog is deaf, blind and can’t smell! The dog owner asked: then why is it barking all the time? The Doctor answered: because it is the only way remaining to persevere his identity! from Sabbah’s blog.