I think it is justifiable to violate civil liberties in the name of national security, but only on an individual basis. For example I think that the Patriot Act is a direct violation of our right to privacy. If an individual were to go to a strangers mail box, open it up, and start reading the letters inside it would be a felony. It should be treated no differently just because the federal government is doing it with our online communications. The latest infringement on our rights is going into effect October 1st 2014, its name is FDTF, “Facebook Drug Task Force.” The FDTF is a new branch of the DEA that will monitor all Facebook activity including private messages, pictures, statuses users are tagged in, and more in search of drug use and people using the social networking site to buy and sell narcotics. I do not support or condone the use and or misuse of prescribed or illicit substances, but I will also not gladly accept yet another intrusion of the federal government on my right to privacy. If an there is evidence that an individual is involved in trafficking narcotics then I believe a form of warrant should be issued for any information regarding the case, including search and seizure of any evidence found both in his or her home, car, and online. I do not believe that some kid trying to buy a little weed is a national threat. His or her activities do not fall under the government’s umbrella of protection provided by the Patriot Act, and the exclusionary rule should be enacted for every case brought forward by the FDTF. The very creation of the FDTF is a violation of the due process of the law. The reason I am so vehemently against the FDTFs creation is because I believe that it is a very dangerous infringement to our rights that could set our democratic government down a path of no return. A hot topic of debate whether it is right to revoke an individual’s citizenship who is working with terrorists groups such as ISIS without due process, to include a right to a fair trial. My question is at what point would this power of the government be used to simply exile individuals with conflicting political views with the political party that holds the most sway at the time? One of the most ridiculous “identifiers” for domestic terrorists, but an identifier none the less, is having more than three days food or water supply in a person’s house. How many of you have that much food and water? With the enactment of Obamacare individuals are required to state their political affiliation. I fear the day when a person will take a selfie in front of their fridge and then be exiled because they voted for the wrong person. I may just be looking at my iPod and fearing the days when SKYNET takes over the human race with this assessment, but I do not believe that my forecast for political tsunamis of this nature to be out of the realm of possibility.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 01:35:34 +0000