I'm going to jump head-first into the National Security Agency (NSA) and Edward Snowden maelstrom.
As I write this post, I have my leather bound copy of the United States Constitution setting next to me on my desk; it comforts me. It is a reminder of what this nation was/is/will become. Humbly, I believe that those individuals who drafted this most remarkable document would be appalled with what our government is currently doing. Our government is keeping tabs on terrorists, and now it is keeping tabs on law-abiding American citizens, because, you know, just because. It's no biggie! Or so they would have us believe.
Since 9/11, we as a nation have given our heart and tears to those people who died during this most unfortunate event. We, too, as a nation have grieved the losses of soldiers in the field of battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, we as a nation must now give our very soul to the machine that drives us closer and closer to an information controlled society. Isn't that exactly what the terrorists of 9/11 wanted?
Unfortunately, they wanted a country that embraced individual freedom above all else to suddenly become a country controlled by xenophobes, who were willing to take from us our most precious personal liberties: freedom of speech, freedom from unlawful search and seizure, and due process of the law. They didn't believe that by flying those planes into the World Trade Center it would cause the collapse of our government or force a coup within our government. But they understood very well that such an act may scare the American people into accepting restrictions of their liberties in the name of protection and safety. That's what they feared most about us as a nation: the rule of law.
If my government must keep a list of who I call, text, and email, without my expressed consent or legal due process for just cause, then I'm not sure I need that government. That's the bottom line. I do not concede my personal liberties or personal choices to the United States of America. I do not believe it is most capable of deciding how I live my life or with whom I communicate.
I am reminded earnestly of the Gestapo of Nazi Germany and the STASI of East Germany, which both gathered information on its citizens in the name of "just because." If we allow this action to go unchecked the next logical step may be to set up a toll-free number for people to call in and report their neighbors, friends, and relatives for suspicious activities. Then, there will be visits by black cars in the middle of the night. Perhaps, people will go missing for hours, days, or forever.
People say that Edward Snowden is a traitor, but perhaps he is a patriot. We use that word a lot (not as much as we used it after 9/11) to describe people who I would hardly classify as a patriot. Like the Founding Fathers, he has put his personal fortune and very life on the line to expose an injustice within the highest echelons of our national government. I applaud him for his sacrifice. I hope that a Western European country will take him in and protect him from the unconstitutional covert fallout that is certainly heading his way.
Will we has Americans heed his selfless warning?
Signed,
A natural born, tax-paying citizen of the United States of America
P.S. I'm sure this post will be collected, analyzed, and stored by the NSA.
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