Safety vs. Privacy

Dear editor:

The first question is, “How much of our privacy are we willing to give up in order to gain security for ourselves and our country?” Our Founding Fathers answered this question when they wrote the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.  It states, “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.”  We are all so familiar with this sacred piece of writing thanks to all the cops and robbers shows that fill our daily lives on TV, and no one would argue against this safety of person as a result.  It is almost like a living bible.

But the second question becomes, “In the world we live in today and facing the world wide problems we have, would those same Founding Fathers write this amendment just as they did?”

After all, when the first ten amendments to the Constitution were ratified on December 15, 1791 the world was a different place and their lives did not face the constant pounding that we face today.  If you reread the amendment you see how simple, but justified, their worries were.  But, they did not have, nor could they possibly see in the future, telephones, cell phones, email and messaging that could threaten the very fiber of our country.  There were no airplanes that could destroy giant skyscrapers and kill over 3,000 citizens of our country. There was no such thing as bombers who could kill and maim at a foot race in the home town of our Second President, John Adams.  There weren’t any countries five thousand miles away threatening to destroy our country and society with the use of long range missiles and nuclear warheads.  Nor were there any fanatically religious groups threatening to obtain those missiles and do the same.  That’s right…Nuclear Weapons that change the whole world of safety and privacy.

For years, going back to the 1930s, as communication has evolved, there has been spying on our privacy by the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and any groups our national government, regardless of party, has set up.  Ronald Regan said it was necessary, George Bush and his Republican Party passed the Patriot Act, which invaded us even more, and Obama and the Democratic Party have used all these tools to the fullest.  Of course when the Conservatives did it the Liberals screamed “George Orwell and Big Brother,” and now that the Liberals are doing it the Conservatives are shouting the very same thing against what they were in favor of before.  Politics.

But the two questions remain: “How much of our privacy are we willing to give up in order to gain security for ourselves and our country?” and “In the world we live in today and facing the world wide problems we have, would those same Founding Fathers write this amendment just as they did?”  They are not easy questions and in fact lead to a third: “Are we happy with the way things are, and how do we change it and remain safe?”