Helen Shibut
Do
the young lives we sacrifice and billions of tax dollars we spend in
Afghanistan make us safer? If we
traded freely with Iran, would we suddenly find ourselves under attack from
atomic bombs? Are we getting our
money’s worth for all the foreign aid we give to other countries?
I
don’t think so, certainly not, and no way.
The
federal government’s tendency to attack other countries and topple their
leaders (unconstitutionally, without a vote in Congress) doesn’t make us safer—it
makes the people we attack hate us, and it pushes us further in debt. Free trade doesn’t open us up to
attacks—countries like trading because it makes them more prosperous. Giving other countries money in the
form of foreign aid is a pretty good deal for them, but I don’t think it’s
helping us balance our budget. And
while our government is apparently very intent on spreading freedom in other
places by killing off dictators and giving away our money, it seems to feel we
need to dial down the amount of freedom in our own country.
Our federal government tells us
that laws like the Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act exist
to make us safer. The Patriot Act
allows the government to spy on us—the government has the power to send
“national security letters” to internet providers, banks, and other
institutions demanding that they provide the government with our private
information (including login information for online accounts we have, bank
records, and more) without our knowledge.
The NDAA allows for the “indefinite detention” of American citizens without
trial. That doesn’t make us
safe. That means we can be spied
on without a warrant and imprisoned without a trial.
It’s certainly possible that the
Patriot Act helps the government catch potential criminals before they can finish
their evil plans. But by that
logic, shouldn’t the federal government install cameras inside every American
household? That would cut down
domestic abuse, I bet. We don’t
let the government post armed soldiers on every street corner, but wouldn’t
that discourage all sorts of crime—harassment, pick-pocketing, etc.? We don’t allow these measures because
they would invade our privacy in such a visible way. The Patriot Act lives on because we can’t keep an eye on
it—it’s under the radar. And
that’s what makes it even more dangerous.
When other countries pass similar
laws that chip away at civil liberties, we condemn their leaders as
tyrants. Often, our government
places sanctions on them that make it harder for them to trade. Sometimes it sends in troops and
money. I want to see our
government show that same zeal for freedom here in the United States.
