¶ … Big Brother Watches America
When Orson Wells wrote his famous novel about government surveillance taken to the extreme, the world he described seemed very unrealistic. However, at the turn of the new millenium, the world that he describes is not so different and it seems as if we are just one step away from the "thought police" knocking on the door. For some this gives them an extra-added element of security, but others see it as a serious infringement on their freedom.
Today, we are watched in a variety of ways. Every where you look, you see video cameras recording our every move. Wiretaps are frequent and devices that transmit over the air such as cell phones are easy targets for those trying to hone in on our private affairs. The government monitors our email and web surfing activities, our bank accounts, credit card accounts and almost anything else you can think of.
The idea of surveillance first arose through the works of Jeremy Benthem. He was the first to design a prison system where the prisoners would be watched from a central location, but the prisoners themselves would never know when or if they were being watched. In this manner, Benthem hoped to reduce the incidence of misbehavior by the threat of being watched. The prisoners would never know if they were being watched. Therefore the fear of getting caught was not worth the risk. This concept formed the basis for modern surveillance philosophy. The fear of getting caught would prevent the person from committing the act (CtrlSpace.com, 2001).
Prior to September 11, 2001, the country maintained a level of awareness of the need for personal protection. However, most of the concern was for individual security such as against home invasions and theft. Any other government intervention was considered to be an invasion of privacy. After the events of September 11, people felt threatened on a different level. It was then that they became afraid of a new type of invasion, and this one they also felt on a personal level. September 11, 2001 made the idea of being watched seem more acceptable. After September 11, 2001, many states passed new laws concerning wire-tapping. Contrary to what would be expected, many of these laws put limits on how long conversations may be monitored (Morrison & Foerster, 2002).
The threat of terrorism far outweighs the concept of privacy and personal rights in most people's minds. Many people now see this as necessary inconvenience to keep the country safe. September, 11 changed the attitudes of the people about the right to privacy and the amount of intrusion that they would tolerate. The following research will weigh both sides of the issue.
There are two distinct sides to this issue. One side, the right, is vigorously touting the need for more surveillance. They stress the growing number of terrorist threats and America's need to be able to see it coming. The leftists feel that the terrorism is just an excuse to allow the government to enter into more surveillance activities. They feel that the individual should have the right to choose. They do not want increased intervention from the government. They feel that surveillance takes away our rights.
The question of whether surveillance is ethical or not is another key question in this issue. Most would agree that persons who have had a past history of criminal activity or actions that would harm others should be watched in some way. Afterall, these people have already proven themselves to be capable of untrustworthy acts. Most people do not have a problem with anti-theft video cameras in stores to protect the establishment from theft. It seems, that in the public eye, surveillance by an individual for their own protection is acceptable. It is only when the government does it to persons who are otherwise innocent individuals that an ethical question is raised.
Americans are accustomed to a high degree of individual rights, as opposed to many other countries in the world. It is one of the principles the country was founded upon. Prior to 9/11 many felt that the government did not have the right to monitor individual activity unless there was sufficient reason to do so, such as known dangerous activity. After 9/11 many feel that more government surveillance would give them extra-added protection against future similar attacks. However, this leads us to the questions, which arose from 9/11. Could more surveillance of private citizens prevented 9/11? Does the government have sufficient reason and evidence to support the idea of increased surveillance? The final question is, will more government surveillance actually help...
A micro considers the interests and rights of the individual company as the primary concern. Both of these views are valid depending on the lens that one wishes to use. The problem arises when the government is forced to develop policies regarding procurement in this volatile debate. The government must decide whether to take a micro view, favoring the rights of companies, or a macro view that places the
Government's Right To Spy And Command Our Life The Way They Do The 9/11 attack saw over 3,000 Americans murdered by terrorists. The government was faulted, but there was a consensus that the U.S. government needed to take stern action. There was panic that made the congress to give the government fresh surveillance authorities. However, it attached an expiration date to the authority so as to allow for further deliberations after
Bakalar, JD, 'Marijuana as Medicine: a Plea for Reconsideration', 1876 Journal of the America Medical Association, June 21, 1995 - Vol. 273, No. 23, at http://www.calyx.com/~olsen/MEDICAL/lester.html Policy Analysis: Thinking About Drug Legalization," at http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa121.html Alternatives to the War on Drugs," at http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4727/alt-wod-faq.html Frequently Asked Questions," at http://www.paranoia.com/drugs/marijuana/hemp/FAQ-alt.hemp Americans for Compassionate Use," at http://www.acu.org/~acu/ Ethan a. Nadelmann, "Thinking seriously about alternatives to the drug prohibition," Daedalus v.123:3, at http://www.calyx.com/~mariolap/debate/ethan1.html NASRO Issue Brief, Spring 1995 vol. 1, no.1,"Rethinking
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