In an age where terrorism obscures the core values of democracy, the American government has betrayed liberty under the banner of national security. What is being heavily ignored is that national security can in fact be maintained without violating the bill of rights. The United States government has casually enacted and supported legislations and actions which contradict the Constitution. Both Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic President Barack Obama have been involved in such violations.
Several bills have been passed which limit the constitutional law to liberty. In response to the 9/11 attacks, government has expanded its powers illegally; it has effectively used anti-Muslim sentiment as propaganda. For example, on October 26, 2011, President Bush signed the Patriot Act which includes a provision that allows for the indefinite detentions and torture of any US citizen. Similarly, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed by President Obama allows the President of the United States to detain and murder any United States citizen. President Obama said, “My administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens;” alright if Obama’s administration won’t detain citizens, then why did they sign the bill? And what is to stop future presidents from engaging in illegal detentions of American citizens? Why is this in violation of the supreme law of the land? First of all, it violates the 5th Amendment which guarantees ALL citizens’ rights to a speedy trial. Likewise, it suspends the writ to habeas corpus; in turn going against the very the foundations in which America was created. The biggest problem of these laws is that they threaten the posterity of civil rights in America. Will the government soon be able to detain a person because of vocal dissent? Or, will the government be able to arrest political activists advocating unconformity? We, the American People, need to question our leaders, or else unconstitutional laws will go unchecked.
Recently, the NYPD has been spying on all aspects of Muslim life. Commissioner Kelly has continuously defended his department’s engagement in domestic espionage. The NYPD has spied on Muslims all over the Northeast including where they ate, shopped, and prayed. Adding on, thousands of Muslim students have been spied on in over a dozen universities. Even the White House has partially funded the domestic espionage on Muslims. What was the outcome of these surveillances? Zero American Muslims were suspected of harboring terrorism. Newark politicians were hardly even aware of such espionage. Let us think, does spying on Muslims increase their cooperation with the NYPD? Obviously not! Spying on Muslims will only give extremists proof to Muslims around the World that America is at war with Islam. Importantly, by suppressing civil liberties we are increasingly becoming hypocritical. Who are we to preach democracy to the world when we allow the unchecked murder (under NDAA) and espionage of American citizens? Our democracy is hypocrisy unless we take action! What we need to do is to pressure the Supreme Court to declare the Patriot Act, the NDAA, and the spying on American Muslims as unconstitutional; this will boost confidence in both domestic and foreign Muslims that the US is for true democracy and bring greater anti-terrorist fervor among Muslim communities. Thus national security will be boosted as a result of granting Muslims their civil liberties. All citizens deserve the right of due-process and judicial oversight before being detained. As founding father James Madison said “The Means of defense against foreign danger historically become the instruments of tyranny at home.” Thus, our nation was founded on the purified waters of liberty, but if we let the government violate our civil liberties, America will implode on a black hole of treacherous tyranny!