Where Do We Draw the Line?

In a society where we constantly publish details of our life on various social media websites, where does the issue of privacy come in to the discussion? With the revelations coming from Mr. Snowden on the PRISM program as well as other programs that have been gathering calling data, Americans must begin to ask themselves to what extent will we tolerate the intelligence community. The CIA began after the dissolution of the OSS after WW II and was built on the mandate of handling foreign intelligence. The FBI handles all domestic issues of intelligence in addition to its crime fighting mission. However, the NSA as well as other new intelligence apparatuses has clouded the landscape of intelligence gathering in the U.S.

Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the Federal government has been snooping around America electronically in the name of saving the lives of Americans. It is becoming increasingly clear that these additional agencies have been doing far more than track suspected terrorists. They have begun to treat all American citizens and residents as persons of interest and have been gathering data through social media, cell phone providers, and others in the name of national security. These blatant affronts on the privacy of Americans have been met with some concern and anger from the populace, but have failed to truly outrage the country. While it is not truly surprising, it is disappointing. As a country we have fallen from the stance that we do not want or need the government involved in our private lives and have allowed ourselves to become emasculated and afraid of the bureaucracy. It is truly sickening. We as a people deserve to live our lives free of the observation and judgment of the intelligence community and should be doing everything in our power to remove this influence from our lives and protect our progeny from ever suffering the same fate. It is truly a sad day when we cannot even put down our smart phone long enough to realize it is little more than the new age manacles of tyranny.