We Mustn’t Sacrifice Personal Liberty Under the Guise of National Security
Last Wednesday, the Guardian, a British newspaper, released a leaked copy of a court order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from April 25, 2013. This order requires Verizon Wireless, one of the United States’ largest cell phone providers, to release the call history, location and duration of their users’ calls to the National Security Administration (NSA) until July 19, 2013. This is the most troubling revelation I’ve seen about our government in a string of troubling revelations.
Benjamin Franklin once said that “those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Since I have represented the First District, I’ve regularly reflected on these words. Because of this conviction, I voted against the Patriot Act reauthorization and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The reason I could not support these proposals is simple: I am not willing to give up the personal liberty of Americans under the guise of national security. For example, NDAA suspended civil rights for anybody classified as an “enemy combatant” – even if that “enemy combatant” is an American citizen. Our civil rights set us apart from totalitarian governments, and I will fight to protect these rights for all American citizens, even if they stand accused of the worst crimes imaginable. We mustn’t act in fear and abandon the very principles that help make America great. If we continue to nibble away at these rights, sooner or later we won’t have any rights at all.
No one is perfect. As a physician, there were times I was unsure of the best treatment for my patients. In those few instances, I would sit down with my patient and have a very open, honest discussion about where things stood and the possible paths we could take moving forward. I think it’s time we do that as a country. The government does not have all the answers, but we need to take a hard, honest look at what has been done and decide how we can work together to protect our Constitution and the rights of every American.
A recent poll released by Rasmussen Reports showed that 52 percent, more than half, of all Americans distrust the government. When the government fails to honor the Constitution, they lose the trust of the American people. And when that trust is lost, the government can no longer govern.
My gut instinct also tells me this is death by a thousand cuts. We’ve cast this large net to combat terrorism, but the overwhelming amount of data being captured could make it that much more difficult to identify what is actually actionable intelligence. Now is not the time to place blame, but I do believe we must take a serious look at what intelligence we’re collecting and what we choose to ignore. Please rest assured I will continue to oppose legislation that would infringe on our personal liberties. I will also continue to closely monitor the investigation into the NSA’s actions and work to limit the NSA’s authority where I believe it’s being used inappropriately.
