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Rep. Rush Holt: Treat Americans as citizens, not suspects
The recent headline-making stories of our government’s out-of-control surveillance activities have frequently focused on the invasion of privacy that the National Security Agency and the Department of Justice’s programs represent. While those invasions of privacy have been massive—and may be even worse than thus far revealed—that focus overlooks a more fundamental truth. The executive branch now views every American as a potential suspect first, and as a citizen second.
For most of our history prior to the 9/11 attacks, a fundamental American principle was that those who search, seize, intercept and detain should not be allowed to decide who are the bad guys because of political differences, vague suspicions, or incidental associations. The problem with widespread, intrusive surveillance is that the government treats ordinary Americans with suspicion, and it continues to massage the data until it is satisfied that there are no incriminating associations. What has become of the principal of presumption of innocence?
When our government suspects its own citizens we have lost the founding principles of liberty and equality.
One of the characteristics of oppressive governments that we detest is that they intrude into peoples’ lives, spying on their own people. The chilling intrusion into people’s lives, effects, and relationships must be controlled even if government officers think that the intrusion is necessary to preserve safety, security and order. Officers who in their zeal let their suspicious hunches or biases run unrestrained can be as dangerous as politically motivated enforcers. Indeed, civil protections are critical especially if the government says they are trying to protect safety, security and order.
For most of our history prior to the 9/11 attacks, a fundamental American principle was that those who search, seize, intercept and detain should not be allowed to decide who are the bad guys because of political differences, vague suspicions, or incidental associations. The problem with widespread, intrusive surveillance is that the government treats ordinary Americans with suspicion, and it continues to massage the data until it is satisfied that there are no incriminating associations. What has become of the principal of presumption of innocence?
When our government suspects its own citizens we have lost the founding principles of liberty and equality.
One of the characteristics of oppressive governments that we detest is that they intrude into peoples’ lives, spying on their own people. The chilling intrusion into people’s lives, effects, and relationships must be controlled even if government officers think that the intrusion is necessary to preserve safety, security and order. Officers who in their zeal let their suspicious hunches or biases run unrestrained can be as dangerous as politically motivated enforcers. Indeed, civil protections are critical especially if the government says they are trying to protect safety, security and order.
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/19/treat-americans-as-citizens-not-suspects/
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