The instant you feel you’re at last unplugged from the outside world, you’re wrong. When you think you’re alone in the comfort of your home, with nothing but the glow of your computer screen and the soft buzz of your television, think again. At your most vulnerable moments, in the shadows of your unfeigned intimacy, there lurks a veiled monster. This monster casts a steadfast gaze; it hides behind your screen and above your head, within your hands and below your feet. This monster is the National Security Agency.
Since the calamity of the Sept. 11 attacks, this suffocating paranoia has brought to life our worst nightmares in the form of nonmilitary drones and surveillance cameras. Whether you’re sliding your credit card at the cash register, riding the bus to work or simply strolling the streets, the NSA follows your every move.
Government surveillance is not a bad idea when implemented to protect our country from foreign threats and invasions, but using this power to tap into the lives of domestic citizens violates our privacy rights and breaks the trust between the government and its people. The Fourth Amendment claims our right to privacy with protection from unwarranted searches, wiretaps and other forms of surveillance.
With the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, every action that occurs on the internet is free to be recorded by the secret court of FISA. Nullifying the Constitution, FISA acts outside of the limits of our national security coverage. Short of the freedom that makes our country so appealing, we are a fruitless nation, lacking the essence around which our entire union revolves. America hereby exists in name only.
We are not to the point of an uprising against our government anytime soon, but we can change how we go about our everyday lives. The next time you purchase your morning coffee, you may want to consider paying with cash. Riding the bus is environmentally friendly, but the risk of using public transit is far greater than the cost of filling your own tank with gas. Taking a stroll through the park on a pleasant afternoon seems harmless in theory, until you’re aware that you are constantly being watched.
Hiding will not make you any safer. You can lock your windows and doors, but there is no escaping the monster that already has you imprisoned within its eternal embrace. Remember, when you rest your head down at the end of the day, you are not alone.
