civil_liberties.pdf |
I've always thought that free speech is one of the best civil liberties granted to the people of United States. However, after watching the video in class today, I was furious. Westboro Baptist Church, an organization that exists just to watch the world burn, did all sorts of offensive things. This is the 21st century; people don't address homosexuals as "fags". Their actions have enraged all sorts of people. A old lady in the video told them that their lucky that they're in the United States, and I suppose she's right. If the members of Westboro Baptist Church conducted their provocative actions somewhere else in this world, they sure would face serious consequences. So I'll conclude by saying, yes, free speech in American is too free.
Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old Booz Allen Hamilton employee. He was nothing more than a ordinary man until he leaked government information regarding the NSA. His actions put himself in jeopardy, but at the same time showed the American citizens what the government is doing behind their backs. The major issue about the NSA is that it violates the First and Fourth Amendment. It not only violates people's right of freedom of speech, but also infringes people's protection from unreasonable search and seizure. In Why Edward Snowden is a Hero posted by The Blog, the author explained how Edward Snowden uncovered illegal government action rather than a conspiracy. Edward Snowden did not just leak everything document he has, instead, he studied all of the documents and leaked what he thought would be appropriate. Though some people thinks that Edward Snowden is guilty because he's hiding away, the author responds by saying George Washington not returning to The King after America was established to face punishment did not make him a traitor then why would Edward Snowden be. Another article by The New Yorker, written by John Cassidy, and with the same name as the last article, also supports Edward Snowden. The article justifies the actions of Edward Snowden like how the last article did, but focused more on the illegal actions of the government. The article explained how the testimony of General Keith Alexander, the director of the N.S.A, is a total lie, therefore if Edward Snowden is to be trialed, then Keith Alexander should also be. The article also explored the possibility that Edward Snowden is simply a naïve young man who didn’t fully understand the dangerous nature of the world in which we live in. As a closure of the article, the author explained how Edward Snowden, by revealing these information, is protecting more Americans than the NSA is right now. The last article, written by the Board of Directors of Freedom of the Press Foundation, explained how Edward Snowden just opened up a chance when citizens can discuss NSA democratically. Edward Snowden, as a role model, is protecting today's journalists and can also inspire tomorrow's watchdogs. The Freedom of the Press Foundation also explained how the system is so broken that, the illegal actions of the government is unforeseen, but Edward Snowden's actions, which contributes to democracy, is getting him punished. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. British rule of the colonies, American Revolution, and the Articles of Confederation all contributed to the creation of the Constitution. The Constitution was created with the objectives of forming a more perfect securing liberty for everyone.
What came before the Constitution was the Articles of Confederation, which relied on the states to make decisions. There was a Congress, but it had limited power regarding declare war, make peace, and sign treaties. The national government was weak in the sense that it couldn't tax the states, therefore not being able to raise an army. States also had their own foreign policies, separating the entire nation into pieces. The Constitution established a two-chamber Congress after the Great Compromise between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans. The Great Compromise provided the Congress with a higher house (Senate) and a lower house (House of Representatives). Every state will have 2 seats in the Senate, while the House of Representatives will be proportioned by population. The Constitution also established a three-branch government, consisting of the Executive, Legislature, and Judicial branch. The Executive branch includes the President and Vice President, which are responsible to enforce the law of the land and can inherent power to expand the president's power. The Legislature branch includes a two-chamber Congress. The House of Representatives is responsible of starting all revenue bills and initiating the process of impeachment. The Senate is responsible of things like approving presidential treaties and appointments. The Judicial branch includes the Supreme Court (established by Constitution) and other lower courts (established by Congress). The Judicial branch's major power is the judicial review, which is the power of the judiciary to decide whether a government official or institution has acted within limits of the Constitution and, if not, to declare its action null and void. While establishing the Constitution, there came a split among the people, creating the federalists and the anti-federalists. The federalists are led by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison and they believed that the separation of power and checks and balances would ensure the protection of minorities. The also argued that the Constitution gave each state a republican form of government. The anti-federalists, led by George Mason and Richard Henry Lee, argued that the principles of the Declaration of Independence would be eroded by the new Constitution and felt that the Constitution will establish an economic elite and will create the potential for an abusive federal government. The anti-federalists then argued for a Bill of Rights to further protect the people's rights. Political thinking in our everyday life is important. Political thinking is the reflective thinking focused on deciding what can reasonably be believed and then using this information to make political judgements. This is really important because political thinkings enables citizens to act responsibly when voting, forming opinion on political issue, or contributing to a political cause. Though important, political thinking is still what countries are lacking today due to the unwillingness of citizens to make the effort to pay close attention to politics. The internet does serve as a great tool for us to learn about politics and what’s happening around the world, but the internet may also be less trustworthy because in shows people twist the information to fit their purpose while burying contradicting facts. Also, political leaders may also twist the facts to their favour to make themselves look good, so a good political thinker really has to obtain enough information to tell what’s right and wrong.
The United States is a country founded by people who had a lot of ideals and visions that they wanted to put into this country. In America, the cultural idea begins with the recognition that the individual is paramount and that government is secondary. The governments role is to serve the people. Liberty, individualism, equality, and self-government are widely regarded as America’s core political ideas. Liberty is the principal that individuals should be free to act and think as they choose. Individualism is the commitment to personal initiative and self-sufficiency, which is to remain as your own master. Equality is the notion that all individuals are equal in their moral worth and thereby entitled to qual treatment under the law. Last but not least, self-government is the principle that the people are ultimate source of governing authority and should have a voice in their governing. These factors are all the bits and pieces that America was founded on. As good as they sound, America’s cultural beliefs are idealistic, in that the power of the government is widely shared and used for common good, and where individuals are free, independent, and equal under the law. However, high ideals do not come with a promise that people will live up to them. For example, slavery in the United States lasted for 250 years, and radials discrimination against Native Americans, Chinese people, and Hispanics all last for a long time. In a democratic county like the United States, the votes of the majority prevail those of the minorities. However, to guard against oppressive majorities, the writers of the Constitution devised an elaborate system of checks and balances, dividing authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches so that each branch could check the power of the others. Also, to protect certain right of the American citizens, The Bill of Rights was added on to the Constitution so that the Congress would be prohibited from enacting laws that abridge freedom of speech, press, or religion. |
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