CRQ- “From Taking Liberties: The War on Terror and the Erosion of American Democracy”
“The investigators in Sami’s cause wanted so much to find and disrupt a terrorist-financing network that they did not seem to notice that they were molding the facts in a procrustean fashion- or that their theory of the case was a severe threat to First Amendment values” (pg. 694).
I found the story of Sami to be really intriguing. Don’t get my wrong, I love my country. I am so proud to be an American and have grown up in such a great place. But at the same time, we have to be able to recognize our flaws. September 11th was a day of such tragedy. Like after any tragic event, we want to do everything we can to prevent it from happening again. However, sometimes this state of mind can be consuming and also blinding. I think that is what happened with the case of Sami. Situations like Sami’s become like witch hunts and make us not see everything as a whole and consequently make wrong conclusions. What really bothered me was that even though the government did not have substantial evidence that Sami was working directly for a terrorist organization, they continued to beat around the bush by charging him with a different crime.
Another quote that stood out to me is, “Profoundly affected by these events, he is still trying to reconcile his own experience with his lifelong belief that the United States stands for what is good and right” (pg.695). This really connects to our topic about the American Dream. Sami came to the United States with his family to bring them to the land of opportunities. He wanted to give them a better life. And instead he was given the opposite.
Question: How do we protect both our country’s freedom and each individual citizen’s freedom?
Of course the country’s freedom is important, but I think we should protect our citizens first, so that they can help protect our country.
That is a good question, I am unable to answer it because we are stuck between making a difference in the lives’ of others or being put in the spotlight following catastrophes for trying to do the “right” thing. When it comes to the security of our great country, our constitutional rights are evoked.
There is no way we will be able to succeed in both of those acts. When the U.S. feel as if someone is out to do something bad, they are going to attack them. Most of this have a lot to do with power.
I believe the best way we can protect our country’s freedom and each persons freedom, is by first changing ourselves. We are always taught to find the flaws of things that we forget all the good people have to offer.
Although I was just a child during the events of 9/11 I can only imagine the fear that was instilled in the government and citizens. A foreign enemy killed thousands and destroyed a landmark of our biggest city. Although this case is an unfortunate part of the chaotic and extreme response by the government to the terrorist attacks I can’t help but understand where they came from in their investigations.
Sometimes protecting our country’s freedom comes with a cost, which is violating citizens’ freedom. We can protect both of these freedoms, but not without allowing one end to suffer.
I feel that it is sometimes a struggle to protect both our country’s freedom and each individual citizen’s freedom at the same time because there are so many citizens in America and the security we have. It is sometimes very terrifying wondering if we are all safe at some point. It is very important for officials to constantly stand up and fight for our freedom.
It’s a fine line we have to walk, but I think it is important for individuals in power to continually stand up to the idea that our freedoms should be sacrificed for the sake of national security. It was a principle our country was founded on. Something that stuck out to me was when the author said, “This expanded dragnet (the material support laws) might conceivably catch an actual terrorist who could not otherwise be caught, although we have no way to estimate the likelihood of that happening. But what about the costs—the collateral damage to individual people, to the First Amendment…when these laws capture the innocent and intimidate everyone else?” This is so powerful to me. It is hard to put a number on how many possible terrorists we’ve caught with the revised Patriot Act, but how many innocent Americans have suffered as well?
It is hard for a man to give his family a better life when the government is trying to take everything away. Sami came to America to pursue a degree,but he only ended up getting falsely accused of being a terrorist. America is a country built on freedom, and I feel they took all of Sami’s rights away. We can not expect peace without listening to what someone has to say whether he or she comes from a different background or does not share the same religious beliefs.
We as a whole need society need to realize that yes we have to give up some of our personal and individual rights in order to allow for more protection. It may seem as if the government has too much power over us as is and they are sometimes a little to strict but we have to realize that we are the ones we give the government the power to do what they do and we can either place limitations on their powers or we can allow for more lead way so they can control everything from when we wake up to how much sugar to put in our coffee but ultimately we just need to find a happy medium.
Well I think in order to protect our country’s freedom and each individual citizen’s freedom we must first know our born given rights. Without that, anything could happen to ourselves or our country.
This really makes me question whether or not the government is truly out for our greater good or just to cover themselves. Charging people with crazy crimes is insane is that what the justice system has come to ?
I the comparison to a witch hunt to reinforce the fact that no clear evidence was found. The American government was simply looking for someone to punish so they could feel secure that they are doing everything they can to protect citizens. But, when does it become too invasive? Seeing that someone’s first amendment rights can be ignored based solely off an assumptions does not make Americans feel safe. This violation makes the American people uneasy knowing that at any moment they can be put on trial for no clear reason.
It’s a concerning topic when our government is like this. The government will do everything in its power to keep our country safe and if that means bending laws or ‘beating around the bush’ than they are going to do it. We must also elect the right representative to represent us the way we want the government to look.
I don’t think that protecting them both is possible. If we protect one we will fall short of protecting the other.
There is no clear answer as to how to protect the country while also protecting individual citizens rights, because if there was we would have figured it out already. However, that does not excuse the actions of the FBI and other agencies that falsely incriminates people with little to no evidence. It will take the people coming together and making their grievances known to fix this problem but it will be fixed at the risk of the nation. Again, nothing in the case of Sami was right or lawful and we should fight to stop it from happening to others, but we also have to think of the safety and wellbeing of the country as a whole.
It will be hard to protect both our country’s freedom and individual’s freedom. I think that in order for something like this to change in our country, we have to first start with ourselves, and change the way we perceive different things and people.
I think our citizens should be our first priority, so that they will want to fight for and protect our country.
Looking back on September 11th, 2001 it’s easy to see how many people would have supported something like the Patriot Act. At the time people were extremely fearful of terrorism and would give up a lot of their own personal liberties for what they thought was safety. But now, it seems as if these acts passed by the Bush administration are a little too much.
Trying to protect both our country’s freedom and our individual citizen’s freedom just isn’t going to happen. When relating our individual freedom to our country’s freedom, one end of the branch just isn’t going to make it. Something has to give. You just can’t protect both.
I believe that this country’s freedom is very important, but it is also important to protect our citizens and their rights. If we do this, then the citizens will give back and help this country.
Very good CRQ overall I couldn’t agree with you more. First off, America is known as “the land of the free.” Citizens in America should be respected and free no matter, what social class, religion, race, etc. It also really bothered me how the FBI had no probable cause but worked around it and still had Sami arrested. Although I realize the FBI was just trying to keep us safe, as they say in the text, “This could be the money used pursuing the real bad guys.”
There has to be a healthy balance between the two, it’s concerning the power our government has in situations like this but it has proven at times to be necessary. How did we find the Boston bombers? Security videos and hacking. There is no comparison to the “witch hunt” Sami faced, our governments actions were completely wrong and unjustified, however the governments power to watch over us has showed to keep us safe time after time.
This is such a great CRQ and I love how you described it as sort of like a “witch hunt.” I think many people are trying to just assume that they are a terroist without even knowing the actual person. Yes 9/11 was awful but yes we do still need to respect other people because not every person wants to make this country a terrible place.