Are You Willing to Die For Your Freedom?

Before we even got the whole picture detailing exactly how widespread the government’s phone tracking efforts were, we were hit with news of the NSA PRISM program. The details are still being uncovered and debates and questions concerning both programs abound, but the most important question doesn’t concern the leaker, the morality of leaking, the consequences of living in the information age, or the efficacy of the program.

The most important question in this new world of electronic Big Brother is not new at all. It is simply this: Are you willing to die for your freedom?

The unstated notion through all of the discussions I have heard is that we have to be safe, we have to have these or similar programs to keep us safe. I reject that unquestioning philosophy. The government has a responsibility to protect us, yes, but the entire reason we instituted the federal government was to secure greater liberty. Our safety is not the only concern that must be satisfied, our liberty must also be protected.

The trade-off is not as dramatic as it was for the veterans throughout our history. We do not have to choose between death and freedom, but merely between dramatically-decreased freedom — a much-altered relationship between government and citizen (or subject) — on the one hand or restoring freedom at the cost of a very slightly increased threat of death on the other.

Why is the risk slight? Because it’s not as if this is the only program possible to counter acts of terror. Repealing this program and the notions of government that enabled it will not destroy our security. We’ve had security and counter-terror programs before this, and we have other programs and agencies working overseas and abroad to keep us safe even now. There have been failures under the old system and failures under this new program. Most of those failures, be they 9/11 or the Boston Marathon bombing, stemmed not from a lack of intelligence but from political correctness — not following up even though the terrorists paid cash one way with no luggage, were from countries of heightened risk, made six-month trips abroad, were mentioned specifically by foreign intelligence organizations, etc.