The False Choice between Security and Freedom
National security issues are back in the news, with President Obama proposing a plan to close Guantanamo Bay and a showdown brewing between the FBI and Apple (and the rest of the technology sector). While the idea between balancing national security and protecting our freedoms has always been debated, the years since 9/11 have highlighted this topic further.
Unfortunately, too often the federal government has chosen to restrict freedom in the name of security. Extrajudicial measures are now the norm. From NSA surveillance to holding detainees without trial, to rendition and drone strikes, we are slowly becoming a nation in which the security state is becoming paramount.
Extrajudicial actions are dangerous since they are done outside the scope of oversight and limitations. The Constitution is meant as a safeguard to ensure that government respects the rule of law and ensures the freedoms it upholds. If the United States government resorts to such measures, it could lead to other governments using the same measures, not only on their own citizens, but ours, too. For example, the implications could be disastrous if foreign governments deny our citizens access to a lawyer in political retribution for us denying their citizens due process.
We cannot play into the image that we are willing to give up our liberties in the name of security because it gives our enemies more recruitment material. Doing so gives our enemies a chance to further define their propaganda machine with examples of America saying one thing, and then doing another. What makes our nation great is the values we hold. The freedom of expression, religion, assembly; it is these ideas that make us America.
That is why, we must remind policy makers who aim to protect our nation what is at stake. While they may help protect lives from being lost, they must ensure a piece of America is not the cost. An extrajudicial drone strike may prevent a US citizen from harming us, but the damage to our concept of due process harms America even more.
Frequently, presidential candidates say that their number one job as president is to keep America safe. However, our Founding Fathers knew that property and blood are not the foundations of our nation. Hence, the presidential oath of office is to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
As the President said in his announcement of his plan to close Guantanamo, “Keeping this facility open is contrary to our values. It undermines our standing in the world. It is viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law.” And it’s interesting that keeping it open also undermines our national security, as the President stated. It is always better to stick to our values, and in the long run, that helps our national security.
We must not and cannot give into terrorists’ narratives that our values and freedoms are a falsehood. Protecting America means protecting what we stand for, not merely protecting the homeland. - MPAC
[Contact: Saif Inam, Policy Analyst, (202) 547-7701, saif@mpac.org ]
