In the U.S., our citizens and government representatives pride ourselves on always being seen on the "right side". On being the good guys, the hero's that stand above such petty things as exerting influence and money. Constitutional democracy is above all things our most important invention and export. It has given us a moral entitlement in the world. The ability to point at other lands and proclaim there actions unjust. Unlawful. Non-democratic. This same entitlement, has given us the full license to build the biggest military industrial complex the world has ever seen. To protect democracy at home and abroad, we would be willing to fight tyranny on all shores. We, the People, for the people, would be willing to endure the ultimate sacrifice; the lives of our sons and daughters on the fields of battle. Not just for our own citizens mind you, but for away of life. An idea that our forefathers fought and died to earn. Through an American lens, our world today, is supposed to be just an extension of those brave writers of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution. Funny. If he were alive today, I wonder what political cartoon Benjamin Franklin would have drew of the Prism program ?
In the rush to judgement, and with the great power the world has vested in it, the American government has lost it's way. America is an idea. The epitome of idealism. A dream for so many to aspire to be. When our elected leaders speak, the world attentively listens. But, because of our imperialist behaviour, and Snowden like security leaks, the last decade has seen our words fall on deaf ears. Is the world really listening anymore to our democratic idea's or just taking our money? A better question, why would you listen?
The saddest part to me, is that according to polls, the American public seems oblivious or non-interested in this huge breach of civil rights. Of course. Now is not the worry. However, it's the precedent that this program is setting. As American's, we take our laws seriously. The supreme court looks to 300 year old documents to formulate answers to the most difficult questions our society faces today. The legality of Prism now, is setting up the dictatorship of tomorrow. You may laugh at this seemingly far fetched equation. But, who is to say that 50 years from now, a seemingly magnanimous leader comes to power and uses the Prism precedent for personal gain? Even more alarming, is who is to say that isn't happening now? According to the Economist, 1.4 million people in the intelligence community have the same top secret security access as Eric Snowden. Do you think all of those 1.4 million people are acting honorably? What if a small percentage weren't? Probability wise, there's a good likelyhood of that. What could these individuals be doing with the ability to eavesdrop on people? I wouldn't want to be an ex-friend of anyone of them!
However, I must defend my country slightly, though I can't forgive what they have done since no remorse has been shown. 9/11 wounded our country deeply. Our oceans weren't a moat anymore from the intrusion of terrorism on our soil. The most important city in our empire was the target. Grief and rage brought us to the depths of hell. In order to protect our world, we would be willing to do anything. To bargain with the same devil that we have built 300 year's of defenses against; authoritarianism. As in the Dark Night, when the mob made a deal with the Joker. Out of desperation, they made a deal with a man they didn't fully understand. In order to get there goals now, they gave up everything that made them who they were. What's sad is that our Batman, our hero, the U.S. government, are the one's making that deal.
The U.S. government says Prism, the NSA's spy program, is "legal" but is it moral? Now that the cat is out of the bag, and our dirty laundry is in the public eye, how does the U.S. government act? Our diplomatic decisions are going to come under more debate now. The entitlement that our democracy has afforded us is going to be questioned more than ever before. Our usual idealistic words are now prisoners of our own authoritarian like actions. Maybe the Snowden leak was for the best. Maybe. Prism. A pretty name for a horrible thing.
