NSA Spying

Day after day there are new revelations of NSA spying.  The reach of the NSA extends beyond the United States into even the private phone lines of foreign diplomats.  Those in positions of power who defend the overreach of the seemingly unregulated spy organization say that every government participates in spying, that information obtained is limited to phone numbers and times, that it has been successful in thwarting terrorist attacks, and that every day Americans are not the subject of this massive collection.

The number and type of stories being reported on a daily basis from all over the world suggest otherwise.  The NSA is the product of the War on Terror.  It is able to operate its spying network in the name of keeping American's safe.  What it is doing has been made possible by FISA and its subsequent amendments.

The NSA needs to be investigated more thoroughly by Congress to make sure it is kept in check from unnecessary invasions of privacy.

Here are some reasons why the NSA is not being investigated:

- One job of government is to protect its citizens from domestic and international threats.  A government will use whatever tools it has at its disposal to accomplish this task.  It just so happens that in the information age people are connected together digitally, making it easier for the public to obtain information, but also easier for those in power to spy.

- In order to operate effectively, law enforcement agencies and the military require a certain level of secrecy.  If their methods of gathering intelligence were completely transparent it would be impossible to act preemptively against threats to security.

- Laws and amendments passed during the Bush administration and not overturned by the Obama administration are perpetuated by the Obama administration.  Republicans have a reputation for being hawkish when it comes to national security, but even liberals know the value of intelligence gathering.  Look how outspoken a defender of the NSA is Democrat California Senator Dianne Feinstein.

- No government official wants to give Edward Snowden the glory when it is forced to admit wrongdoing.

There are other reasons why the NSA has not been officially held accountable for its overreach.  It is extremely important for this to be addressed because if any government agency is able to harvest a large scale of data on the habits of it citizens, if a tyrant gets into power it could be just a serious a threat as the government taking away guns by force.