StrykerFSU wrote:If you give the government ever-expanding powers like this, they'll eventually use them against an ever-expanding class of people until eventually they're listening in on your phone conversations and e-mail in case you're doing something they don't like.
I don't believe in torture and if Sen. McCain is against it too, then that's all the justification I need. I don't think that the prisoners should be given equal protection or are protected by the Geneva Convention but I will agree with others who have said that torturing brings us down to their level. I'm no interrogator but I don't think that the Jack Bauer approach really works.
I quoted the above statement from LaxRef because it reminded me of something I was reading about affirmative action last night. In a nutshell, it said that the argument for affirmative action was that there was "institutional racism" in America. Essentially whites are incapable of treating blacks fairly without the help of the government "leveling the field". I find this relevant because in order to believe what LaxRef is saying you would have to believe that our government and elected officials are inherently evil, that is there is "institutional malevolence" within our government. You would have to believe that any intelligence gathering by the government would inevitably lead to abuse. I don't believe that our government is out to spy on us and am willing to give a little leeway while we are fighting terrorists.
The problem isn't that they're trying to expand the powers so they can spy on everyone and control everyone. The problem is that once they get expanded powers, they can be easily abused by individuals. For example, suppose someone doesn't like you, and that person happens to be in law enforcement. If the government has all the power it wants, it might not be so hard for this person to tap your phones, bug your house, even install cameras. Then they catch you violating some law—suppose they catch you performing a sex act that your state has laws against (I think oral sex is still a crime in some states)—and prosecute you for it. How cool would that be?
Power corrupts.
