Security vs. Civil Liberties

What is an ethical democratic citizen's response to the question of security vs. civil liberties as detailed in the Frontline program "Spying on the Home Front"?

In The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution Of The United States of America, the Fourth Amendment states:

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Under this amendment President Bush's use of the Patriot Act can be considered unconstitutional because it defies the rights described above. The key word is "unreasonable". Terrorism is very a serious matter and the prevention against terrorist attacks in our own country is by no means unreasonable. It is more than reasonable to do everything in our power to protect ourselves and our beliefs, it is essential. It is the job of the President and our government to protect the country. The Patriot Act is completely justified because it protects the ability for the people of America to be safe.

The Bill of Rights was made without knowledge of technology. Therefore it is hard to define under the Constitution, where the privacy of virtual property lies. Virtual property such as e-mail, phone conversations, pictures, and blogs are as personal as your pay checks. They deserve the same privacy privileges as ones home. But if the government had reason to check your home for terrorist activities, than they also have the right to check your phone calls and e-mails. If you have nothing to hide than why not let random people search for "hot" terms in your conversations. The problem with the patriot act is that it ideologically opposes the Constitution. If we as citizens are allow this, what else are we willing to let slide. Have we started down a slippery slope of apathy, where the government gradually gives itself more and more power? I believe it is possible but only time will truly tell.

I want to feel safe in my country. If I have to let someone listen into my conversations, so be it, maybe they will learn something from what I have to say. In desperate times, we are forced to make difficult decisions. If they do not listen to our phone calls than it will be more difficult to prevent terrorism in our country. Some would say that allowing such activities is an act of terrorism itself. Well, when choosing between terrorists my allegiance lies with the ones who are striving to protect me. If you are forced to decide between two bad options it is always better to take the less severe of the two. Security and Civil Liberty have to be balanced, there can not be too much or too little of either.

Rob Reimen: What is the Best Society?

Nihilism

"Nihilism means that nothing has any intrinsic value." (6:29) A nihilistic society therefore, would have no concern for anything dealing with intrinsic value rather, only those with extrinsic value. An intrinsic value is the value of the pure nature of a thing. For example most nihilists would agree that there is no supreme being or creator, the purpose of human existence would be completely irrelevant. I do not like the idea of nihilism because it leaves no room for faith, compassion, or optimism. Three aspects of my life that make up my essential being.

In nihilism, one should ask themselves three questions about an object, person or situation. 1) "Is it useful to me?" 2) "What is in it for me?" 3) "Is it good for me?" "If the answer is no than the things become meaningless" When talking about meaning, I automatically think of paideia; the ability to focus on the meaningful aspects of life as opposed to the mundane. As far as paideia is concerned, nihilism is a perfect approach to focus in on things that are meaningful. It is however, a selfish approach, which allows the individual to separate him/herself from the rest of society. This creates a problem because no one man is an island unto himself.

Nihilism gives the individual an allusion of complete independence from humanity. An allusion that has played a pert in causing a moral decline in America. Rob Reimen states that "we are living in a very nihilistic society" (6:21) A nihilist society would be void of any moral standard or belief because no belief or truth is more valuable than another. The moral decline in America can be see in entrainment.

The provocative "no rules" approach of most rock stars sends an unhealthy message to children. The violent nature of movies and video games promotes hostility and intolerance. Finally, the financial rewards given to sport stars and other entertainers as opposed to the financial rewards given to say teachers, or law enforcement officers shows the true priority of most Americans. But from a nihilistic approach these standards are acceptable because every one is looking out for themselvs; there is no love for the concrete other. We are living in a nihilistic society but we are also living in a society that lacks ethical and moral belief.

Eulogy

My fairy godmother
So brave and true
Made her footprint
Everlasting in the world

The sun has set
The tide gone out
But she remains
Her heart still lives

It lives in me
It lives in you
Her knowledge remains
She taught us love

No one compares
In my heart
She is the captain
Guiding me through uncharted water

Serenity is sweet
Tasting the optimum fruits
Peace is happiness
The ultimate reward

Her garden is bloomed
Sharing the beauty she found
Perennials amongst turmoil
Our sorrow endures

Walking Tour Project

I have created "Ethical Walking Tour" of Main Street in Newport. On the tour I observed my surroundings as an ethical citizen. My mind set for this tour focus's on what is right vs. what is wrong. Please click on the "play" button below to listen!


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Premise = Cnclusion

Premise: Honey bee's are the most common and effective way to pollinate flowering plants in America.


Conclusion: Honey bee's are an essential aspect of agriculture in America. Withought them, the economy would suffer substancial loss. ( A 2000 Cornell University study concluded that the direct value of honey bee pollination to U.S. agriculture is more than $14.6 billion)

To Find out more please visit:

http://www.ebeehoney.com/Pollination.html

Relativism

~Define what the philosophic concept of relativism is
~Pose and analyze a hypothetical situation based on your position on Relativism
~Explain why Relativism is or is not a reasonable approach to ethics

Relativism is a philosophy that all aspects of life are relative to one another making all points of view equally valid. All aspects of life are relative and the truth is decided by cultural standards. Whether it be the culture of a particular High School, or the culture of a country.

I believe that life is made up of relativism and concrete truth I am therfore an Anti-Relativist. In life there are some concrete Truths for instance, murder is never right unless in pure self defence. It is also never right to harm another person, animal, plant or thing physically or emotionally. Accidents and mistakes will happen but intentionally harming another being is wrong no matter what. On top of the few concrete Truthe, there are many relative truths for instance in Kenya a husband is expected to give his wife's family a dowry at the marriage ceremony. (http://family.jrank.org/pages/1010/Kenya-Concept-Marriage-Family.html) In the United States, this is not a common expectation but that is OK because no one is being harmed either way. Some people prefer to eat jam on their toast and some people prefer butter these are relative truths defined bu that persons state of mind. Relative truths are always open to the possibility of change. One- hundred years ago is was Truth to say that traveling to the moon was impossible. Today that is not so because people have gone to and from the moon several times. On the other hand, there are people who believe that moon travel is a conspiracy and that it is still today impossible. I think it is OK for them to believe that, they are not hurting anyone or imposing injustice so, why not?
Most people would agree that stealing or lying is Bad. I think that these and many other actions can be justified based on the circumstance. If a robber breaks into Jim's house, asks Jim at gun-point where his children are sleeping, and Jim lies to the gunman than his lie is justified by his saving the life of his children. When humans are placed under intense circumstances, as we often are, the line of wright and wrong becomes more relative. For example: If Jim lives in a country that has been experiencing drought for over 2 years and he steals a loaf of bread to feed his starving family the fact that he stole is overshadowed by his intention to save them.

Life overall is very relative but, there are some Truths that can be applied to all reaches of humanity. There are some things that everyone has in common. Love and pain are two examples but I am sure there are more. Relativism is not a reasonable approach to Ethics because it has no authority or starting ground to say that some things are right or some things are wrong. In Relativism all things are right and wrong at the same time, which does not make sense.

Learn more about Relativism: http://www.moral-relativism.com/

Question 2: Paideia

My educational career has not particularly helped me experience Paideia. It has had a part in it of course, but only when looking at the big picture. I have been raised to examine the meaningful and pay less attention to the trivial. It is my instinctive nature to prioritize and find greater meaning in issues I feel more passionate about.
The support and recognition I have received from my educators and peers has encouraged me to grow into an independent thinker. Without the love from them and my family, I would probably have a poor ability to act on the meaningful vs. the insignificant. It is because of my overall positive environment that I have been able to find my way to paideia. I anticipate my future as a citizen of society whose main priorities are justice, education, and love.

Cornel West "Gifts of the Black Folk part II"

These are some of my favorite quotes from Cornel West's podcast "Gifts From The Black Folk" partII. I chose these particular quotes because I understood them the first time I heard the podcast. These quotes speak for themselvs. Many other parts I liked but I had to re-listen to them to fully understand. The following quotes jumped out at me right from the start, I can relate with them on a more personal level.

25:15
“…since 911 we all feel unsafe, unprotected subject to random violence, and hated for who we are, that the whole nation has become “niggerized” in a particular way. When I look at the American people I see American citizens being constituted the way niggers once were. Intimidated, fearful, subject to manipulation, lied to, and if you oppose the lie you are called a liar. Under control and surveillance, and if you resisted control and surveillance you become the traitor. Mechanisms of torture. You critique the torture, you become unpatriotic, and black folks say “been here before”, “heard this kind of language before.”…”

31:50
“Maturity is always about mastering the courage to look forms of death in the face and not to hold it at arms length and escape from it but work though it. That’s precisely why life, affirmation is rooted in facing forms of death.”

36:20
“How do we engage in critical reflection, questioning integration, muster the courage to think so critically for ourselves that we’re willing to think against the grain: outside of the box. To be non-conformists to fundamentally believe that there is something about intellectual integrity as an intrinsic value and therefore on openness to a variety of different perspectives because we acknowledge the abundance of the inexhaustible variety of the way in which people view the world and therefore: we must listen to one another.”

54:40
“You can’t talk about the gifts of black folk unless you’re willing to talk about things that you are willing to live and die fore, and I’m not saying martyrdom is normative, but somebody’s got to do it. It’s the very blood of such folk that fertilize the possibility for democratic change and transformation of the next generation…”

My First Post

I have made an Ethics Blog!