1. The Surveillance State
How close are we to 1984?

2. Vocabulary
FISA
NSA
Wiretapping
Patriot Act

3. Order vs. Freedom
How far should the government go to protect its citizens from foreign threats?
And
What civil liberties are embedded in our constitution to prevent government abuses?

4. Clash between two constitutional principles
4th Amendment – no unwarranted search and seizures.
President is commander in chief – war power; additionally, the President in Article II is given so called emergency powers “to preserve, protect and defend” offers immediate power to maintain order and safety .

5. National Security Agency NSA
$8 Billion annually
35,000 employees
6,500 languages
More PhD’s in math than anywhere else
Largest employer in Maryland

6. What the NSA does

7. “Vacuum surveillance”

8. What can the government see?
Every purchase you make with a credit card, every magazine subscription you buy and medical prescription you fill, every Web site you visit and you send or receive, every academic grade you receive, every bank deposit you make, every trip you book.

9. Their purpose The NSA was created to monitor foreign intelligence.
They are prohibited from spying domestically

10. The watch list List of people who are under suspicion
Prior to 9/11 there were 20 names
Over 500,000 today

11. The Fourth Amendment
“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.”

12. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act FISA
Created in the wake of government abuses
A secret court determines if someone can be under surveillance.
The court has turned down only 3 requests in 30 years.

13. Crossing the line
After 9/11 President Bush ordered the mass unwarranted eavesdropping of Americans.
Violation of FISA is a felony
The telecommunications industry cooperated with the NSA and turned over s
This June the Senate voted to grant the telecommunication industry immunity
The extent of the eavesdropping will not be known for some time

14. Violations of the 4th Amendment
the tendency of government so often is to regard opponents of its policies as a threat.
No American should be subject to surveillance without a warrant from a neutral judge.

15. What is the difference between a democracy and a totalitarian government?
No spying without a warrant
No one is above the law
Constitutional protections of civil rights
Spying on ordinary citizens
Law applies only to ordinary people
No protections

16. Spectrum
The President should not have the right to order the assassination of U.S. citizens without due process.
The government should not be able to listen to my phone calls unless they have a warrant.
No individual’s information should be private if the nation’s security is at risk.

17. THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS A WARRANT TO SPY ON CITIZENS.
Resolved
THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS A WARRANT TO SPY ON CITIZENS.