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Thomas Wozencraft Professor Jerome McKeever English 101H-Argument 17 March 2014 Word Count: 1635 Tom Wozencraft: Argument We have all witnessed at least once in our lives punishment that was wrongly given or dramatically and excessively severe to the point it was cruel and wrong, but what did you do about it and what will America do now as every last right is taken away one law at a time? In the United States laws are implemented at an alarming rate for a vast portion of issues. Subsequently it would be impossible for the general public to be capable of voting upon each and every law. Our government does this on its own, it creates and approves its own laws. As a result slowly and slowly laws have been implemented that provide the government more power while taking the rights away from the people. You will see results of this abuse to our freedom all the way from the head of our government down to your local police force. Gone are the days that the police serve to protect. Now what you will see is officers in expensive sports cars hiding behind signs on the highway with radar guns in their hands waiting to fine the public hundreds of dollars for driving 5 over the speed limit. Reform must be made in every aspect of government because without it laws will continue to threaten the freedom of citizens in the United States and lead to corruption and revolution.

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One issue effecting the citizens of the United States in much need of reform is privacy evasion and the inability of citizens to veto this legislation directly since even people within the government alerting the public of these improper laws does not always help to stop them. What the United States form of government provides is a system where the general public has lost its ability to combat improper, privacy evading, constitutionally defying laws that condemn our rights and our freedom. Edward Snowden is an individual formally employed by the United States central intelligence agency. In early 2013 Snowden become a whistle blower when he resigned from his position and publically announced the governments ways of operation as it pertained to invading its citizens privacy. It is no secret that our government has been accused of phone tapping and listening our phone calls, video chats, texts messages, and almost every other aspect of our life. But what has really shocked the public is the fact that not all these terrifying fact our true but in addition the government also records all of this information, forever. Without reform these laws will continue to take away citizens freedom and privacy. Fundamentally, the governments invasion citizens privacy without warrant and in direct violation of the United States Constitution is leading to a direct loss in freedom. An eye opening event occurred just after the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center when Thomas Drake, former senior executive for the National Security Agency, brought forth to the media information revealing the corrupted and constitutionally violating operation known as the Stellar Wind Program. Having direct supervision over all operations Drake witnessed the program approved by the Whitehouse refrain from obtaining warrants and illegally record and listen to the phone conversations, emails, and texts of millions of Americans. Drake seized information supporting the existence of the program and brought it to the attention of the

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media. Siobhan Gorman a reporting wrote an article in 2006 about the warrantless surveillance of Americans that caused a dramatic stir in the media and in the eyes of the public feeding the mass of conspiracy theories and investigational reporting seen on media and news networks today. These types to discoveries have directly led to the distrust the public has for the government today and the issues surrounding privacy invasion. However even the hope of whistleblower helping the freedom of the people is being jeopardized due to the governments abuse of particular laws. Thomas Drake and many individuals like him who have become whistleblowers have been charged with the vague but condemning law known as the Espionage Act. This act allows the government to discern acts of treason and convict based on anything that may reveal secrets of the government. Unfortunately the act is effective even if secrets jeopardizing the freedom of the people are leaked. This act can even result in the death sentence for those convicted. Throughout the Bush administration and the Obama administration this act has been heavily enforced and has caused many to fear coming forward with information that may help the freedom of citizens. The Obama administration has shown its support by charging and convicting more individuals of espionage than any other administration in the past. Leading by fear with a lack of support for the constitution has lead few to speak out against the governments injustices. The Documentary War on Whistleblowers written by Robert Greenwald, is excellent as it identifies the troubles of many of heroes who blew the whistle on the government and its corrupt spending and invasion of citizens privacy. War on Whistleblowers explains the issues behind becoming one of those whistleblowing individuals and the fate that awaits while providing history on those who have made the choice to become one in the nations past.

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Some insight into the terrible future the United States may face can even be predicted and dramatized in some of the fictional movies display in Movie Theater as much of these movies contain a plot where a strong government has taken all control, much like the future we will face without reform. The fictional move Judge portrays a society in the future being overrun by population being heavily controlled by a powerful government. The movies plot follows individuals who work for law enforcement with extraordinarily powerful weapons raiding the streets for criminals. These individuals are given the power from government to on spot judge a person based on their actions, sentence and prosecute. The 2012 movie Hunger Games portrays a society with a government so powerful it actually kidnaps children from its villages and forces them to fight other children from other villages to the death. The horrifying part of this is how the government legitimizes this to be necessary and socially acceptable. In the movie the rich watch the games take place as the poor fighting to the de ath becomes socially acceptable. So one must ask how far away our current society is from becoming one of these horror movies where government enslaves and imprisons its citizens. With the government watching everyones every word and breathe to police forces being able to stop and frisk an individual for any reason at all. How far away is the United States from becoming a nation with no rights given to its people? A nations where members of your family may be kidnapped and sent to fight to the death or imprisoned and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. Without reform it is curtain this will become a reality. Another devastating impact to citizens rights and ability to retain freedom derives from the United States corrupt and overly complicated judicial system. As a result of the United States complicated judicial system it has become impossible to combat charges brought

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against a person without expensive professional representation by a lawyer. The laws that are in place complicate this system. The days of being innocent until proven guilty are over. This results in a fatal flaws in our judicial society. The true thieves, criminals, and killers often due to their profession have the financial ability to hire the proper legal representation that ultimately find a loophole to escape punishment. A perfect example of this occurred just a few years ago where a scandal that took place on wall street lead to representatives of a major banks stole money and ultimately walked away with no more punishment that a minor fine. All the while the average hard working honest American is imprisoned and taken advantage of because the average American cannot afford to hire the proper help. Many have stated that it appears that if one possesses the right amount of money that one is above the law. This has become entirely true in the United States. Pardons are given to the criminals with the money while imprisonment and fines are given to those that cannot afford to defend themselves from the twisted evil beast that is our judicial system. In October of 2013 the congressman Trey Radel was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and was ultimately sentenced to 1 year probation with no jail time and no fine. However thousands were convicted and given the full sentence. This is a perfect example of how those who have the money and power get off easy. This is the downfall of our freedom and our country. The United States was once a country designed to be the land of the free. The United States intent was to be a country dedicated to stand for the rights of the people. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. With citizens rights being taken away one law at a time it is fate that the country will end in corruption, and hostility. The fictional movies displayed in our theaters may display a clear image of the future of our nation. With the way in

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which our government operates itself it has become evident a revolution and reform is necessary to counter the extreme constitutional violations the government has exercised with its corrupt laws and complicated judicial system. There is a real issue that faces our nations citizens every day. At the rate at which this corruption continues, without a reform it is guaranteed the free nation the United States was intended to be will become a dictatorship one day soon.