Dowless 1 Ben Dowless Connie S. Douglas English 1102-093 9 February 2014 Is the NSA Wrong to Spy?

Beginning in June of 2013, a man named Edward Snowden began leaking information about the National Security Agency (NSA). He made it clear to the public and those in foreign nations that the NSA was spying on them. The NSA was spying on American citizens by gathering information like who and individual called, how long the call lasted, who they were emailing, and what they were searching on the internet. They were also spying on European nations. Most namely, the NSA had tapped into German Chancellor Angela Merkels phone calls. They were able to hear everything. Some were outraged by this revelation. Some however, were in support of the NSA. In his article Dont Air NSAs Activities in Public John Yoo states that not only should the NSA be allowed to do this, they should not have to comment on it. Yoo believes that the general public shouldnt worry about the NSA. Contrary to Yoo, David Cole states in The Lives of Others that American citizens and European leaders are being robbed of their rights to privacy. Cole wants the American public to stand against the NSA so that they will stop spying on innocent citizens and world leaders. Each author had very clear arguments and were able to establish their views on the matter. John Yoo is able to make it very clear that he believes the NSA should not be under fire due to the revelation that they were spying on American citizens and world leaders. When our founding fathers framed the Constitution they never could have known what kind of technology

Dowless 2 the world would have in the future. Therefore, Yoo states that the NSA spying on phone calls and emails is completely within their legal rights. The fourth amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, has been a big topic during this political storm. Many angry citizens have claimed that this amendment protects them from spying when in fact it does not. It only protects from unreasonable searches of ones home and the taking of any possessions. The NSA only knows who an individual called and how long the call lasted. The content of the call is unknown. Additionally, they only know who one is emailing, not the content. So there is no wrong doing by the NSA. Also, through spying and gathering intelligence the Navy SEALs of SEAL Team 6 were able to kill Osama bin-laden and bring about an end to the war on terror. The gathering of intelligence is very important to the nations safety and security. Yoo states, Instead of risking the loss of intelligence sources and methods, we should continue to follow the constitutional design (Yoo 1) One weak point in the essay is when Yoo states, Of course, the NSA should not receive a blank check (Yoo 1). This statement contradicts the overall argument he is trying to make. However, it does not take away from the strength of the argument. He uses fact and evidence to back his statements and does so in a well-organized manner. In The Lives of Others David Cole is upset with the NSA and believes the American people should be as well. He argues that the NSA should stop what they are doing because it is an infringement upon the rights of Americans and those abroad. This is a very weak argument due to the fact that nowhere in the Constitution does it state that American citizens are safe from the NSA knowing who they have been in contact with over the phone or email. Also, foreigners do not have the same rights as Americans. Foreign world leaders are very obviously not American citizens so they are not protected by any laws that the United States government has set in stone. Cole contradicts himself by saying, And we desperately need international

Dowless 3 cooperation is we are to protect ourselves from global terrorist threats (Cole 2). How can we protect ourselves without gathering intelligence and spying on others? Spying and gathering intelligence are key elements a nation needs to adequately protect its people. Overall, Coles argument was very weak. He had very little evidence to back up his claims and was not able to create a sound argument. John Yoo was much more successful than David Cole. Yoo was able to back his arguments with facts and evidence whereas Cole had very little of both in his essay. Both authors appeal to their audiences equally. Those who are in support of the NSA will agree with Yoo because of the evidence he is able to present. Those who are opposed to the NSA will agree with Cole simply because he has the same opinion as they do. Because Cole does not present evidence they will be ignorant of the facts themselves. This shows that as a nation America is extremely divided. The American people will never agree on one topic. There will always be those who are of one opinion and those of the exact opposite. There will be constant argument over who is right and who is wrong but a decision will never be reached. America is a diverse nation with diverse opinions. There will never be a conclusion to arguments such as these.

Works Cited

Dowless 4 COLE D. The Lives of Others. Nation [serial on the Internet]. (2013, Dec 2), [cited February 10, 2014]; 297(22): 4-8. Available from: Academic Search Complete. John, Yoo. "Don't air NSA's activities in public." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.