Last updated on August 21, 2020
Remember, let’s be polite; let’s be respectful, but most of all, let’s be outspoken.
2,966 men and women died on September 11, 2001. Some died instantaneously when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center. Others jumped off the 1,368-foot building, stayed within the collapsing building, were burnt alive, or suffocated to death. New York’s first responders were decimated in the rubble and 343 firefighters were killed. In the aftermath of 9/11, multiple diseases and cancers spread, surpassing the deaths of the actual event.
After 9/11, George W. Bush signed the Patriot Act of 2001. The Act states the government has the right to obstruct any acts of terrorism by any means necessary.
This means, with the permission of the phone company, the CIA can tap phone calls without a warrant. It means that FBI SWAT teams can break into a suspected terrorist’s house without a search warrant. Which does not align with the 4th Amendment providing proper search and seizure.
The Act, as one can imagine, sparked major controversy from the left and right of the political spectrum. Some Republican senators said it was a violation of a fundamental constitutional right. While Democratic senators said it was necessary to stop a second 9/11.
Riots broke in the streets and political commentators were furious. The three governmental branches debated on specific legislation to address the Patriot Act.
Therefore, with the coming of the Patriot Act, came the debate of surveillance against freedom. The National Security Administration( NSA) established a network of security and surveillance cameras to keep the American public under constant supervision.
According to the NSA, there are over 300 million cameras currently installed in America alone. As technology is advancing, there are more and more possibilities for developing surveillance tactics.
This caused widespread panic and fear among people. Certain groups didn’t like the constant information that the government was obtaining with the click of the button. In which some people called the status quo, “The Beginning of the End.”
Potential reasons a Republic can fall
Republic- “A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.”
Depending on how one defines “republic,” America is the seventh oldest republic. What is remarkable and scary about America’s government is that it is almost 250 years old.
Historically speaking, most republics fall before or at their 250th birthday. Therefore, since the 2016 election, there is large precedence on the stability of the nation.
Throughout history, the first thing in the transition from a republic to a totalitarian state is the removal of basic liberties. For example, Adolf Hitler used executive powers as chancellor of the once democratic state of Germany to implement a strict gun ban.
Joseph Stalin ordered a complete governmental take over of the Russian press. Hugo Chavez implemented socialist ideas to have a complete grip on oil companies in order to destroy the idea of the free market within Venezuela.
Another cause for a republic to fall is too much military power or just power in general. This excessive power can be seen in the Gold Age of the Roman Empire. The problem with the spread of military power is the government does not have enough resources to sustain military forces that are too spread out around the world.
Right now, America has a defense budget of over 700 billion dollars. However, this budget pays for the military in France, Britain, and most western countries. Most of Japan’s army is literally our army. Which means America’s overall army is spread out around the world.
Another cause of the collapse of the Roman empire was political corruptness. Now, granted, there is no such thing as a corrupt-less government, but the US government has multiple incidents of corruption. For example, one can argue the Jussie Smollett case was a clear example of domestic police corruption. Even within the 2016 election, both sides had some form of corruption.
On Clinton’s side, was the immediate dismal of the James Comey FBI investigation into using a personal email account for foreign and domestic affairs. While Trump did not release his tax returns in which people thought was because he was suspected of tax evasion and lying about being a millionaire.
As said before, the United States has a 700 billion army. To add to this arsenal, the government also has 6,800 decommissioned and commissioned nukes and 300 million surveillance cameras courtesy of the NSA.
It is not a secret that the US is a ticking time bomb ready to implode on the world. How the government uses said power will determine the future of this country.
The Importance of Maintaining Liberty
The American Constitution is the supreme law of the land. What happens in legal systems, Congress, and the on the streets of roaming police officers happens because of the Constitution. As Thomas Jefferson once claimed it is laws, not people, that govern.
However, a famously acclaimed speaker and writer, Ben Shapiro held a speaking event at the University of Utah. But because of his conservative values, rallies and protests were formed hours before the actual event.
Hundreds of kids were looting and rioting the nearby streets of the University of Utah. The pandemonium became so chaotic that Shapiro had to increase his security detail. A local news reporter confronted the leader of the riots.
The leader said, “I don’t think he should speak.”
“But that doesn’t really confer with the First Amendment.”
“I don’t care.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s not a relevant document right now.”
Generalizations are typically not the best thing to do in judging something. However, the way the rising tide of millennials is operating is concerning. The leader has every legal right to protest against something he feels is unjust. However, what is keeping him from being thrown in jail and being stripped of his liberties in the constitution.
The constitution is a masterful piece of literature. It pioneers the American dream and inspires a sense of cultivation and prosperity. It allows people to express their beliefs freely. It grants the press to print and exercise free journalism.
To put it simply, the Bill of Rights metaphorically defines what it means to be an American and an agent of equality. The beauty of the Constitution is that it paved the road for America to become the most advanced and economically stable countries in the history of mankind.
If we operate under that mentality, we have a chance to keep the idea of a Republic alive. Vigilance is key. We must protest and rise up against a government that is obstructing our freedoms. The reason the Republic of America has been prevalent for so long is because the American people believed in a tomorrow.
That one day, the evils and oppression we see today will be dismantled when our children are born. That benevolence and magnanimity surge in the minds of the American people. Where we become the beacon of morality and freedom for the citizens of the world. If and when we are able to achieve that, the Republic will not fall.
Remember, let’s be polite; let’s be respectful, but most of all, let’s be outspoken.
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