Reading Response #4

Man while reading I got very upset about my invasion of privacy. I understand the helping protect from us from crime and police brutality but the government is out of control, not to mention all the tax dollars going to waste while we are in a quadruple trillion dollar deficit. I thing is we have went all these years without these cameras why start now?
I think the Mangu-Ward essay brought up a lot of good pros and cons. It pointed out all the logic that they use behind cameras and then told how we the American people view them. As she stated many people’s actions would change if you know you are being watched and monitored. A kid doesn’t take a cookie out of the cookie jar when his mother is looking the same way a criminal doesn’t rob a bank when the police make their rounds by the bank. However I believe this is getting out of control. If we are always being watched are we not operating under the same terms as communist nation? This feeling of the government is all knowing underhand’s the right of privacy. Although the cameras are in public places should we not be able to go about our day in peace. It is like we are under a giant microscope like an experiment and under constant observation. This brief writing is shedding light to a little known subject that as times goes on can result in future problems. I like the tem he uses of “the age of zero privacy” referring to even before the cameras were used a trip to the ATM, subway and cell phones were already being used to keep ‘tabs’ if you will on us. There is a signal in every cell phone that shows your current location and can be intercepted into by the Feds at anytime. If you use your card to take the subway your location is made known. Is there a such thing as privacy anymore? I like the idea of checks and balances on law officials but any tape can be edited or removed as shown in the Watergate Conspiracy. In the end the only party directly affected are us the citizen losing our right to privacy just because. The worst part is we pay for it indirectly with our tax dollars. Just because we don’t see the cameras does that make it right for them to see us?
Now this DNA thing tripped me out. I believe in solving crimes and getting evidence but this “abandoned DNA” is sleazy, underhanded and grimy. In the case of John Athan, would it be too much to bring him in for questioning and then take a DNA sample. Writing a fake letter and because of his licking the envelope he was found guilty. They set him up and I find nothing to find this use of police tactics constitutional. I thought that’s what warrants were for, in my opinion this is another we are the law and we do what want, abusing of power. As Joh stated the 4th amendment does not say you cannot use the “abandoned DNA” seeing how it was written in before we had cars it can be used to the laws advantage. This is a crack in the system and as the saying goes they are milking the cow. Shreds of DNA are left everywhere something you have no control over. This is cause serious problems if police are allowed to collect this because they just have a hunch or suspicion. You can essentially plant evidence and there would be no way to prove it. The idea of there being a way to identify a criminal gene seems a little farfetched. I believe we all make decisions in life and not that we are programmed to wrong or right. As Joh stated in the conclusion, “collection of abandoned DNA by police threatens the privacy rights of everyone”. If you are walking in the mall and drop your car keys would it be right for someone to pick up the “abandoned keys” and take your car? In the same light just because our DNA is dropped everywhere doesn’t mean police should be allowed to take our identity.
This idea of the national identity card makes it feel as if we’re no longer individuals but just a number. The logic of identifying Americans when the terrorist were not American makes little to no sense. Once again the 4th amendment was used as the basis of this proposal. I believe the 4th amendment should be amended because of the changing times to help better protect us the citizens in this technological age. The Bill of Rights was to protect citizens not grant the government access to whatever they see fit.
The central theme I sense is that of privacy laws not really being private. Whenever Uncle Sam wants to do something he can with no opposition. I think more misuse of power should be made known to the American public.