Ben Franklin's Crystal Ball

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin


It seems almost as if Ben Franklin could see into the future of American politics. A few years ago, the government created a bill called the Patriot Act. Among its provisions, the act increased the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone and e-mail communications and medical, financial, and other records. However, this Act violates a lot of our liberties granted by the 4th amendment of the Constitution, which is:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures

The government claims that it's better to give up these civil liberties than to be susceptible to domestic terrorism. If Ben Franklin were still alive, he would whole-heartedly disagree. I agree with Franklin. Surely there must better ways of combating the threat of terrorism than sacrificing civil liberties. Ironically, we are less safe in America today than we were when we passed the Patriot Act.

However, there is a modern-day example of people with power who agree with Franklin. Recently, a federal judge in NY ruled that a particular provision of the Patriot Act was "highly illegal and unconstitutional."