It is difficult at times to be upset about things that we cannot visually see or experience.­ Without tangible physical, sensory experiences the human mind tends to forget, or not even care at all.­

For the past fifty plus years the National Security Agency (NSA) has been doing a pretty good job at being “out of sight, out of mind.”­ The NSA remained a little ambiguous to ordinary citizens, and kept its international communications spying quiet.

Since 9/11, however, the NSA has had a slightly more visible profile, as they have become a little-tiny-bit more important.

In May of 2013, a computer specialist by the name of Edward Snowden came forward to let American citizens know the NSA had expanded its operations.

The NSA, Snowden said, is no longer concerned only with international communication, but had all of us, American citizens, under surveillance as well.

According to Snowden, the NSA wiretaps phone calls, collects phone bills, spies on our internet browsing, and can essentially observe, record, and save any electronic form of communication they wish, on anybody, anywhere, and at anytime.

Snowden was later charged with espionage, but many have come forward to support him, including former president Jimmy Carter.

Although Snowden’s revelation was not entirely shocking, it did create widespread national alarm about what our federal government is really up to.

The main justification for this heightened and overwhelming amount of surveillance is the prevention of terror attacks.

Many believe the United States is most vulnerable to terrorist attacks that will be planned and executed within our own country, from individuals living here, working here, and utilizing our communication resources.

The only way to truly prevent another 9/11 is to be vigilant about monitoring as much communication within the country as possible.

No doubt, there have been many times throughout American history in which our leaders have suspended, if not outright eliminated, certain rights and liberties during times of war.

For instance, Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War.­ Citizens were thrown into jail and held there without any trial, rhyme or reason.

During World War I, Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Sedition Act in 1918, which made it illegal to speak out against the United States or any of its policies.­ Citizens who protested the war were arrested, thrown in jail, and sometimes held there for lengthy amounts of time without explanation.

Clearly, our rights and freedoms as Americans are not always as guaranteed as most of us would hope.­ Although they are written down in an important document, they are not necessarily really what we experience on the streets, or in our daily lives, and (aside from the examples given above) this might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Most would agree there are certain times we need to give up certain freedoms so we are safer and can benefit from the protections afforded to us by law and order.

Despite this, after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, our domestic monitoring increased dramatically.

Agents at the NSA began to take their surveillance to a whole new level, demanding records and documents from major communication companies, like AT&T.­ Was it legal for the NSA to request hundreds upon thousands of phone call records from AT&T?

No.

But they did it anyway, and the surveillance increased so much that William Binney, who had been in charge of the NSA for nearly 30 years, decided to resign and speak out against it.

Interestingly, Binney’s exit didn’t seem to exactly excite anybody in the mainstream news media.

Since 2001, our world has changed dramatically.­ The use of the Internet in our daily life has grown tremendously.­ We do not merely use the email for work or school purposes; we are all connected to the Internet almost 24/7.

We have iPhones, iMacs, Blackberries and a whole host of other smart phones and devices that keep us connected to the Internet and to each other almost constantly.

The problem with this new level of surveillance is that although it might protect us from terrorist attacks at home, and we might be safer, it also makes ordinary citizens more vulnerable in the long run, especially considering the extent to which we are all connected by the World Wide Web.

Another very real problem is the lack of checks and balances on the government’s newly increased authority of surveillance.

Anyone can be monitored, anywhere, at any time, and for any reason, and if it happens to be you, you will not know about it.

For the ordinary American, this may not seem very significant, especially since most of our daily lives are probably somewhat routine, ordinary, and normal.

Regardless, should it be legal for the government to spy on you, and save files of information on you and your daily life (without even your own knowledge)?

Although these issues are some practical reasons for us to be truly concerned, there are also larger ones at stake.

What is really at stake is not just our privacy, but also our democracy.­ Isn’t our government responsible for representing our best interests?­ The Constitution, and our Bill of Rights are meant to protect particular freedoms and rights identified by our government as being significant, important and humane.

The NSA’s actions and illegal policies have called into question how protected our rights and liberties truly are in today’s time.

We are so lucky to have been born in a country in which our rights and liberties are visible and known to all of us.­ Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are not idle notions.

Regardless, the promise of a democracy is never quite a promise. It is the responsibility of us, as citizens, to stay informed, vocal, and active, and to keep those principles real and valid for us in today’s time.

Without us, our democratic ideals are only as good as historical documents can be: interesting, poetic, and thoughtful notions, but reflective only of the past.

Toini Hiipakka, is a graduate student of history.­ She loves grapefruit, and has a crush on Lyndon B. Johnson.