Information From The Public Regarding Terrorism example essay topic

Imagine yourself as a current-day writer, who is frozen and wakes up in the United States 100 years from now. The country has changed a lot from what you remember. Technology has advanced, language seems to have evolved more, and nothing looks the same. As you roam the streets, you try to gain a somewhat understandable perception of this advanced country around you. You pick up a newspaper, and notice something rather strange about every article - the only source of information is the U.S. Government. As you read further, you notice very little information is given at all.

All the details published are provided by the government's opinions. Thinking back to the year 2003, you remember that high school publications were already censored and college censorship was in progress. The trend, unfortunately and surprisingly, may have moved all the way to professional journalistic organizations, such as newspapers and magazines. Even though this fabricated outlook of the future is no definite reality, it gives examples of the likely outcome of the patterns that are being set today.

If nothing is done, trends of censorship in high school and college may lead to full censorship in the United States regarding all aspects of our country, thus violating the First Amendment of our Constitutional Rights. The First Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that "congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances". A journalist, writer, editor, etc., believes in this right and uses it in order to perform for the public. However, with the courts starting to take away these rights, it affects both those willing to share information with others, and those striving to learn about events affecting our country. Using censorship greatly affects tragic outcomes in our country, one target greatly affected: terrorism. If censorship enables the public to be blinded by unrealistic perceptions of a perfect world, then any tragedy could result in great confusion.

Dennis Jeff, a writer and a former U.S. ambassador to Peru wrote, "The U.S. is not unique in being threatened by terrorism, and it will not be unique if the response is for the majority to accept the violation of the rights of a few in exchange for the promise of greater security. Some would argue that this has already happened". If censorship was used to the extent of harboring information from the public regarding terrorism, we are not giving our country a fair chance to work in unity and form an open-mind. Edmund H. Mosca, chief of the Old Saybrook Police Department, said that. ".. the misleading information distorts the successful strategies that have both preserved every citizen's civil liberties, while also neutralizing potential terrorist activities". In doing this, intelligence of our country is at its disadvantage and given little opportunity to be useful. In an article published in The Day on Sunday, August 31, 2003, it says that "Blatant lies and manipulations are rained upon us regularly, but when they become a hailstorm we must know that the cloud makers are worried".

I believe this means that censorship is strongly growing throughout the United States, and with its increase, it is foolishly making situations worse. By not sharing information with the public, it causes little preparation, and who said that the Government knows how to make all the right decisions? Censorship should be denied in the aspects of current events affecting our nation, because we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all... and if this is what we pledge every morning, we should apply it to our daily lives no matter the situation. So this brings us back to you, 100 years from now.

You have the opportunity to stay. The great technology is tempting, but staying would mean settling with a life of delusion. The people here do not realize they are cheated every day by their government. They don't even know their president died two years ago because the government thought that sharing that information would create chaos. You also have the option of returning to your own time with this new knowledge and continuing your life as if nothing happened. You know that if you go back you will have to take advantage of your freedom of speech, which is slowly disappearing, and you'd have to tell the public what could happen in the future because of censorship and increased governmental control.

In conclusion, you have to make a decision. The answer is obvious when you recall upon a famous figure in history, Thomas Jefferson, when he said these words: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter.".