Essay - How Free Is the Individual Will Within Society?' When the...

How Free is the Individual Will within Society?"

When the Founding Fa*****rs created the Constitution of the United States, and shortly thereafter the Bill of Rights, they did so with the intention of putting into place a government that would work for the people. Among the tools they felt were of great importance were the Amendments that ***** permit the people to govern the government that was presumably working ***** *****m. (Rossiter.) Those articles guaranteed, among other rights, the individual's right ***** a free press, *****dom of speech, and the right to privacy. All of these ***** meant to encourage an individual to remain just that. Freedom of press and speech were held to be vehicles through which the public could express its opinions ***** the government. (Douglas.)

In ***** wake of the tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001, however, the government has been banishing rather than protecting those ***** that ***** originally granted to U.S. citizens. A government that is ignoring its own Constitution ***** no longer protecting the will ***** the *****. According to Gerald Johnson, author of "The American Presidency," ***** Founding Fathers "would be astounded if they knew the changes that have occurred." (Johnson.)

***** many individuals currently have some objection to the "war" ***** was declared by the President rather ***** by Congress as the Founding Fathers ***** have intended, it is no longer safe for an individual to voice those objections. In a bizarre irony ***** ***** still unfolding, those who are exercising their rights as Americans are now being called "un-American" ***** simply exercising their *****. Privacy is being violated by government agents ***** have created for themselves the right to investigate anything it considers to be an "un-Americ*****" activ*****y, or "un-American" materials. The "*****" activities include merely possessing books or artwork that contain anti-war sentiments, or hanging posters on the walls of one's living room that are not in support of the ***** ***** George W. Bush.

At 5 P.M., Oc*****ber 26, 2001, A. J. Brown, a freshman at Durham Technical Community College ***** North Carolina, responded to an unexpected knock at her door. Two v*****itors were present. After flashing their identifications, Brown learned that the visitors ***** Secret Service agents from the Raleigh branch of ***** federal *****. They stated, "We're ********** because we have a report that you have 'un-American' material in your apartment."

*****, I don't ***** anything like *****," she replied.

Are you sure?" they *****, "Because ***** got a report that *****'ve ***** a poster that's anti-American." Brown replied that she had nothing anti-American, which was the truth because all of the posters in her apartment simply reflected her *****dividual American opinions. The poster *****y were in search of ***** in protest of the 152 people put to death while George W. ***** was governor of Texas. (Rothschild.)

***** to ***** same source in The Progressive, which has been a respected voice for democr*****cy, peace, social justice, civil rights, civil liberties, and environmental aw*****ness since 1909,