I'm concerned, very concerned, with the unchecked powers of the President (not just Obama, but with any person who assumes the office). I'm not so much concerned with the powers themselves, though we need to have a discussion as a nation about the ethical issues of drones and the NSA, but with the fact these are completely unchecked or balanced powers. This does come down to Congress on a certain level. We have three branches of government for a reason, to keep the others in check, to provide oversight, and to prevent one branch from running over the people and the other branches.
I'm on the fence about drones. I don't like them, but I also don't like having to send in military forces and risking their lives. I don't like that American citizens have been targets for drone attacks. This is in direct conflict with our Constitution and clearly illegal. No matter how much of a terrorist these Americans had become, they still were American citizens who deserve their right to a trial. I also think if we really want to lead the world, we need to do so by example. Instead of killing people, bring them to trial, regardless if they are American citizens or not. That is how leading is done. Capture them, take them to the Hague. Obviously, this is an ideal, and not always practical. In instances where this is not practical (and that phrasing provides too much wiggle room), and the person targeted is clearly a threat... I don't know what the answer is. But more than just the President should have to sign off on drone strikes.
The NSA collecting so much data... If it worked I might be convinced if simple regulations were in place to prevent abuses (i.e. none of the data collected could be used for any purpose other than detecting and subverting terrorist activity), but it doesn't seem to have been very effective. It needs to be chucked, shutdown, destroyed. And Snowden? He shouldn't have to be hiding in a Russian airport with the Russian government in talks with the US to prevent his torture or death. He should be commended and respected. He exposed one of the biggest government infringements (if not the single biggest) on citizens' privacy. He should be held up as a hero, not demonized.
Would I have voted differently?
Maybe. I certainly would not have voted for Romney, perhaps Stein. But this is really tied up with our two party system. We effectively only get two choices, the Democrats or the Republicans, and they both suck. There are only a handful of independents or third party members in office nationwide. They simply cannot gain enough traction or compete with the money available to the two main parties.
I'm on the fence about drones. I don't like them, but I also don't like having to send in military forces and risking their lives. I don't like that American citizens have been targets for drone attacks. This is in direct conflict with our Constitution and clearly illegal. No matter how much of a terrorist these Americans had become, they still were American citizens who deserve their right to a trial. I also think if we really want to lead the world, we need to do so by example. Instead of killing people, bring them to trial, regardless if they are American citizens or not. That is how leading is done. Capture them, take them to the Hague. Obviously, this is an ideal, and not always practical. In instances where this is not practical (and that phrasing provides too much wiggle room), and the person targeted is clearly a threat... I don't know what the answer is. But more than just the President should have to sign off on drone strikes.
The NSA collecting so much data... If it worked I might be convinced if simple regulations were in place to prevent abuses (i.e. none of the data collected could be used for any purpose other than detecting and subverting terrorist activity), but it doesn't seem to have been very effective. It needs to be chucked, shutdown, destroyed. And Snowden? He shouldn't have to be hiding in a Russian airport with the Russian government in talks with the US to prevent his torture or death. He should be commended and respected. He exposed one of the biggest government infringements (if not the single biggest) on citizens' privacy. He should be held up as a hero, not demonized.
Would I have voted differently?
Maybe. I certainly would not have voted for Romney, perhaps Stein. But this is really tied up with our two party system. We effectively only get two choices, the Democrats or the Republicans, and they both suck. There are only a handful of independents or third party members in office nationwide. They simply cannot gain enough traction or compete with the money available to the two main parties.
