Newswise — Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis faculty experts can comment on presidential powers, civil liberties and national security as these topics relate to the current debate over National Security Agency monitoring of telephone calls and e-mail messages.
Johnny Goldfinger, assistant professor, political science, School of Liberal Arts. Goldfinger teaches history of political thought (Plato-Nietzsche), democratic decision-making, critiques of modernity, and political theory after 9/11.
"The spying controversy reflects the tensions between liberal-democratic values, utilitarianism, egoism, and brute self-preservation. Because people implicitly use different criteria when evaluating this issue (as with other national security issues), they often talk past each other without examining the fundamental principles that ground their opinions. Are there some liberal-democratic values that should never be violated? Should we sacrifice the rights of a few citizens for the safety of the rest? Should the protection of life and property be our fundamental priority? Until these types of questions can be answered intelligibly, the spying controversy cannot be examined intelligibly."
Henry C. Karlson, professor of law, IU School of Law-Indianapolis. Karlson teaches criminal procedure, which deals with the 4th amendment (search and seizure), and was a military trial judge during the Vietnam War.
"The 4th Amendment does not by its express language prohibit the search or seizure of messages sent to or from the United States. It merely prohibits 'unreasonable' searches and seizures. Federal appellate courts have previously held that it is not unreasonable for the President of the United States, acting pursuant to authority granted him by the United States Constitution, to conduct searches and seizures without a search warrant when his motive for the search or seizure is national security."
Leslie Lenkowsky, professor, public affairs and philanthropic studies, School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Lenkowsky teaches philanthropy and public policy, comparative civil society, social policy, civic engagement and national service. Under appointment by President George W. Bush, Leslie Lenkowsky served as chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service from 2001 to 2003.
"Following the attacks of September 11, Congress voted to give President Bush sweeping powers to fight terrorism. His exercise of them has been reviewed on numerous occasions by Congress and the courts (as well as independent groups such as Amnesty International and the press), sometimes requiring changes, such as insisting that the right to due process be accorded Americans detained on suspicion of being terrorists.
"While we don't know all the details of the wiretaps operated by the National Security Agency, as long as they were clearly related to conduct of the war and were periodically reviewed by appropriate law-enforcement officials (including the President), there's no reason to conclude they were improper. To the extent Congress or the courts disagree, they have the ability to restrict the agency's activities by limiting the President's powers."
Robert White, sociology professor, dean, School of Liberal Arts. His research expertise addresses areas that include terrorism, political violence, political sociology and social movements. White's research is notable in that the respondents are current or former activists in the Irish Republican Movement, which includes the Irish Republican Army and the political party Sinn Fein. The IRA is typically viewed as a terrorist organization.
"Wire tapping, e-mail collecting, and the like is a threat because, ultimately, it can quell the raising of questions by everyday citizens. With only a few high profile cases a government can quickly and efficiently spread fear among its citizenry so that everyday people are afraid to question publicly, and privately, political leaders. In this kind of a situation, people can be afraid to speak up for others, to defend others, and so on. Our political system has been successful because it is so open."
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