Introduction: Civil disobedience is a form of protest in which protestors knowingly violate a law. Today’s issues are similar to those of the past: individuals still come into conflict with the needs of society. Consider the following dilemmas and then answer the questions.
1 –Man’s Needs vs. Society’s Needs: Competing interests in the San Joaquin Valley over water rights has created a conflict between farmers needing water for their crops and environmentalists fighting for an endangered fish. With 1,200 miles of canals and nearly 50 reservoirs, California’s irrigation system serves four million acres and provides water to 23 million people. The federal government sells water in this system to communities. With California having so much water, why isn’t there more water for farming?
The 1973 Endangered Species Act requires that the government take steps to save endangered species. In 2006, a lawsuit filed by environmental groups to save a three-inch bait fish called the Delta smelt resulted in the Fish and Wildlife Service agreeing to divert 150 billion gallons of water—even when drought conditions are present—from farmers into waterways emptying into the Pacific Ocean.
The diversion of water has resulted in huge economic losses for the farmers. Unemployment rates in some towns in the San Joaquin Valley soared to 40%, leaving 40,000 people in the Valley out of water and work.
2 –Individual Rights vs. Public Safety: The 9/11 attacks made it clear that Americans could be subject to terrorist attacks at any time and place. As a result, Americans must accept more intrusion into their personal lives, especially when traveling by air. According to the President’s Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism, “the more security measures…imposed, the more fundamental freedoms…restricted.”
The Airport Security Safety Act directs the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to implement better airport security technology. Part of this new security includes the use of invasive passenger screening scanners. The new security scanners, described as a “virtual strip search,” uses a low energy X-ray to reveal any objects under a person’s clothing. These scanners allow security officials to make out body features, including private body parts.
However, such screenings could be seen as a violation of the right to privacy amounting to an unconstitutional search. The Supreme Court through several controversial rulings (Roe v. Wade decision concerning abortion) has established the right to privacy as a basic inherent right that is protected by the Ninth Amendment and the Bill of Rights, as illustrated in the Fourth Amendment’s search and seizure limitations. However, under the Constitution and federal and state laws, courts have upheld the right of the FAA to institute airline passenger screening procedures, even when those procedures invade one’s right to privacy.
Assignment 1:
Design a tasteful and diplomatic protest sign or poster either on paper or electronically that includes a slogan you would use as a farmer to protest the government’s actions OR to support the goal of the environmentalists.
Assignment 2:
Write a five-paragraph essay considering the following questions:
Has technology reduced the rights of an individual? In the case of the airport scanners, how does the new technology impact the individual’s rights? Will you allow yourself to be screened with a scanner that reveals every part of your body under the justification of improving public safety? In other words, would you be willing to subordinate your rights for the public good? Why or why not?
