Baruch in debate over wiretapping issue

Since its discovery, President Bush's domestic wiretapping policy has stirred questions and debate on the use of executive powers and violations of the Bill of Rights. The main focus being on whether President Bush has the right to wiretap America, and if this action is necessary to protect the country from terrorism. On Thursday, Sigma Alpha Delta Honor Society, the Baruch Debate Team and the Philosophy Circle organized a debate to help Baruch students gain further understanding of the matter.

On the affirmative side, debater Ashlee Vega, professor James Krauskopf and guest expert Dave Rosner argued that President Bush is acting within his powers, citing that the attacks on 9/11 showed that previous methods used by intelligence agencies were ineffective, resulting in the loss of more than 3,000 lives. They argued that in order to strengthen the American defense, President Bush ordered the National Security Agency to intercept communications that might be linked to terrorism.

Only the communications from America to a partner outside the United States are intercepted, not communications between two people inside the U.S. Congress, as a representative of the states and the people, has approved the president's action. They believe that America is at war and the president must take all necessary actions to protect Americans' lives.

On the opposing side, Baruch student Yahphet Murphy, professor Douglas P. Lackey and guest expert George Overkamp argued that Congress and the president have gone too far by wiretapping Americans and violating the Bill of Rights in the name of defense. They claim that although Congress passed laws allowing wiretapping to intercept and prevent terrorism, no terrorists have been caught using these methods. In 2001, car accidents and allergic reactions took more American lives than terrorist activities, yet no war on allergies or auto accidents has been declared. They argued that the government plays on the fear of attack to manipulate a nation willing to sacrifice anything, including liberty, for its safety.

Congress' approval of the president's wiretapping policy does not mean that his policy is just. They concluded by quoting the "greatest president of the United States," Franklin D. Roosevelt, who did not ask people to be afraid, but rather said that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

After the speakers finished, the audience had the opportunity to voice their own opinions, ask questions and present rebuttals. Rossy Jeliazkova, from the Baruch MBA program, class of 2007, asked why wiretapping was an issue if the monitored person never knew and the information never got disclosed, comparing the situation to similar cases in socialist countries. Lackey answered by recounting his experience of being thoroughly monitored during the Vietnam War, explaining that the reasoning "if you are not a terrorist, you have nothing to worry about" is similar to the justification Hitler and Stalin used to defend dictatorship. He concluded that such incidents would not have occurred if a true democracy were in place. Lackey also gave the audience a copy of the Bill of Rights as "homework" to study and remind themselves of their rights.

At the end of the Oxford Debate, several people stayed to discuss the event. The audience had the option to leave the room through either of two doors: Door one, which represented the "Nay" side, or door two, which represented the "Yay" side. Through this method, Baruch was able to ascertain the position of the student body on the domestic wiretapping issue in the U.S.

Danielle Lemberg, president of the Baruch Debate Team, said, "The debaters have used their expertise to explain the issue of civil rights" and help Baruch students make better decisions on the issue. Krauskopf complimented Baruch students, saying, "The event was very well-organized. I had not known about the Baruch Debate Team before. They were certainly capable, given the size of the audience and the event."

Ravi Gill, president of Sigma Alpha Delta Honor Society, said, "We covered a wide range of topics, although we ran out of time."