Kate Martin director of Center for National Security Studies in Washington D.C. conveys a disturbing speech to the Conference on Terrorism, Law, and Democracy regarding serious threat to civil liberty. This speech addresses the offense of the adoption to preventative detention resulting in the secret imprisonment of Arabs and Muslims where there has been no evidence following that they are terrorists. Martin argues that such arrests are unethical in a democratic society. If the government were to implement targeted investigations that focused on actual terrorists activity, but respected the political and religious activity of citizens and non- citizens, it would result in a much more effective approach versus hundreds of secret arrests. Martin begins her speech by pointing out an observation she has made after the post
9/11 attacks. She notes that since September 11 there has been an enormous shift in the eyes of
Washington D.C. It has now been made possible that nuclear devices could be set off in any
American city bringing up the question and difficult responses of not knowing how to take action. If this event did occur the Bill of Rights could possibly be suspended. The argument could then be made that suspending the Bill of Rights would be an inappropriate and ineffective response to the event. There is now a huge responsibility on the United States government to prevent the terrorists attacks. Unfortunately, the United States is in a predicament to decide which liberties we are willing to give up for an enhanced measure of safety. Martin argues that this analysis of the situation is neither accurate or helpful. She believes we must look at the bigger picture asking ourselves, what do we gain through security by restricting our liberties?
The government must voice their strategy on how each restriction will contribute to