The Benefits of Domestic Survelliance

The Benefits of Domestic Survelliance November Case 2013 AFFEmma Gorsuch and Hunter KeeleyPublic Forum Debate Alexander Dawson SchoolResolved: The benefits of domestic surveillance by the NSA outweigh the harms. My partner and I stand in firm affirmation of this resolution.Contention 1: Domestic Surveillance Increases National Security.Domestic surveillance is an essential factor in maintaining national security and preventing terrorist attacks. Over 50 terrorist attacks have been avoided due to the actions of the National Security Agency. For example, in 2009, the NSA prevented an attack on the New York subway system where US citizen Najibullah Zazi was planning to detonate an explosive. Email communications with a known member of al- Qaeda were intercepted through the domestic security system and were turned over to the FBI which resulted in Najibullah's arrest and later confession. In addition, the NSA helps tracks down individuals guilty of acts of terror. David Headley, a participant in the Mumbai attacks of 2008, w as tracked down by the US after the NSA provided key information obtained through domestic surveillance concerning his location.Great Seal Bug from NSA archivesThis surveillance allows the government to catch guilty and potentially dangerous personal. Protecting America from the threat of terrorists is the number one priority of National Security, and domestic surveillance is an integral method of intelligence gathering used to uncover these clandestine operations.Contention 2: Domestic Surveillance Protects America from the Indirect Effects of Terrorism.Domestic Surveillance does not just protect the nation from the direct harms of terrorist attacks, but also from the indirect harms to the economy and to the mental state of the people. After a terrorist attacks takes place in the US the GDP per capita falls which negatively impacts the economy, often leaving it crippled. As seen in 2001, 9/11 was a factor in the fall of the economy. Before...