Safety versus Liberty

Should the United States government monitor mosques on American soil for terrorist activity by using spies and other forms of surveillance without first obtaining a warrant? The backwardness and insanity of Islam, and our desire for stronger national security notwithstanding, the answer is simply, "No." Islam, at least to its adherents, is a religion. In the United States, the First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. This not only includes freedom from government intervention, but also from government observation. If a particular mosque, church, Rotary club breakfast, or any other group of people are suspected of plotting criminal and terrorist acts, and the government finds proof suggesting such, then, as usual, a warrant should be obtained before beginning any type of active monitoring of the group by law enforcement personnel. If we give the government the right to maintain surveillance of one group of people without following the legal process, we will all eventually lose our liberty of peaceable assembly without government interference because a precedent of security before liberty will have already been set! We have to guard our liberties, folks, and we especially have to guard our freedoms against those in power who would gladly undermine them, even if it means guarding the freedoms of those with whom we disagree.