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Abe Griffiths
Blommer
ENGL 1010
15 May, 2016
Self Reflective Essay
I believe that this assignment shows that I have mastered a lot of the foundational aspects
of writing. I am a aware how to analyze rhetoric, think critically with things like commentary,
compose a works cited page, be able to effectively take the important parts of an article into a
paper, and finally prove my understanding of how to make a strong argument.
All the foundations we went over are crucial to the success in just about any other course
that requires writing. We have learned how to write in several different fields, such as humanities
and science. Being able to write without any personal bias is also crucial in any course that
requires an you to do so. I think that the different mediums we learned about also help us
immensely with the understanding of rhetoric everywhere.
Honestly, not really. I think I came into this assignment pretty sure of what the problem is
and a good way to fix it. All this assignment did was reinforce those feelings because the
numbers are pretty heavily in my favor there.
I wrote this in sections, so the annotated bibliography first, then the introduction,
literature review, commentary, and self reflective essay. I think this was a good way to go about
this as long as you are ready to go back and edit some parts to make sure the entire thing is
cohesive and makes sense together.

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The biggest assignment I faced personally was getting an proficient rhetoric analysis of
every document inside of the literature analysis. Only because the writing style I utilized in that
section was heavily academic so it didnt really fit to say things like ethos in my opinion. My
solution was just to write like the reader understood what those things are anyway and could
draw those conclusions very easily after reading my rhetorical analysis, which I believe I
accomplished.
This paper shows mastery of all the moduals we went over throughout the year. I am a
strong writer in most every form we presented here. I think that my Liturature Review shows this
best, and would recommend the reader do a lot of what Im saying here prove that. I dont
believe there is a lot to say on this question that hasnt already been answered above. As for
course specific goals I am actually very satisfied with how I preformed when it came to showing
competence in all of them. Again, a lot of that information is above.

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Annotated Bibliography
Costello, Tom, and Alex Johnson. "TSA Chief Out After Agents Fail 95 Percent of Airport
Breach Tests." NBC News. NBC, 1 June 2015. Web. 3 May 2016.
In the news article TSA Chief Out After Agents Fail 95 Percent of Airport Breach Tests
published June 1, 2015, Tom Costello and Alex Johnson explain the current state of the TSA and
its recent failures. Costello indicates that the agency is failing in nearly every category as of late.
Specifically Costello indicates that they are failing to detect different kinds of tests, one of which
they were only able to stop 3 of the 70 weapons that made it past the security checkpoints.
Because of its recent performance, Costello informs the audience that the agency is in a time of
change because of its lack of competency, specifically because the Chief of the agency is being
reassigned.
Costello mainly appeals to the logic part of the brain but remains in a very report based
tone throughout the article. He continually meets the logos standard through continued use of
statistics and test results. There for letting the reader draw their own conclusions, which almost
certainly line up with the information he is trying to convey. The paper lacks nearly any pathos,
except for the last paragraph where Costello indicates that terrorism being at an all-time high the
chances of a plane being hijacked are also increasingly likely. The ethos of the piece is obtained
through the authors use of statistics and interviews of key people related to the topic.
This article really does reveal the dire nature of surveillance reform this country
desperately needs. Costello does a phenomenal job explaining the statistics and problems with
the current TSA in a concise manner. I will most certainly use some of these statistics in my
paper. All of the sources and interviews throughout the piece make a very clear and easy to
follow story. They also establish a lot of credibility for Costellos argument.

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Blake, Andrew. "NSA Surveillance Has Had Chilling Effect on Internet Browsing: Report." The
Washington Times. 27 Apr. 2016. Web. 3 May 2016.
In NSA surveillance has had chilling effect on Internet browsing: report published on
27 April, 2016, Washington Times writer Andrew Blake describes the impact that Edward
Snowdens leaks are having on the internet. Blake indicates that the current scope, or the ability
of the Agency to gather data, is statistically dropping the use of things like Wikipedia articles
pertaining to terrorism. According to Blake the amount of visitors to certain pages after the
Snowdens information was released is near 30%. Blake makes the case that the American
people are now becoming fearful of the amount of pervasive surveillance committed by these
agencies.
Blake primarily obtains the readers attention through logos and ethos. Use of staggering
statistics released by credible researchers and professors from multiple impressive institutions
with names the reader will recognize, such as Oxford, gives Blake a pretty compelling case.
Blake doesnt necessarily take the position that this is a dire thing requiring immediate attention
so that change can be made, but rather that the problems of NSA surveillance are only getting
worse. The fact that it is getting worse is in the numbers according to Blake.
This article was also pretty compelling. In a slightly different way. Blake was definitely
making a call to action but his call was substantially less dire then Costello was making in his
article. I will definitely be using this article in my piece because I think it accurately depicts the
ways in which NSA surveillance is not only getting more pervasive but also the way that the
American people are reacting to it.

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Introduction
On October 26th, 2001 President Bush signed the Patriot Act into law, ushering a new era
of domestic surveillance following September 11th. The Patriot Act effetely gave the NSA and
other organizations the authorization to use their scope of surveillance beyond the originally
indented scope of international to domestic. The levels of surveillance were largely unknown
until NSA analyst Edward Snowden released classified documents regarding the governments
use of surveillance in late 2013.
Media coverage regarding the topic skyrocketed, almost every American knew who
Edward Snowden was and what he was talking about. For the first time in a while the American
public began to engage in the political sphere by having discussions on what we need to do to
resolve this surveillance crisis. Obviously there were multiple sides to the arguments, some
believed surveillance is a necessary evil and Snowden deserves to be imprisoned. Others
believed that he was a patriot and deserves a full pardon.
The main point of what this paper endorses is that, when it comes to political issues like
this, it requires the people of America to have an intellectual dialog on the issue to actually have
any change. That means talking about complex pieces of legislation, and even more so, learning
to understand them. Being able to engage in the political process starts on the ground level of just
taking the time to email or call your representatives and let them know what you want to be
done, they are there to serve you.
The State of Domestic Surveillance Literature
There are two primary positions regarding domestic surveillance. First, in favor of
surveillance, that government surveillance is critical to maintain national security. Second,
against surveillance, that privacy is a core tenet of our constitution and ought to be protected

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above all else. Somewhere in between are arguments about the limited reach of modern
terrorism, the inefficiency of mass data collection, and a host of financial and international
relations concerns. Research is colored by positive and negative sentiments about the prevalence
of terrorism.
However, there are intersections between largely biased research and well described
pieces on the reality of American surveillance. Even publications primarily concerned with
international affairs, a section of the academy mostly positioned against surveillance, provides
some of the best written material on the subject.
Long Form Media
It would be remiss to address a conversation about domestic surveillance without
including the seminal anti-NSA literature on the topic, published by the American Civil Liberties
Union titled: History Repeated: The Dangers of Domestic Spying by Federal Law Enforcement.
This follows a distinctly different format: the ACLU had prepared a detailed, well researched,
cumulative analysis against NSA surveillance. For even seemingly wild claims, the ACLU
provides detailed support, such as: The government often secretly spied upon citizens on the
basis of their political beliefs - in The Blaze (a short form analysis below), this might have been
written off as unbelievable and biased. In this ACLU paper, theyve provided a fully footnoted
article with research done by credible sources. In this medium, the ACLU gains intense ethos by
packaging a developed and encompassing analysis against surveillance.
Generally, the international community holds a negative sentiment towards US
surveillance since it has been exposed to have covered foreign diplomats as well. The Council on
Foreign Affairs provides a cumulative view of surveillance in U.S. Domestic Surveillance, a
contribution to their Backgrounder series which reviews popular topics. The Backgrounder series

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is prepared under the byline of the entire domestic News team at The Council on Foreign Affairs.
This piece is not politically colored, and generally maintains a neutral tone - overall, a rare
perspective on surveillance. Overall, this piece of literature would provide a reader with a solid
background on the timeline and issues surrounding surveillance, and would aid in understanding
more politically charged views of surveillance.
The Council on Foreign Affairs successfully utilizes a strong pathos in diction, strict
informative format, and neutral tone to remain credible. They are primarily concerned with
remaining a credible source of information without a particular viewpoint, and this article is
demonstrative of this position.
Short Form Media
However, this Backgrounder piece can be drawn in direct comparison to illuminate the
difference between neutral and biased sources in tone, style, and emphasis on credibility. While
the Council on Foreign Affairs is almost agonizingly neutral, taking care to describe each
political transition without commentary, the Washington Post is much less deliberate in their
article, NSA cites case as success of phone data-collection program. While taking care to address
both pro-NSA and anti-NSA activists, the Washington Post uses language that positions itself in
opposition to the NSA at times.
Ellen Nakashima (the Washington Post staff writer for this article) selects words that
otherize the position of NSA advocates, describing their position as they and casting doubt on
the credibility of their claims. To take the two in direct comparison, the reader is left with a
negative tone from Washington Post, but distinctly unbiased approach from The Council on
Foreign Relations.

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Sources in favor of domestic surveillance also provide powerful contrast in the rhetorical
strategies that surround this politically charged issue. In fact, this literature base also provides
interesting intersections of the debate. In Here Is the Pro-NSA Surveillance Argument, an antiestablishment news source called The Blaze describes but sides against the pro-surveillance
perspective. In this piece, bias is more clear than any other: despite outrage, some people
support surveillance. In fact, The Blaze goes as far as posing the question: Does [pro-NSA
analyst] have a point in his analysis? The Blazes uses a mocking tone to describe an opposition
to the NSA, while condescendingly describing the counterpoint. To be clear, The Blaze describes
itself as a news and information website and is owned by Glenn Beck, a popular conservative
pundit.
An Analysis of Medium in Surveillance Issues
Medium proves to be critical in a literature analysis around surveillance. The Blaze is an
anti-establishment online news presence, with little care for being well respected journalists.
While they present a valid perspective, they show less concern for well researched facts and
unbiased sources. Similarly, Washington Post is a staff of skilled journalists, but cant devote the
time and energy into creating a published work like the American Civil Liberties Union. In tone
and style, the ACLU and the Council on Foreign Relations - with the addition of a clear stance
on the issue. Long-form research papers provide a unique, informed experience that cant be
compared to the short-form journalism displayed by other news sources.
A successful analysis of domestic surveillance will draw from the long-form medium,
and couple it against public opinion articles from common news with updated commentary on
current events. Viewing the two together as a complete body of literature on the subject is critical
to accessing the subject and writing authoritatively about domestic surveillance.

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Commentary
Saying that you dont care if you are surveilled by your government because you have
nothing to hide is like saying you dont care about free speech because you have nothing to say.
There is a constant balance that all societies are trying to maintain. A balance between safety and
privacy. A society lacking any privacy is often believed to be totally safe, the government is able
to keep all of its people in check thus preventing any type of violence. Whereas a society that
lacks any safety measures as far as instate violence goes, is a nightmare to live in.
We are not currently balanced here in America. The government has been able to do any
type of unwarranted surveillance with little to know oversight. The NSA bulk data collection is
out of control and the FISA courts are completely powerless to stop them. Congress is at a cross
roads on what to do about it, and the Obama administration has over used the executive powers
when it comes to surveillance. More than anything, the public is upset and frustrated with their
lawmakers for getting absolutely nothing done about it. But thats only because the public that is
upset is the minority. People lack education on surveillance, specifically that commuted
domestically. It is our responsibility as citizens of America to have at least an adequate
understanding of surveillance and how it affects us. More so then that we have an obligation to
become involved in the political process, especially if we are wanting to see change.
The biggest problem, as mentioned above, is the lack of oversight. Historically the NSA
has been an international security agency, not a domestic one. They were originally tasked with
spying on foreign countries and their leaders to protect the United States. But over time,
especially after 9/11, the NSA has shifted into a domestic agency. With only one oversight
mechanism, the FISA courts. These courts are largely ineffective because the NSA does not feel

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the need, while knowing they are breaking the law, to report their proceedings and actions to the
courts.
Not to mention the surveillance is bad for our economy. When the NSA and FBI force
tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and dozens of others, to release data that is not
only encrypted but without the owners discursion, that forces those companies to leave the US.
This is empirically seen in the Email industry. Google has moved the majority of its servers off
US land in an attempt to prevent the NSA from accessing them. Before the NSA could demand
that Google hands over the keys to the servers, but now they will have to go through much
tougher channels to get what they want.
Some believe that surveillance is needed in order to prevent things like terror attacks.
That may be true in a world where the NSA and other agencies were actually effective. Time and
time again the NSA has failed to actually prevent any terror attacks. They havent prevented a
single one sense 2010. The NSA is completely incompetent.
To conclude, surveillance is a complex subject, with a lot of different viewpoints. But at
the end of the day the current balance we have in the status quo is not only ineffective but also
detrimental to our country. We must do our best in order to change that, not only in an
educational spaces with things like this project, but through actual political action. Go email or
call your representatives, go to the State Capitol and lobby for the bills you believe in. Get out
there and make a real, physical change to the parts of the government that you dont believe are
working.

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Works Cited
Costello, Tom, and Alex Johnson. "TSA Chief Out After Agents Fail 95 Percent of Airport
Breach Tests." NBC News. NBC, 1 June 2015. Web. 3 May 2016.
Blake, Andrew. "NSA Surveillance Has Had Chilling Effect on Internet Browsing: Report." The
Washington Times. 27 Apr. 2016. Web. 3 May 2016.
Brown, Nicole. "Muslims Use Social Media to Condemn, ISIS, Fight Islamophobia." MSNBC.
NBC, 17 Nov. 2015. Web. 06 May 2016.
Howerton, Jason. "Here Is the Pro-NSA Surveillance Argument." The Blaze. The Blaze, 10 June
2013. Web. 09 May 2016.
Nakashima, Ellen. "NSA Cites Case as Success of Phone Data-collection Program." The
Washington Post. The Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 May 2016.
Santayana, George. "History Repeated: The Dangers of Domestic Spying by Federal Law
Enforcement." ACLU.org. ACLU. Web. 12 May 2016.
Staff, Newsteam. "U.S. Domestic Surveillance." Council on Foreign Relations. 18 Dec. 2013.
Web. 09 May 2016.