please respond to each thread separately and please use references and scholarly article along with biblical references thank you!

Jose's Thread:

Radioactive material is dangerous for humans and animals because it can cause long lasting tissue damage. Radioactive material is a dangerous item that can be used to make weapons of mass destructions. According to NTI, there were 352 incidents reported of nuclear and radiological material between 2020 and 2021 (NTI, 2023). According to a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, between 1993 and 2019, there had been reports of trafficking or the misuse of radioactive material (IAEA, 2020). Being able to identify the weak points in a nuclear plant or while it is in transport is crucial to minimize the potential of future threats. Intelligence should be gathered from the incidents to better have a plan of attack to prevent it. The intelligence cycle is a five-step process. The planning phase is used to determine what information is relevant to the issue to be able to prioritize intelligence being absorbed. The collection phase is just that, it is the collection of intelligence and evidence from different entities. The processing phase is being able to convert the information into a usable format that is easy to understand by all. The analysis phase is used to draft reports and is analyzed by multiple people within the various organizations involved. The dissemination phase is providing that information to those who request it. The final phase is the evaluation phase, which is done to make sure the "products are relevant, unbiased, accurate, and timely and to make sure the cycle itself is efficient and thorough" (Haddow et al., 2020).

Gaining intelligence about something or someone is important to the operation because weak points can be identified not only in our operation but also in the enemy's operation. I don't believe there would be conflict with U.S. law or constitutional rights of Americans. For the government to violate rights, they would have to follow the law to gain successful prosecution of subjects. The government will take the necessary steps to ensure the country is safe, but the citizens also have to do their part to report unusual behavior.

References:

NTI. (2023, February 23). Hundreds of incidents of lost nuclear and radioactive material logged in latest CNS trafficking database. The Nuclear Threat Initiative. https://www.nti.org/news/hundreds-of-incidents-of-lost-nuclear-and-radioactive-material-logged-in-latest-cns-trafficking-database/

IAEA. (2020). IAEA INCIDENT AND TRAFFICKING DATABASE (ITDB). In 2020 Fact Sheet. https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/20/02/itdb-factsheet-2020.pdf

Haddow, G., Bullock, J., & Coppola, D. (2020). Introduction to Homeland Security (6th ed.). Elsevier S & T. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9780

James's Thread:

Intelligence Operations

After reviewing the list of attacks in the United States, it appears that the attackers designed their targets to inflict the most terror at one time. The attackers targeted various locations, including religious establishments, government buildings, educational institutions, transportation systems, and military facilities. These various attacks were carried out by domestic and foreign terrorists and a few lone wolves.

Domestic terrorists face protection under U.S. laws and constitutional rights during attempted and carried-out attacks. However, the USA Patriot Act expanded the government's surveillance powers, raising concerns about potential violations of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Balancing our protections and not fearing the government overstepping its authority is where we, as citizens, must recognize that our digital footprints are being monitored. We must maintain a balance between our protections and not fearing that the government is overreaching its power. All United States citizens are currently monitored by large corporations that use personal data to target individuals who may share that information with the government. The nation has given up many protections in the digital age. Currently, law enforcement agencies and, Homeland Security professionals, military planners are using social media to seek and find those associated with radicalized groups (Celestini, C., 2022)

The question is how we can balance the rights of citizens. Citizen is the key word; you must be a citizen to be eligible for Principle 7The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things (NCCS, 2018).

References

National Center for Constitutional Studies. (2018, January 16). The founders' unchanging principles of liberty. Retrieved July 1, 2024, from https://nccs.net/blogs/articles/the-founders-unchanging-principles-of-liberty-1#:~:text=Principle%201%E2%80%93The%20only%20reliable,Natural%20law%20is%20God's%20law.%26text=Principle%205%E2%80%93All%20things%20were,him%20they%20are%20equally%20responsible.Links to an external site.

Celestini, C. (2022). Extremist Propaganda in Social Media: A Threat to Homeland Security.Global Media Journal, 14(1), 169-172. https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/extremist-propaganda-social-media-threat-homeland/docview/2772042283/se-2