Civil Disobedience In The United States

Civil disobedience is a vital and necessary part of life in a democratic system of government. It serves to keep the government from overstepping its bounds. There are times in the history of countries where the governing body has become complacent and has begun to violate the rights of their citizens. Civil disobedience is an effective way of discouraging and preventing such transgressions. Without the threat of dissidence from the public, there is nothing to keep governments honest except for the honor of those governments, which is highly questionable even in the noblest of nations. The role of elected officials in the United States is to represent their constituents, be they from their district, state, or party. If there is nothing to hold these politicians to this purpose, can we truly be sure they are ruling in a representative way and not in self interest?
From the questionable behavior of lobbyists to the actions of Richard Nixon, these transgressions do occur in this nation. But, they occur less than in other nations. Nations whose citizens do not enjoy the freedom to say whatever they want about whoever they want. This restriction of the voice of the people only leads to further offenses and marginalization of the citizens involved. In North Korea, there are no independent journalists, very few citizens have access to the internet, and they are heavily monitored for any possible lapses of loyalty. All of this is to protect against civil disobedience, and has led to one of the greatest civil rights crises in this era; a situation in which the death toll is potentially in the millions. Without outcry from the public, tyrants like Kim Jong Un can come to power and stay there. One questionable law leads to another, and eventually there is nothing the public can do to help