BIOGRAPHIES OF THE 2005 FELLOWS
Noah Kornblith, Daniels/Younge Fellow, 2005

Also read Noah's letter to Congress.

In my estimation, education is an extremely important tool that allows us to add more meaning to our lives while improving the lives of others. I was raised in Orinda, California (minutes from Berkeley). Opinions and protests were prevalent influences in my life as a young person. In high school, I had a U.S./World history teacher who, rather than read from the text book, provided us with information about the structure of government, how it is abused, and why such abuses take place. During this period, I became more passionate about politics, law, and the way in which our domestic and foreign policies influence the U.S. and the rest of the world. Specifically, I remember reading about Mobutu Sese Seko and the Zaire/Congo which sparked my interests as I learned about CIA operations to destabilize a nationally elected leader and install the oppressive dictator Sese Seko. Understanding this, I believe that education can be a tool to change the way the U.S. operates in the world.

I have the expectation from SpiritHouse to allow me to investigate further my understanding of the topic of the trade-off between civil liberties and security. I hope to be able to discuss the constitutionality of the Patriot Act with players in the legislative branch such as representatives, senators, or lobbyists. I hope that my work can provide other community members with a better understanding of the government's actions in restricting the Bill of Rights, the foundation of this country. The Patriot Act itself is an oxymoron as its name suggests a patriotic act by the public, while in fact its practice restricts the very patriotisms this country was founded on. I expect to be able to explain, in a pamphlet distributed to the community, this very principle of the Patriot Act in practice not being patriotic. I believe that I ended up at SpiritHouse because of the commonalities in government abuses, as well as inconsistencies I see and this organization sees. Our causes are similar in providing better public awareness of government actions and allowing an individual, well-informed and educated on a topic, to make up their own mind about the issue at hand. My job at SpiritHouse is not to sway others to my viewpoint, but rather to provide an alternate way of approaching the issues.