Letters: Jun. 12, 2006

Inside Bush's Secret Spy Net

News that the government has been tracking Americans' phone calls created static in the Beltway and the blogosphere. Although we heard mostly from readers who charged Uncle Sam with putting constitutional protections on hold, some welcomed the data mining in the hope that it would yield a direct line to terrorists

TIME reported that the National Security Agency (NSA), with help from phone companies, has been tracking the calls of tens of millions of Americans--in secret, without a warrant and without Congress's approval [May 22]. President George W. Bush will never stop al-Qaeda by spying on innocent Americans. In addition to being a waste of resources, that expansion of government power invades our privacy and tramples our freedoms. It must be stopped. If our government continues to spy on ordinary citizens, then the terrorists will have succeeded in eroding our liberty.

ROBERT BODEN II Tecumseh, Mich.

Thank you for your article on the government's data-mining program. Like most Americans, I understand that al-Qaeda is planning more attacks on U.S. soil. But I have noticed something equally troubling. Every time President Bush defends an action for which he is criticized, he states it is necessary for national security. Over time it seems more and more power is being amassed by the Administration at the expense of Congress and the courts. That is dangerous tinkering with the U.S. Constitution, and that concerns me just as much as any threat of terrorism.

MARCIA MOROCCO Thousand Oaks, Calif.

President Franklin Roosevelt said it well: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." TIME's reporting on the NSA seems aimed at making the American people paranoid. Let the civil libertarians be fearful and anxious. If monitoring our phones keeps just one American from being harmed, the government can listen to my calls anytime it wants.

NORM ROSSELL Fallbrook, Calif.

It doesn't matter whether the polls show that the American people do or do not support the NSA's monitoring of Americans' phone calls. It matters only that such actions violate the Constitution, specifically the Fourth Amendment, which requires probable cause and warrants for such investigations. The Founding Fathers never said the Bill of Rights had to pass a popularity test in order to be enforced. The phones of suspected terrorists have been and should continue to be monitored--with court supervision. Without such oversight, the possibility for abuses of private information is very real.

MARGERY WINTERS West Simsbury, Conn.

Ben Franklin is thought to have written, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." I am not willing to give up the constitutional freedoms that Americans have died to protect just because I have nothing to hide.

JEFF MORRIS Saugerties, N.Y.

Even if the NSA and the President never abuse the power to invade the privacy of Americans, who can say that a future Administration will not abuse the power obtained through the precedent? History teaches that the rights of individuals may be more easily lost than regained. Let us guard against future abuse by protecting our privacy now.

ROBERT E. MANN Chandler, Ariz.