The Secrecy Wall Is Starting To Fall

We hardly ever agree with the ACLU, however, the latest flap over NSA data collection system is one. We think it is wrong. It is unconstitutional and regardless of potential information they might gain, it does not work with our constitutional rights.

The big question is what should happen to Snowden. Is he a traitor or a hero? Are his acts treasonous? Should be be  extradited to  the US?  We have lots of questions, however, so far the answers elude us.  We honor our freedoms but also know that we cannot be an open book and allow all of our secrets to be exposed.

We hate the fact that the existence of the snooping program was not revealed and are very concerned that several members of the NSA testified before Congress that there was no program.  Once again we have government functionaries lying. On the Sunday shows, Senator Feinstein said that the lies were no big problem.

Our bottom line is that the rights of the individual citizen must be protected and if that means we miss some hints from email, facebook,  blog, and other electronic traffic, so be it.   We must never give up our rights for the "promise" by the government to protect us.  It has been shown over and over that no government will ever protect its citizens. It is naive to think so.

Whether  Snowden's acts approach treason depends upon the information that he revealed, the amount of actual damage he did and whether other countries already knew the info.  At this time it is too early to make that determination.

Conservative Tom

A.C.L.U. Sues Obama Administration Over Collection of Phone Logs The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration over its “dragnet” collection of logs of domestic phone calls, contending that the once-secret program — whose existence was exposed by a former National Security Agency contractor last week — is illegal and asking a judge to both stop it and order the records purged. The lawsuit, filed in New York, could set up an eventual Supreme Court test. It could also focus attention on this disclosure amid the larger heap of top secret surveillance matters that were disclosed by Edward J. Snowden, a former N.S.A. contractor who came forward on Sunday to say he was the source of a series of disclosures by The Guardian and The Washington Post. READ MORE » http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/us/aclu-files-suit-over-phone-surveillance-program.html?emc=edit_na_20130611