Letters: NSA snoops and freedom

Re “Feds tracking all U.S. calls,” June 7

In her defense of the government’s collection of data from nearly every phone call in the U.S., Senate Intelligence Committee head Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said, “It’s called protecting America.”

I have always believed that the foremost duty of elected officials is to support and defend the Constitution. In this instance, the rights that need protection are guaranteed by the 4th Amendment: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

The nation’s founders understood the threats posed from enemies within as well as those from abroad. An assault on the Bill of Rights is an attack on our freedoms as Americans.

Celeste Barber

Santa Barbara

I am, of course, outraged that the government spies on us. Is no communication safe? After all, millions of us use Facebook, Twitter and other such media to communicate.

But wait, my wife and I don’t use Twitter. And we’re not on Facebook. Well, sorry, Washington.

We do use snail mail and the telephone, but we have no need to show everyone what we had for breakfast. Maybe a renewed sense of privacy among millennials would give the “Patriot Actors” a lot less to do.

David Strauss

Arcadia

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