Letters for August 29, 2013

National Security Agency does break law

Re “NSA surveillance necessary” (SN&R Editorial, August 15):

In regards to your recent editorial supporting the [National Security Agency] wiretaps and monitoring, you failed to mention that several mainstream publications have reported that the NSA does break the law, does not comply with the Constitution, does lie to Congress, and does do more than simply monitor Americans' phone numbers and their durations. Yet you ask us to accept anything the NSA does.

While nobody wants another “terrorist attack,” I think everybody can agree we also want to preserve the foundations of America. I don't appreciate your patriotic chest-pounding.

Mark Buchholtz

Sacramento

NSA violates civil liberties

Re “NSA surveillance necessary” (SN&R Editorial, August 15):

I was shocked and dumbfounded by your editorial stating that the NSA surveillance is necessary. You have got to be kidding!

This is the same logic that the German people used to usher in all sorts of laws against innocent people.

Our government continues to provoke terrorists to act and for young men to become terrorists by our actions, e.g., the countless drone strikes on innocent people. The Obama administration has stated that any male of fighting age in many countries is a potential terrorist, so they can be “targets,” along with anyone else who is physically near them when we attack with our drones. This is only one example of how we are creating terrorists.

By supporting the NSA’s actions, you are complicit in this immoral cycle and also in helping to take away more of our civil liberties.

We as a country are at a crisis point of losing most or all of our civil rights. What kind of a country do you want to live in? A police state or a democracy?

As a country, we need to do everything we can to not create enemies but instead bring all parties to the table and earnestly work to remedy the problems we have created in other countries. In other words, work for peaceful solutions and not state terrorism.

Anje’ Waters

Grass Valley

Stop enabling Monsanto

Re “Fear to fork” by Chris Parker (SN&R Feature Story, August 1):

Thank you for the article on Monsanto and it’s activities. This is exactly the kind of investigative journalism that should be intrinsic to the role of an independent newspaper.

Now, as the corporate juggernaut is closing its noose around our necks at a cost to us so astronomical that few people are even willing to think about it, we definitely need this kind of information to be made public. So my hat is off to Chris Parker (and Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden). I only pray we’ll find the courage to stand up. After all, it isn’t that hard to refrain from buying GMO food, even without labeling. The only way to stop Monsanto, and the entire corporate takeover, is to stop enabling it.

Thomas Lambie

Weimar

Arena process transparent

Re “Sacramento should vote on the arena” (SN&R Editorial, August 1):

A week ago, it was revealed that Seattle’s own Chris Hansen was partially funding the Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork campaign through Loeb & Loeb, a law firm based out of Southern California. How come city residents never raised a fuss when they built that terminal in the airport? And yes, I am an arena supporter, and the process has always been transparent, nothing has been hidden from the public.

Mark Rodriguez

Sacramento