Open Letter: Demanding answers from Director Clapper
By Michael McNally
July 03, 2013
Wednesday AM
To:
The Honorable Lisa Murkowski, Senior Senator for Alaska
The Honorable Mark Begich, Junior Senator for Alaska
Dear Senator Murkowski,
Dear Senator Begich,
I am writing today to express my approval regarding your decision to join Senators Wyden and Udall and more than 20 others in your letter of June 27th to James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, requesting that Director Clapper clarify a number of points concerning programs brought to light by Edward Snowden.
While I do not feel I have enough information to form a valid opinion on whether Mr. Snowden's actions were justified or not, I believe the programs that were revealed are a matter of significant public interest and any such programs need to be subject to active and vigorous legislative oversight in order to protect our rights under the US Constitution. Accordingly I have been dismayed to see much of the attention focused on Mr. Snowden and his situation, rather than on the real and significant issues raised by widespread public surveillance.
Like many other Americans I have been troubled by the revelations of sweeping communications interception and monitoring programs, by classified interpretations of the USA PATRIOT Act that are not permitted to be debated in public or to be reviewed by open courts, and by evasive, false, or deliberately misleading public statements on these topics from the leadership of our national intelligence agencies.
As an Alaskan I am proud to see both my senators acting in bipartisan partnership to safeguard my interests and the interests of all American citizens by demanding answers from Director Clapper. I welcome this as an important first step towards necessary oversight of these programs. Please continue to pursue this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Michael McNally
Ketchikan, AK
Received June 28, 2013
- Published July 03, 2013
