Government not illegally wiretapping everyday Americans, says writer

To the Editor: Contrary to Bill Donald (“Warning about illegal wiretapping,” Sept. 28), our government is not illegally wiretapping “everyday Americans.” The NSA program to which he refers monitors international telephone calls. The operative word, which Mr. Donald carefully omitted, is “international.” He claims that “more and more courts” have ruled against the program, but that’s not true. Numerous courts, including the Supreme Court, have ruled that international wiretaps are within the President’s inherent Constitutional power. Those rulings stretch back nearly 30 years; the Clinton administration stated it had that power as well. To be sure, there is enough controversy over the NSA program that the administration has asked Congress to explicitly legalize its more controversial aspects. That is the way our system of government works. It is not, as Mr. Donald claims, an attempt by “conservative legislators” to “violate our constitution.” As far as I’m concerned, if “everyday Americans” are communicating with would-be terrorists overseas, I think we should not only know about it, but stop them before they can attack us. Mr. Donald may disagree, and he has the right to urge his fellow citizens to vote for his favored liberal candidates, but he does not have the right to distort the truth about the program. Paul Havemann Oak Ridge