Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Obama has had to slide too far

I campaigned and voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 and (less vigorously) in 2012. I realized he had to play footsie with the darkside to get along in Washington. The insurance companies are getting a windfall from comprehensive health care reform, and Timothy Geithner being nominated and confirmed as Treasury secretary did not warm the cockles of my heart.

The perpetuation and expansion of Bush policies are unexpected and dismaying. The latest revelations of a private corporate employee having access to our private information, while not surprising, is confusing to me. We voluntarily give up info when we get our CVS, Albertsons and other discount cards.

Should our national security (that is, where we go, who we talk to, where we spend the night) be subject to corporate scrutiny as well?

I think the relevant question to me is that whatever you think of Edward Snowden’s revelations, should an employee of a private company with these security clearances have access to our most private information?

I also have a constitutional question regarding the Fourth Amendment. The amendment says we have a right against unreasonable search and seizure from the government. Do we also have a right against unreasonable search and seizure from Booz Allen Hamilton, the private contractor that employed Edward Snowden?

As the great sage once said, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me a second time … well … you don’t want to get fooled again.”

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