Spy law foes

Re “Party takes Obama shift in stride,” July 10

From this day forward, everyone in America is a suspect. Congress has appeased the White House and given the president a bill that allows surveillance of Americans’ phone calls and e-mail. “1984” arrived late -- but intact -- in 2008.

One of the senators who supported this bill was Barack Obama. Today I removed my Obama bumper sticker from my car, and I urge Obama delegates to withhold their endorsement at the Democratic National Convention.

Are we about winning at any cost? Or will we lead America back to a government of the people, by the people and for the people?

Richard Gillock

Costa Mesa

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Re “A good-enough spy law,” Opinion, July 5

Nancy Soderberg should be ashamed. George W. Bush is not a king who can order people to break the law.

The FISA court was created after months of work by the Church Committee in Congress following President Nixon’s crimes, specifically to restrain how telecoms cooperate with government spying requests. They are required to comply with legal requests but not when confronted with illegal requests.

Soderberg would also have us believe that this new FISA bill would allow telecoms to have their cases reviewed in district court. Actually, it would require the court to dismiss these cases without determining whether any laws have been broken.

I didn’t spend 24 years in the U.S. Air Force defending this country to watch Congress gut the 4th Amendment and grant immunity to telecoms that knowingly broke the law.

We can protect and defend this country without trashing the rule of law.

Scott W. Kirby

Chatsworth