Spying inexcusable

I am shocked and angered over the National Security Agency spying on Americans without due cause. We are told that our rights are secure because there is congressional and judicial oversight of NSA activities.

When directly presented with the question from Sen. Ron Wyden on whether or not the NSA spied on Americans, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to Congress and to the American people. This lie, and the ease with which it was told, illustrates why congressional oversight is a farce.

If our elected representatives cannot get an honest answer, how can congressional oversight possibly exist? Coupled with the fact that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court turns down an absurd .03 percent of requests for warrants, we are left with a system that has no oversight, and thus no checks and balances that ensure the rights of Americans to be secure in their persons and their property.

We have spent the last quarter-century waging wars around the world in which we proclaim that we are advocating for democracy for the citizens of other countries. How ironic it is to now discover that we are losing our democratic institutions here at home?

Doug Burr

Spokane