Ed Lindsey: How do we maintain our security and protect our freedoms in a dangerous world?

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The National Security Agency and Edward Snowden

How do we maintain our security and protect our freedoms in a dangerous world?

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

We live in a dangerous world. The events since 9/11 in Boston, London, Times Square, Fort Hood, and in the sky over Detroit, to name a few, demonstrate that we are fighting a terrorist foe that is prepared to attack us anywhere and at anytime.

As a result, we have sent young American men and women into harm’s way around the world to protect us and our country. At home, we have tasked our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to get the bad guys before they get us. Protecting both our national security and our constitutionally guaranteed rights in a post 9/11 world requires clear leadership and a delicate balance.

The issues are complicated and simple sound bites are no substitute for a careful weighing of American interests and common sense conservative leadership.

There is an interesting article in today’s AJC by Jim Galloway on the different view points among the candidates running for Congress in Georgia’s 11^th　District regarding the recent revelations surrounding the National Security Agency’s intelligence activities and Edward Snowden. 　I hope you will read it and send it to your friends and neighbors.

These critical issues will be addressed by whomever we elect to represent us in Congress. You deserve to know exactly where I stand, so please allow me to be crystal clear about my viewpoint and how I will represent you in our nation’s Capitol.

Edward Snowden is no patriot and certainly no hero. Those titles belong to the men and women defending us from the constant threat of terror attacks at home and abroad. Instead, he is a traitor and a criminal whose actions potentially imperil every American citizen and the very people we have asked to protect us. He should be hunted down, prosecuted, and, if found guilty, punished to the fullest extent of the law.

There are right ways for someone in Snowden’s position to protest government operations he opposes. There is no evidence that he attempted to pursue any of those within his own country before seeking sanctuary in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of the Peoples Republic of China, and then undertaking his public reckless actions.

While our national security agencies should have the tools needed to protect us from terror, we must also remain vigilant in protecting the Constitutional rights of every American citizen. I believe, based on what we currently know, that the actions of the NSA, while lawful and productive, raise some legitimate concerns. As your voice in Congress, I will thoughtfully and forcefully insure that such powers do not trample the freedoms they are supposed to protect.

In considering the appropriateness of any kind of government surveillance of U. S. citizens, I believe Congress should carefully weigh the following:

We need to thoroughly examine the security of any data base maintained by either the government or private companies that contains private information of Americans. This includes not only phone records but any other personal, financial, or medical private information. It is extremely troubling that a low level analyst like Edward Snowden was able to misuse his position to publicly reveal damaging government secrets, and he claims to have been able to snoop on private citizens with insufficient oversight. This must not ever happen.

In considering the appropriateness of any analysis of private information of Americans, the following question needs to be asked: is it a criminal investigation of individuals or does it involve an intelligence operation seeking to thwart a future foreign attack on civilians or our Armed Forces? If the former, then great care needs to be taken to insure that constitutional protections requiring a warrant from a traditional American court are adhered to.　 If the later, greater latitude utilizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (“FISA”) Court may be　needed for the same reason we give wide discretion to police to enter private property when they believe that a violent crime is eminent or already taking place.

Assuming an intelligence operation, we still must have safeguards and legitimate court oversight in place before allowing anyone to sift through a data base containing private information, including one with domestic phone numbers to link with the phone of a suspected foreign terrorist. The FISA court and its procedures should be reviewed to insure that the interest of the general public are sufficiently considered before allowing such examinations.

A clear line in the sand banning warrantless listening in on domestic American’s telephone conversations and reviewing the content of our e-mails must be maintained under the 4th Amendment of our Constitution.

We need to assess the need and effectiveness of any intelligence operation with the understanding that we are at war with international terrorism. We have men and women around the world risking their lives to protect our country and its people. They deserve an effective intelligence network assisting them in their efforts.

Finally, if you trust me with your vote to represent you in Congress, I will never fail to provide bold and clear leadership on matters of national security. I will set aside petty politics, resist self serving or naïve sound bites, and provide thoughtful, honest leadership.

Most importantly, I will never waver in defending you, your family, our country, and our freedoms from anyone who threatens us.