SURVEILLANCE
Who to trust: Taliban or our government?
Who do you trust less: the U.S. government, or the Taliban and other Islamist groups? Would you rather be alive with your personal privacy limited in the interests of national security and personal safety, or dead with your personal privacy 100 percent intact, national security compromised and personal safety by then a moot point?
Opponents of government surveillance are right to question and seek limits, but there is no getting around the necessity for some surveillance to prevent mass bloodshed like Sept. 11 and the Boston Marathon bombing.
Most of Facebook is harmless nattering and an excess of personal photos, but as long as the potential is there for damaging information being exchanged, that outlet cannot be ignored — nor can any other social media outlet, or telephone calls.
Emphasis should shift from tantrums on both left and right regarding government “snooping,” to real-world examination of real-world limits on government surveillance for the common good.
LINDA GUTHRIE, ATLANTA
VOTING RIGHTS
Court makes a point, ‘65 law needs update
The paper did a good job trying to cover views on the recent Voting Rights Act decision.
Many have pointed out that Congress reviewed the pre-clearance formula in ‘06. Yes, they rubber stamped it. They didn’t update it. That is the point the court made: This is not 1965, and a little effort should be made to make sure that the laws that are passed are relevant, if that is not asking too much.
MARTY HARMON, HIRAM
SELF DEFENSE
Sometimes a gun is citizen’s only choice
Regarding “‘Stand your ground’ laws can be excuse to murder” (Opinion, June 18), Mary Sanchez seems to think it is my responsibility to run away from someone who intends to harm or rob me. She thinks self-defense is not understood by the common people, and that these laws broaden the right to kill someone.
It has been my experience during my 86 years that the majority will steer clear of trouble and are not looking for an excuse to shoot someone. My wife had an artificial leg from age 20. It would not have been easy for us to flee the scene if accosted, so I have had a carry permit for many years. I have never drawn a weapon to protect us, but it’s always available.
I wonder what Sanchez might do if placed in a situation where she could have a choice of using a cell phone to call the police, or having a firearm for protection against impending danger.
GENE RHODES, ROSWELL
