NSA Scandal

Like most Americans, I was disheartened to discover that the American people are still being spied on by the government.  During his initial run for the Presidency in 2008, President Barack Obama promised to end the unconstitutional wholesale spying on the American people that had occurred under the Bush Administration.  This campaign promise was one of the principle reasons I voted for President Obama in 2008.  To say the least, I was very saddened to learn through the leaks provided by Edward Snowden that the government is still spying on the American people in large numbers without probable cause.

The recent press conference that President Obama held about two weeks ago did not satisfy me in terms of believing that the American people were not being spied on in a wholesale manner.  The safeguards that the President talked about are not adequate and just recently the Chief Judge of the FISA Court that is responsible for approving wiretaps has stated that the Court does not have proper safeguards to ensure that innocent Americans are not spied upon.

Mr. President, the buck stops here with you.  You are responsible for ensuring that there are significant safeguards to prevent unnecessary spying upon the American people in violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.  You, sir, as a constitutional professor of law, should have been monitoring this program more closely, and should have made sure that it was being run correctly.  It is no excuse, Mr. President, that you have other things to do.  Protecting the Constitutional Rights of the American people is one of your chief responsibilities.  I am highly disappointed in you sir.  And, if you were a knowing participant in illegal spying on the American people you should be impeached.

I stated in my run for Congress in 2008 that if a President of the United States violated the Constitution of the United States, whether they be Republican or Democrat, they should be impeached and removed from office.  Let me be clear. There is no evidence that the President knowingly violated the Constitution that would lead to his impeachment and removal at this time.  However, if such evidence did come to the surface, then certainly President Obama would have to be impeached and removed in my opinion.  That would break my heart because I have supported this President with all my being, and I still support the President on many of his programs, but no President, regardless of party, must be allowed to violate the Constitution of the United States and remain in office.