Letter in the Sunday Monterey Herald, January 20, 2018

With the help of 65 Democrats, the House of Representatives voted 256-164 last week to support a controversial bill to renew the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Act (FISA) would allow Donald Trump and the government to continue spying on the emails, text messages, and other electronic communications of Americans and foreigners without a warrant. President Trump has promised to sign the bill after a vote in the Senate, where it is expected to pass. Regrettably, one of the House Democrats voting yea, and ignoring Fourth Amendment privacy concerns, was local congressman Jimmy Panetta.

–Arlen Grossman