Open Letter to US Congressman Pete Sessions Republican, Texas


Dear Congressman,
I deeply appreciate your stand on Obamacare and your tireless efforts to restrict and eventually repeal Obamacare.  I can see that the task is difficult in that those who stand to profit from this legislation (that’s not ordinary Americans) are waging a very intense and complicated battle complete with massive propaganda to keep Obamacare going.  The result is that Americans have been very deceived by the Obamacare initiative.  Please continue to fight.  I will continue to post on my facebook page any info that I find that can shed light on the continuing destructiveness to our medical care system as well as the overall damage to our economy of which Obamacare plays a significant part.

One of my other major concern is the NSA.  President Obama’s speech regarding his initiatives to make changes in NSA practice was filled with lies, half-truths and sidesteps.  The entire speech was designed to quell dissent without actually reigning in the NSA’s bulk collection of all of our digital data.  This bulk collection is at issue in my mind.  Neither the NSA nor the President has established with documentation that the present bulk collection is necessary for national defense.  Statements are constantly being made by them to that effect but anytime they are pressed for proof, there is no proof provided. That was clearly shown in the recent Senate hearings where testimonies were given by NSA officers.  Statements were made in defense of the present scope of data collection while statistics given to support their policies were shown to have no merit.  The lack of evidence demonstrated that this collection of all of our data is made with no probable cause.

Constitutionally speaking, reasonable suspicion is not the criterion for search and seizure of our private information.  Probable cause is the criterion -- which is vastly different from reasonable suspicion.  Therefore, I can only conclude that the NSA collection of wholesale data on Americans is unconstitutional and should be abolished immediately.  In addition I have zero confidence that any of the proposed “reforms” that the President presented will be enacted.  What we will get will be more smoke and mirrors designed to convince us that changes have occured hoping we will just relax and trust that the government will not continue to abuse its power.  This is unconscionable.  No government should ever be given this much power.

Much of the judicial oversight that the President is recommending is already in place.  The fact that this oversight does not function well is a result of the the agency’s objective to “collect everything” in secret while stonewalling the FISA court.  It was shown how the NSA engaged in every means to frustrate the over sight process.  I don’t see the President’s proclamations changing any of that in the least.

The other concern I have is the use of “states secrets” as a way to limit designated representatives from viewing information held by this government that is vital to health and well being of Americans.  Declaring “state secrets” and classifying information that does not warrant classifying have reached epidemic proportions.  I cannot believe that a free society can have a “secret government”.

The effort to reign in the bulk data collection was nearly accomplished by Congress last summer.  The Amash bill to de-fund the bulk collections nearly passed.  I was disappointed to see that you voted against the bill.  I can only assume that you were so wrapped up in the fight against Obamacare that you may have been confused about the NSA activity.

According to the NSA Inspector General, we’ve seen at least 12 specific, intentional cases of “abuse” by the NSA.  In addition when it is revealed that at least 120,000,000 Americans have been spied on indescriminately wilthout cause or warrant the opportunities for abuse are staggering.  The federal government’s independent PCLOB report on the NSA’s mass phone surveillance recently indicated that they found NO instance in which the program directly contributed to the discovery of a previously unknown terrorist plot or the disruption of a terrorist attack.  At a recent press conference the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board made it clear that this NSA bulk spying program (that has been operating in secret for years) has no basis in law.

On the basis of what I have already stated plus much, much more I cannot accept your position to support this random, unwarranted collection and storing of personal data.  I would ask that you please join any future effort to pass legislation to stop the bulk collection of the communications data of Americans.

Thank you for your work.

Larry Enge