Time for intelligent debate

Should Americans be concerned about the scope of the government’s monitoring of telephone and Internet data?
Of course.
Should that monitoring come as a surprise?
Not really.
And the folks who should be least surprised are the members of Congress who set the whole thing in motion.
Cries of outrage in Washington ring false when one considers the fact that the large-scale monitoring revealed this week is legal.
Not only is it legal under the Patriot Act, but members of Congress on the appropriate committees have been kept posted about the extent of government surveillance over the years.
Behind all the bluster, there are some serious questions:
•Did the Patriot Act go too far when it was enacted in the wake of 9/11?
•Has electronic communication technology changed so much in recent years that the whole thing deserves to be revisited?
•What trade-offs are Americans prepared to make between individual privacy and national security?
That last one deserved more serious debate when the Patriot Act was originally passed by Congress.
Perhaps this week’s revelations will prompt the sort of national discussion that should have been conducted in the first place.
So let’s put the outrage on hold, acknowledge that the data gathering is legal, try to assess the national security implications, and focus on the big picture.
If we — as a country — aren’t sure we want to go down this road, let’s talk about it like grown-ups. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]