Constituents push Latta for more scrutiny of NSA

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LeRoy Lloyd (from left) and Bryan Young talk to Congressman Bob Latta at Latta’s Bowling Green
office Thursday morning. (Photo: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)

Attorney William Stephenson made it clear to U.S. Rep Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) Thursday the
group of conservatives and libertarians in his office were "his constituents," not a Democrat or
liberal among them.Latta made it clear that "in this office," his field office on North Main
Street in Bowling Green, partisan and ideological labels don’t matter.The issue that dominated the talks,
the National Security Agency’s monitoring of telecommunications, has brought together usual ideological
foes.Stephenson asked Latta to join senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, both staunch conservatives and Ron
Wyden, a liberal Democrat, in calling for congressional investigations into the NSA and "the police
state apparatus in this country."The surveillance of Americans’ communications, which Stephenson said
goes beyond tracking metadata, delves into the actual content of those communications. "The people in
charge in the country, legislative, executive and judiciary, have been asleep at the switch and have allowed
this country to be Sovietized. I don’t think you can see any difference at all in our secret apparatus and
the modern KGB," he said, taking pains to say he was talking about contemporary Russia not the excesses
of the Soviet Era."There’s an opportunity to do something right about this," he said.That means
holding hearings. That means giving immunity to Edward Snowden, the security contractor who released data
about NSA programs, so he can testify. Snowden is now in Russia, where he has temporary asylum.Without
Snowden "spilling the beans," Stephenson said, "we wouldn’t have known anything about
this."Latta noted that many people, including U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, have called Snowden a
traitor."In Washington," Stephenson responded. "Not too many people in these parts
do."Stephenson also asked Latta to support the Amash-Conyers Amendment, when it is reintroduced.The
amendment, which curtails NSA surveillance and provides greater judicial oversight, failed 205-217 in late
July. Latta voted against it.Further Stephenson believes Congress should "defund and eliminate the
NSA.""I’m at a loss of what they’ve actually accomplished other than spying on us," he
said.He called the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, that does have oversight of the NSA, "a
joke."Latta, however, contended that the government was only collecting metadata, and to do any more
than that would take getting a federal warrant, based on probable cause. "All they’re getting is the
telephone numbers, length and duration and time of call. There’s no tracking of what’s said in
conversation."The Supreme Court, he said, has already ruled that such telephone records are not
private.And in the recent revelation from the NSA that from 2008 to 2011 it collected tens of thousands of
Americans’ emails, Latta said "it self-reported."But Stephenson insisted, "they are capturing
content" in contradiction to the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which forbids unlawful search
and seizure."Are you saying they are getting content?" Latta asked Stephenson."No question
about it. I see it all the time with clients," he responded.Latta contended the system is necessary,
and that it should focus only on foreign activity.Latta agreed that Congress needs to be vigilant "to
make sure that American’s constitutional rights are protected."But he said the government also has to
make sure that it can tap into the conversations "from folks that don’t like us."As the 25-minute
meeting concluded, one of the others in attendance LeRoy Lloyd regretted that some of the group’s other
concerns had not been addressed, including problems with the IRS scrutiny of conservative groups and
defunding the Affordable Care Act.Bryan Young also asked that more publicity for town hall meetings, so the
public could make its feelings known.Nathan Eberly, who is active in the local Libertarian Party, said the
conversation also did not touch on recent revelations about surveillance of internet traffic.After the
meeting, Stephenson said the group hoped they could persuade Latta to take a more aggressive stand on those
issues. If he doesn’t, he said, they would consider either finding a candidate to run against him, or fund
any opponent who took him on.Right now, he said he is working to unseat U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers, a
Republican from Michigan, who has close ties to the national security system.Eberly said that the
Libertarians were already looking for a candidate for 2014. In 2012, his brother Eric Eberly, ran against
Latta and won 3.5 percent of the vote. Notable, his brother said, for a campaign that had virtually no
money.Stephenson reiterated his points in another delivered to Latta later Thursday. In it he wrote:
"This issue is not going away, and neither are we."

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