The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Letter to the Editor

After reading the opinion by Justin Satzman, I had to write a rebuttal since he was wrong on every major point he made.

Spying on suspected terrorist calls is vital to our national security and perfectly legal. We have arrested many terrorists because of it. Here’s how it works: A terrorist is captured overseas and all the numbers in his cell phone are then monitored before the media breaks the story and his terrorist friends in the U.S. go silent. The president does not have time to seek a warrant, nor does he have to. The president is endowed with the “authority under the Constitution to take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States.” The president’s powers to use warrantless surveillance have been held up in several court cases, and let’s not forget that numerous presidents, including Jimmy Carter and Franklin D. Roosevelt have used similar “spying” as a means of national defense. The courts even found Roosevelt’s internment of Japanese-American citizens legal as a wartime security measure.

A man named Mark Felt, whose daughter alleges he was “Deep Throat,” did not do an admirable thing. He did a cowardly thing. Instead of reporting what Nixon was doing to his bosses in the FBI, he leaked it to a reporter. Felt was a little upset about being passed over for a promotion, and didn’t have the courage to go public with his statements, so he hid behind Bob Woodward.

Journalists do have a job to do, and many do it well. However, the many others that spin news to fit their opinions taint the entire profession. Their only goal in reporting about Iraq is undermining support for the war. They reveal security secrets and weaken our national security. Journalists should be “allowed to do (their) job and do it properly.” But Bush should be angry, so many journalists have shown incompetence at doing their job properly.

Jacob Boje Undeclared Major

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