Crying about 'spying'

If the National Security Agency of the United States of America would like to do some snooping into my private or public military, social, or political activities related to our country's security, they are welcome to it. Maybe a few Americans have something to hide. Most of us, including George Ostrom do not. Some antis are rationalizing their position by saying their constitutional rights are being threatened. My personal lifetime experiences say, "Nonsense! Sometimes personal rights have to give way to our nation's safety." I know a little more about being spied upon than the average person because…I have been there. It is no secret. I've written columns about it here several times.

Even as this New Year began, President Bush was continuing to fire back at liberals on both sides of the aisle regarding the Federal Government's right to monitor private communications of American citizens, i.e. spy on people who fit certain profiles. The President said, "If somebody from al-Qaida is calling you, we'd like to know why." A Monday newspaper headline read, "Bush says domestic spying is a legal, effective tool."

The Federal Government through a couple of "Secret" bureaus "spied" on Glenn George Ostrom for approximately 12 years. It was not called "spying" then, and is only called spying now by the liberal press.

My first go-around was a background check for top-secret clearance required by assigned work I did in Europe from 1946 through '49 while in the army. The next nine years of "checking up on George" was done chiefly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, at least in the 10 or so cases where I could trace sources.

It was sort of a pain in the neck because they checked on who I associated with, what courses I took at the university, places of employment, etc. Some inquiry type checks were made in person by agents in Missoula and Kalispell, but probably more were done in local phone calls, others from Butte to academic, civil service, or business people who knew me in western Montana. These included Professor Wren who taught me a course in Russian history, Carter Helseth, a personnel manager for the Flathead Forest, and Don Sheppard and Alton Pearce, Kalispell businessmen who looked after me when I was in high school. It took considerable talking to assure these men I was not "in trouble."

What was my basic attitude about being shadowed and watched by government agents? I thought it was overdone and went on too long…wasting money. If I was going to betray my country by blabbing things I knew to the communists, I'd have had to do it right away. I suspect that within six months of my discharge, every secret thing of value that I knew had become obsolete, worthless!

One FBI agent I asked about those checks, denied they had ever done any and he said the FBI just didn't do such things. That was left up to other bureaus. Another FBI agent who became a good friend here in the 1960s told me The Department of Justice had stopped checking on me in early '59.

If a young man who had honorably served three years in his country's service and had two kid brothers serving in the military, had to be checked out for his loyalty…what of people today who have a greater potential for becoming a threat to our country's security???

Thousands and thousands of good Americans have cheerfully survived without harm, some form of "domestic surveillance." If we could take it without the ACLU type hysteria and screeching…so can others NOW.