Sir, – In Derek Scally's article about NSA spying (World News, October 31st), he cites a Washington Post article that stated the "Muscular" programme was "illegal in the US but was permitted . . . overseas on the assumption that anyone using a foreign data link is a non-US citizen".
As a US expat living in Ireland, I have always used my eircom.net e-mail address when corresponding via the Internet. This is also the case with other US citizens living in Ireland: I know this as fact. As past vice chair of the US Democratic Party Committee Abroad, Ireland chapter, I know that many of our members have non-US data link e-mail addresses which would have made them and me targets for data gathering by Muscular. This would have been illegal had we remained in the United States. – Yours, etc,
MARGIE BERNARD,
Crana View
Buncrana, Co Donegal.
Sir, – Politicians in the US are fond of saying that Ireland is a good friend, but surely actions speak louder than words? If we are such a good friend, then how come our leaders’ mobile phones haven’t been bugged by the NSA? – Yours, etc,
DAVE ROBBIE,
Seafield Crescent,
Booterstown, Co Dublin.
Sir, – To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: surely, for the democratically-elected leader of a western nation, the only thing worse than the annoyance at learning that your mobile phone was being tapped (presumably by the state security apparatus of a large powerful ally) would be the dismay at realising that your mobile phone was not being tapped. – Yours, etc,
JIM FITZHARRIS,
Orlagh Park,
Knocklyon, Dublin 16.
Sir, – I am beginning to (nearly) feel sorry for the US president and Jay Carney and their specific troubles. They are discovering that there are deniable deniables, but there are also undeniable deniables. Should Mr Carney and other spokespersons attend a course in Jesuistic semantics? – Yours, etc,
EDWIN HIGEL,
Brookside Terrace,
Dublin 14.