Letters to the editor for Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Body cameras for all elected officials

Dear Hillary Clinton: I heard your suggestion when you stated every police officer in America should be issued a body camera. I propose every member of Congress along with the president, vice president, every member of the president’s senior staff, every cabinet member, the head of every federal organization along with the chairman of every commission responsible to the president, plus every candidate for any of the offices encapsulated above be issued a body camera with microphone.

Images and audio of said body camera and microphone would be automatically downloaded into servers maintained by the Library of Congress. The servers would be searchable and the data retrievable through the Freedom of Information Act.

Meetings or discussions could be classified in advance so the data would go to the appropriately protected server such as Secret Compartmentalized Information; Top Secret: Secret; Confidential; Official Use Only, or Unclassified.

Back door deals, special interest deals, illegal fundraising deals might be curtailed if the elected or appointed official knew that what he or she was doing was being recorded for posterity.

While police officers come under scrutiny for their dealings with the public, that does not compare to what elected or appointed officials do that is counter to the good of the nation. Wouldn’t it have been fascinating to watch and listen to what really happened at the White House and at the Department of State the night of the Benghazi attack occurred?

I see another area where a helpful suggestion might enhance your candidacy, I’ll write you another letter.

Ron Landmann

Minden