Sequester the NSA | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sequester 1: to set apart or segregate, as in sequester a jury. 2a: to seize, especially by a writ of sequestration. 2b: to place (property) in custody, especially in sequestration.

Today, "sequester" has a new meaning. The Office of Management and Budget declares on its website: "Sequester describes the practice of using mandatory spending cuts in the federal budget if the cost of running the government exceeds either an arbitrary amount or the gross revenue it brings during the fiscal year."

It would appear that the federal government has a whole lot of "sequestering" yet to do.

For example, what possible purpose could the NSA's Utah Data Collection Center serve above and beyond existing NSA facilities at Ft. Meade. Md., since it clearly is designed to spy on all Americans. "Sequester cuts" in the military have been dramatic, yet it appears that Big Brother is somehow sequester-proof. Why?

A. True Ott

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