Private diaries?

I would like to comment on the editorial ``Packwood and Privacy,'' Oct. 28. I am an advocate of keeping all of our constitutional rights intact, including the right to privacy. However, in Sen. Bob Packwood's case, I believe that this right is not applicable. A diary is defined as ``A daily record, especially a personal record of events, experiences, and observations.'' Since Senator Packwood dictated them in his office to his secretary and transcribed and maintained them at taxpayer expense, these ``diaries'' fall in the public domain. They should not be protected under the constitution because he was doing this on his constituents' time, and his constituents have a right to know their contents. K. M. Devlin-McElroy, Stevenson, Wash.

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