Date: Wed, 05 Jun 2002 08:23:28 -0400 From: "The American Civil Liberties Union" To: "The American Civil Liberties Union" Subject: oppose relaxed restrictions on FBI surveillance Thank you for using The American Civil Liberties Union Mail System Message sent to the following recipients: Sen. Kennedy Sen. Kerry Message text follows: Matthew Belmonte [sender address was inserted here] June 5, 2002 [recipient address was inserted here] [recipient name was inserted here], As your constituent, I urge you to call on Attorney General Ashcroft to overturn radically rewritten FBI guidelines that allow law enforcement agents - even if they have no evidence of wrongdoing -- to spy on domestic religious and political organizations, access personal financial and commercial data and monitor communications on the Internet. As I'm sure you know, the original guidelines were enacted after Congressional hearings revealed that from the 1950s to 1970s, the FBI engaged in illegal surveillance and persecution of organizations and individuals involved in anti-war and civil rights activities. I do not support a return to the bad old days. I do not want the FBI following and spying on me and my neighbors. I do not want the FBI to access data on how I use my debit card or what kind of books or pharmacy items I buy. And, I do not want the FBI snooping into my Internet use and communication. The government's failure to process data that it had prior to the tragic attacks on September 11 does not argue for more data collection, it argues for better analysis of such data within current rules and constraints. Failure of the government to assess this data should not be used to permit greater intrusion into our personal lives. Denying individuals' civil liberties and privacy rights do not make us safer; it makes us less free. I understand that both Republican and Democratic members of Congress have expressed concern about the sweeping scope of the new Ashcroft guidelines and ask that you join with them in calling for Attorney General Ashcroft and the Justice Department to rescind the new guidelines. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this tremendously important issue. Sincerely, Matthew Belmonte