Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: Reverse new FBI guidelines

Dear Senator ,

I strongly 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 am 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. The old guidelines already provided broad authority to conduct investigations. The changes implemented by Attorney General Ashcroft allow the FBI to engage in "fishing expeditions," meaning the Bureau can, if it wants, spy on groups solely because of their political, religious or social activity.

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 in our houses of worship. I do not want the FBI to access data on how I use my credit cards or what kind of books or pharmacy items I buy. And I do not want the FBI snooping into my Internet use and communication.

Efforts to protect the United States against terrorism must not be used to permanently expand unchecked government power or to diminish the Bill of Rights. 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 does 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 demanding that Attorney General Ashcroft and the Justice Department rescind the new guidelines.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this tremendously important issue.

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