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| Woolsey Leads Colleagues In Protecting Civil Liberties | | June 26, 2002 | |
| June 26, 2002
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) on Wednesday, led 24 of her colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to express concern about potential infringement of civil liberties by the Justice Department’s new rules for domestic spying.
“Protecting our nation from terrorists must certainly be a top priority, but we can do it without sacrificing our civil liberties,” said Rep. Woolsey and her colleagues. “We have serious concerns about the implications that the Justice Department’s new rules for domestic spying might have on core civil liberties and encourage you to reconsider their necessity.”
The revised rules for domestic spying allow FBI agents to investigate an individual’s actions and treat him/her as a criminal suspect without any incriminating evidence. Rep. Woolsey and her colleagues consider this a “direct violation of basic rights.”
The following is an excerpt from the letter written to Mr. Ashcroft:
“Relaxing the rules on domestic spying may be seen as a solution to address the opportunities missed before the September attack. However, under the new regulations we will be violating the standards put in place to respond to law enforcement abuses and illegal spying on the public by the FBI in the 1950s and 1960s. This could result in the invasion of the rights of many innocent dissenters, as the new tactics could put them under unnecessary government surveillance when they participate in a completely legal activity, such as worshipping or surfing the Internet.”
“Under these new regulations the FBI can freely infiltrate mosques, churches and synagogues, listen in on online chat rooms and read message boards even when there is no evidence that a crime might be committed.
“We urge you to reconsider these invasive tactics. We can still protect our nation from terrorists without giving up the rights and freedoms the terrorists wish to destroy.”
Rep. Woolsey is dedicated to ensuring the integrity of our civil rights. She voted against the Patriot Act because of its potential infringement on civil liberties, and as co-sponsor of H.R.1343, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2001 continues to fight against discrimination to protect our freedoms and the freedoms of future generations of Americans.
The 24 congressional Members who signed the letter are: Reps. Paul, Hinchey, Filner, McGovern, Holmes-Norton, Honda, Kilpatrick, Lee, Kucinich, Christensen, Farr, Scott, Kleczka, Stark, Conyers, Dingell, Serrano, Watson, Rivers, Roybal-Allard, Pastor, Hastings, Town, and McKinney.
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