my letter to our representation in Congress

[Ben Pfaff]

I am mail-merging (I wrote my own software for this and for
envelope printing) and sending this letter today.

Ben

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Congressman Dave Camp
137 Cannon House Office Building
Washington DC 20515

Senator Carl Levin
269 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

Senator Debbie Stabenow
702 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

\begin{letter}{%RECIPIENT%}

\opening{%TITLE% %LASTNAME%,}

As a registered voter in your district, I am writing to you regarding
the disaster that so suddenly focused our nation's attention this past
Sept.~11.  The most important work in the aftermath of this terrible
attack is to care for the survivors and mourn for the departed, and
furthermore to track down and punish those responsible for the
attack.  I encourage any efforts along these lines.  However, I am
also concerned about other issues.  

In particular, I wish to draw to your attention to the potential for
unnecessary legislative assault on personal freedom in the United
States in the coming weeks and months.  There is the worrisome
possibility that new laws will be passed and signed in the name of
national security, applying less than a prudent or usual amount of
scrutiny to negative effects.  Historically, such laws have proven
difficult to repeal, making their passage even less desirable.

An example lies in the misguided call for a ban on the use of
encryption for electronic mail, because terrorist Osama bin Laden is
known to make use of encryption.  Proponents of such a ban obviously
mean well, intending to make it more difficult for terrorists to
communicate.  They do not understand that such software is freely
available from many sources throughout the world, not just within the
United States, so a ban would have no practical effect on availability
of encryption, and even if bin Laden were prevented from using
encryption, his organization would many other options for secure
communication.

In addition, encryption has many legitimate uses.  Electronic mail
sent unencrypted is easily read and intercepted by a third party
without the knowledge of sender or recipient, in the same way that
information written on a postcard can be read as it passes through the
postal system.  Encryption is the only practical way for ordinary
citizens to provide basic security against tampering that a simple
paper envelope provides for paper mail.  This in itself is enough
reason to allow and even promote the use of encryption, but there are
many other positive uses, as illustrated in books such as Schneier's
\textsl{Applied Cryptography}.

In summary, I encourage you now in this time of crisis to consider
bills on their merits and pay close scrutiny to negative effects on
individual liberty, in the careful same way that you would do so at
any other time.  Do not be allow yourself to be swayed by hysterical
(but understandable) reactions to the magnitude of the present
disaster.  As Benjamin Franklin once said, ``They that can give up
essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither
liberty nor safety.''  When the safety in question is in fact
illusory, this adage is even more applicable.

\closing{Sincerely,}

\end{letter}
-- 
Peter Seebach on managing engineers:
"It's like herding cats, only most of the engineers are already
 sick of laser pointers."