my letter to our representation in Congress

[Cory Spitz]

Ben,

Very nicely written.  You might want to remove the extraneous "be"
from this sentence before you drop these letters in the mail.

> Do not be allow yourself to be swayed by hysterical


-Cory




On 17 Sep 2001, Ben Pfaff wrote:

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