Also went into the ACLU site & sent emails to my 2 state senators and Congressional rep.:

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/Safe...ID=11904&c=206

This is what the letter (email) looks like:

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose any efforts by Attorney General John Ashcroft to pass his proposed “Domestic Security Enhancement Act” in Congress. I am deeply concerned that rather than passing this new Act — which would give new and even more controversial powers than the “USA PATRIOT Act” - Congress should instead investigate and oversee ways in which this Administration has already used or misused new powers.

I have read that the new Ashcroft proposal contains a multitude of new and sweeping law enforcement and intelligence gathering powers, many of which are not related to terrorism, that would severely undermine basic constitutional rights and checks and balances.

If adopted, the bill would diminish personal privacy by removing important checks on government surveillance authority, reduce the accountability of government to the public by increasing government secrecy, expand on the definition of "terrorism" in a manner that threatens the constitutionally protected rights of Americans, and seriously erode the right of all persons to due process of law.

I am very concerned that already under the USA PATRIOT Act, this government has compiled unprecedented powers to violate our civil liberties and tap deep into the private lives of innocent Americans. Congress must not accept new legislation that threatens our constitutional rights in the name of security against terrorism. I believe that we can be safe and free without sacrificing the very values for which our nation stands.

In its role as representing the people, Congress should now step in and block any efforts to pass additional legislation intruding on our core liberties and rights. At the same time, I also believe it is the duty of Congress to force the Administration to account for the ways in which it has already used its new powers under the USA Patriot Act. To this end, I hope that you will take every opportunity to support oversight hearings into the ways in which the government has used its new powers.